Ali, who scored in his last four games with Hilal, was panned by the club's fans shortly after his arrival from Ismaili on loan in the winter.

But Bin Mousaad, manager Gabriel Calderon and football director Sami Al-Jaber defended the Egypt ace when he was under-fire, saying he just needed time to blossom.

Indeed, Ali lived up to their expectations and hit peak form, having taken his scoring tally to five goals and won his first title with Hilal on Friday when his team battered Wehda 5-0 in the Saudi Cup final on Friday.

Bin Mousaad reiterated Ali's importance in the team. He was quoted by Al-Riyadh newspaper as saying: "He has become an important figure in the team, he creates and scores goals.

"He's not extremely adept at dribbling but he does the job upfront. He's a good deal."