Saudi international Tambakti joins Hilal from Shabab

RIYADH: Saudi center-back Hassan Al-Tambakti completed a momentous move to Al-Hilal on Monday, leaving Al-Shabab, a club he joined as a youth.

The club released a video of Tambakti on social media holding the Blues jersey bearing the number 87.

Tambakti, who joins his new side on a four-year contract, said in a video posted by the club “In the end, I Am Hilali,” following earlier reports that Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli were interested in signing the Saudi national team player.

Tambakti expressed in an interview his desire to leave Al-Shabab on the condition that they benefit financially from his transfer. He renewed his contract with Al-Shabab earlier this year in a deal that was supposed to keep him at the club until 2027.

Reports said that the total cost of the deal exceeded SR138 million, making him the most expensive signing in the history of Saudi footballers.

The newcomer joins Neymar and Aleksandar Mitrovic in Riyadh as the club becomes the second highest net-spenders in the world during the summer transfer window, according to the CIES Football Observatory. 

Tambakti won the AFC U-20 Asian Cup in 2018 and the AFC U-23 Asian Cup in 2022 with the Green Falcons.