‘We are expected to win.’ Al-Hilal CEO Esteve Calzada eyes bright future following FIFA Club World Cup
DUBAI: Football fans around the world were treated to a sight they did not expect at the recent FIFA Club World Cup — but one with which supporters in Saudi Arabia and Asia are very familiar: Al-Hilal going toe-to-toe with the best and, often, coming out on top.
Watching proudly from the stands of stadiums across the US was Al-Hilal CEO Esteve Calzada. The Spaniard joined the Riyadh giants one and half years ago and has since been, in his own words, on an “exciting journey.”
Calzada told Arab News: “I joined as part of the new era in Saudi football. With the Public Investment Fund leading —having the majority of the club, and supporting our chairman Fahad bin Saad bin Nafel — we’ve got something which is very important in football, which is stability. That is really needed so that players perform, and we can make plans for the future. And this is why I’m here — alongside other people that have come. Some of us came from abroad, some others were already here, and they are local. It is absolutely essential for all of us to be successful. It’s not only the foreigners coming with new ideas, just like it’s not only the locals doing things always in the same way, but the combination of the two is what can take you to the sweet spot and to be successful.”
Success is something Al-Hilal’s owners, management and players — not to mention their passionate fans — demand. The recent FIFA Club World Cup campaign in the US shows the potential of the club to succeed at the highest level when Calzada’s “sweet spot” is hit.
“We don’t (often) have the opportunity to play the biggest clubs in the world, which is what this tournament offered us,” he said. “And with the results we got, we got the opportunity to show that we have a