Nuno praises Al Ittihad on title win as rumours swirl of Benzema switch to Saudi Arabia

Nuno Espirito Santo dedicated Al Ittihad’s Saudi Pro League title to his players, attributing the club’s first top-flight success in 14 years to his side’s self-belief.

The Jeddah club were celebrated as Saudi champions at a vibrant King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Wednesday night having on Saturday sealed the trophy with one match to spare.

Now nine-time Saudi champions, Ittihad brought down the curtain on their 2022/23 campaign with a 2-0 win against Al Tai, meaning they finished the season five points ahead of second-placed Al Nassr.

Nassr won their final match, also on Wednesday night, although Cristiano Ronaldo missed the 3-0 victory at home to Al Fateh through injury.

Asked about his impact on the team since arriving last July, Nuno told SSC Sports: “The real people that made this possible was the players. Football is played by the players – no one can doubt this.

“We support them, we try to help them with their decisions. Our management helps us to provide the right environment for them to work. But the job is their job. The staff helps, but who makes it happen, is the players. It’s not about me, it’s about the players.

“They are the ones. The way they engage themselves, the day-by-day situation, the problems that we have, how we overcome, how we bounce back from bad moments. How we find solutions to the team, but always try to help the players.”

Al Ittihad fans celebrating, finally, a Saudi championship. Support for team this season been fantastic - deserve their night to enjoy it.pic.twitter.com/4QFFll4wY1

Nuno, in his first management role since being dismissed as Tottenham Hotspur head coach in November 2021, said the staff and players used the disappointment of last season as motivation this time around.