Al-Ittihad champions: 5 reasons behind the Jeddah giants’ 2025 Saudi Pro League title triumph

LONDON: Al-Ittihad are champions of Saudi Arabia. The Tigers clinched their 10th title on Thursday with two games of the season remaining after a 3-1 win at Al-Raed. It has been a long campaign, and here are five reasons behind the latest success for the yellow-and-black half of Jeddah.

Benzema, Aouar and Diaby provide an irresistible attacking force
Of course, the biggest star gets the most attention but this has been a season to remember for Karim Benzema. The Frenchman was beset by injuries in his first season and, while he was on the sidelines as the title was clinched on Thursday, he played a major part this season.
Even at the grand old age of 37, his goalscoring talents have been there for all to see. Benzema has 21 in the league and is second in the standings, two behind a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. Yet, if penalties are taken out of the equation, then the Ittihad star stays on 21 while Al-Nassr’s man has 16. Having such a consistent finisher makes a huge difference.
Playing deeper is Houssem Aouar. The French-born Algerian also contributed 12 goals, including a vital last-minute winner against Al-Nassr in early May that gave Ittihad’s chances a huge boost, and much more besides. Add the 13 assists from Moussa Diaby and the Jeddah giants had firepower few could match.

The Tigers roared back to shine in big games
Early in the campaign, Al-Ittihad lost 3-1 at Al-Hilal and were well beaten, going 3-0 down by the break. After finishing fifth the season before, a long way behind the champions, it looked as if Hilal were going to be too strong once again.
Yet it seemed to be exactly the result needed. From then, there was a resilience about the Jeddah giants and they never lost again to any of their title rivals.