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 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.

He later expressed his gratitude to Calderon and Al-Jaber for having faith in him.

"I would like to thank Al-Jaber for supporting me during all matches, and also Calderon for helping me," he said. "And of course I'm grateful to our fans too.

"Hilal are a big team who're used to playing in finals and producing great displays in decisive matches."