MANCHESTER, England — The great Saudi Arabian soccer experiment is on full show at the Club World Cup.The oil-rich kingdom, which is spending billions of dollars to become a major player in the world’s most popular sport, scored a big win on the field Monday when Al Hilal beat Premier League giant Manchester City 4-3 to advance to the quarterfinals.It was a seismic result in soccer terms; possibly the biggest upset of the tournament and precisely the type of statement Saudi Arabia has wanted to make since embarking on a project that will ultimately see it stage the World Cup in 2034.“We wanted to show that Al Hilal has the talent, the power to be here,” said defender Kalidou Koulibaly, who was among a slew of star players paid fortunes to leave Europe’s top clubs for the Saudi Pro League in recent years. The biggest of them all was Cristiano Ronaldo, who completed one of the most stunning moves in soccer history when joining Al Nassr for a reported salary of up to $200 million a year in 2022. That deal prompted a spectacular recruitment drive by Saudi teams — backed by the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund — and in came superstars like Neymar and Karim Benzema, while audacious attempts were made to sign Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.Confirmation that Saudi Arabia had won the right to host the World Cup came in December. On the field, the Club World Cup was the first chance for the country to make a global statement about the growth of its domestic game, which is largely unheralded outside of Asia. It is likely why Al Hilal — Saudi Arabia’s most successful team — was so eager to make another marquee signing before the tournament began and tried, but failed, to lure Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes. It pulled off a coup by hiring coach Simone Inzaghi. The Italian arrived after leading Inter Milan to a second Champions League final in three seasons and he is already making a mark with his new team after drawing 1-1 against Real Madrid in the group stage and then beating City. “We had to do something extraordinary …
