"Clearly, for me and my staff, it was very important to be able to play in this World Cup.

 

"We realised what kind of team we have, the quality of our players, the pleasure with which they work every day. Now we are looking forward to a great season," said former Inter Milan boss Inzaghi.

Al Hilal began their campaign with a draw against Spanish giants Real Madrid and they came through the group stage unbeaten with a stalemate against UEFA Champions League regulars Salzburg and a 2-0 win over six-times CONCACAF Champions Cup winners Pachuca of Mexico.

 

Inzaghi's team beat Manchester City 4-3 in the Round of 16, delivering the biggest upset of the tournament and one of the competition's most thrilling games.

For former Napoli defender and Senegal international Kalidou Koulibaly, the performances at the first 32-team FIFA Club World Cup, were a message that the Saudi Pro League is on the rise.

"We showed that the teams from Saudi are very strong, very powerful and we have a lot of good players.

"We showed it at this World Cup and every team who played against us can see that we have talent. We want to improve the league, we have improved a lot in two years," said Koulibaly.

Koulibaly was one of the early recruits to the Saudi Pro League, after leaving Premier League team Chelsea to join the Riyadh club and he said he has witnessed rapid growth in the league.

 

"I was there at the beginning and I see today it is very tough. We saw it last year and next year it will be tougher as more players are coming. The Saudi league is taking a nice place in the football world and we are happy because we are part of a very nice project and want to show all the world that the football is improving," he said.