Al-Hilal is having a tough time deciding what to do with their young Brazilian forward Marcos Leonardo. The club wants to keep him just for the AFC Champions League which has got people worried about how he’ll develop. They’re thinking about letting him go on loan to São Paulo so he can play more games, plus with all the manager changes at Al-Hilal it’s making everything more complicated for him.
- Al-Hilal wants Marcos Leonardo to only play in AFC Champions League games
- They might loan him to São Paulo so he gets to play more
- All the manager changes at Al-Hilal makes his future there uncertain
Marcos Leonardo’s Current Situation
Marcos Leonardo who’s 22 and from Brazil, is stuck in a weird spot with Al-Hilal. Even though he’s really good he can’t play in the Saudi League cause they got too many foreign players already. So now they’re talking about sending him to São Paulo on loan to keep him playing and getting better. Al-Hilal wants him for the AFC Champions League but people are worried he won’t improve much if he doesn’t play enough games.
⚠️ Honestly, no idea what Al-Hilal are planning with Leonardo!
Keeping him just for AFC Champions League Elite is a disaster waiting to happen 😥
He’s young, full of potential, but if he only plays a handful of games, that talent will be wasted and his growth killed off.
— All About SPL 🔔 🇸🇦 (@Saudifutbol)
September 03, 2025
Al-Hilal’s Managerial Changes
Things got more complicated when Al-Hilal changed managers recently. They got rid of Jorge Jesus after some bad games including a big loss in the AFC Champions League. Now Mohammed Al-Shalhoub is temporary manager while they’re looking at big names like Carlo Ancelotti to take over permanently. This shows how Al-Hilal wants to be seen as a bigger club worldwide which might change how they handle players like Leonardo.
The Loan Move to São Paulo
Moving to São Paulo on loan could be really important for Leonardo’s career. At São Paulo he’d get to play lots of games in the Brasileirão which would help him improve. Al-Hilal said they’ll pay his wages while he’s on loan until December 2025. This deal works good for Leonardo since he really wants to play more games and shows how much he cares about getting better. The whole thing came together after lots of talks between Al-Hilal and São Paulo trying to make it work good for everyone involved.
