Al-Shabab announces its contract with Ricardo Matias and Hawsawi, and Al-Hilal signs with Richard Hughes

Al-Shabab Club announced its contract with Brazilian Ricardo Matias, born in 2006, on a one-year loan basis, in the club’s latest move in its roster, which also witnessed the joining of Abdullah Hawsawi, in exchange for loaning Mubarak Al Rajeh to Al-Najma, and ending the contractual relationship with Hisham Al-Dubais.

During last season, Ricardo played 6 matches with Al-Ahly Club, for 87 minutes, during which he made a goal, distributed between 3 matches in the Saudi Professional League and 3 matches in the AFC Elite Champions League.

Matias rose through the youth ranks of the Brazilian club Internacional, before rising to the first team at the beginning of last year, to participate with them in 35 matches, during which he scored 7 goals and assisted one goal, according to data from the Transfer Market network.

On the international level, Matias won the South American Championship title with the Brazilian youth team last February, after the Brazilian team beat its Argentine counterpart in the final stage, so the player continued his presence in the national teams of his country.

Al-Ahly had signed Mathias last January, coming from the Brazilian Internacional, but his participation with the Al-Ahly team was limited to 6 matches, with 3 matches in the Saudi Roshen League, and 3 matches in the AFC Elite Champions League.

During his appearance with Al-Ahly, Mathias was unable to score any goal, while he contributed one decisive pass, before the club management decided to agree to loan him to Al-Shabab until the end of next season.

It is expected that the loan will give the player a greater opportunity to get playing minutes and participate regularly, at a time when Al-Ahly seeks to make optimal use of its roster during the new sports season.

In another move, Al-Shabab included Abdullah Hawsawi on loan until the end of the season. The player has been a regular presence in recent seasons, as he played 26 matches last season with Al-Najma Club, for a total of 2,012 minutes.

The club also announced its contract with striker Mourad Khudari, coming from Al-Wahda, on a two-year contract.

In terms of departures, the Youth Administration agreed to loan Mubarak Al Rajeh to Al-Najma Club until the end of the season, wishing him success in his next experience.

The club also ended its association with Hisham Al-Dubais, after signing a financial settlement with him, thanking the player for the period he spent with the team.

Al-Shabab's movements coincided with the last day of the summer registration period, which closes on September 6, at a time when clubs are racing against time to decide their lists before the window closes.

Al Hilal Club announced its contract with Scottish player Richard Hughes. To assume the position of sporting director at the club, where Hughes began his duties today after his arrival in Riyadh.

The contract with Hughes came as part of Al Hilal Club Company’s steps to strengthen the football system and develop its sports structure with specialized competencies, which contributes to raising the quality of technical work, developing recruitment and scouting processes, and enhancing integration in various aspects related to the football sector.

Hughes began his football career as a player, where he represented a number of English clubs, most notably Bournemouth and Portsmouth, in addition to representing the Scottish national team, before after his retirement he moved into administrative work, where he worked in the recruitment system at Bournemouth, before assuming the position of sporting director in 2016 at the same club, then moving in 2024 to assume the same position at the English club Liverpool, during a period that witnessed the team achieving the English Premier League title.

In addition to Hughes, Al Hilal’s sports department includes Englishman Simon Francis as technical director of football, Scottish Mark Burchill as recruitment director, Scottish Craig Mackey as director of scouting, Englishman Harry Arter as senior technical scout, in addition to Saudi Abdul Hakim Al-Tuwaijri as technical director for the Sunni groups.

The Board of Directors of Al Hilal Club Company extended its deep thanks and appreciation to Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. In exchange for sponsoring the contracts of the sports management team.