who-are-al-hilal?-meet-the-saudi-giants-who-humbled-manchester-city

​There’s a certain irony in watching Manchester City, the gold standard of modern, oil-backed football, get knocked out of the Club World Cup, defeated by their spiritual cousin, built with similar means but emerging from a different desert. For a club like City, built to win everything, an early Club World Cup exit is a rare embarrassment. For Al Hilal, it’s validation on a global scale.