Yassine Bono seals long-term stay with Al Hilal, steering the fortress through 2028

Bono signs new deal with Al Hilal through 2028

The Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bono has officially extended his contract with Al Hilal until the summer of 2028. The announcement came as a pleasant surprise for fans who have watched him anchor the team since his arrival in 2023.

The club posted a brief video on X featuring Bono in action, with the caption that Al Hilal’s goal would be secure through 2028. The message underscored a forward-facing plan built around his reliability between the posts.

Sources close to the club indicated that this is part of a broader strategy to sustain a high-performing era, aligning Bono’s commitment with the team’s long-term ambitions under head coach Simone Inzaghi.

Bono joined Al Hilal in 2023 from Sevilla as part of a wave of signings reshaping the Saudi Pro League after a strategic shift that increased local investment in foreign talent. He is now 30 years old and has featured in 99 matches across all competitions for the club, conceding 94 goals and recording 38 clean sheets.

His standout form shone at the FIFA Club World Cup, where he made 23 saves, finishing as the tournament’s leading shot-stopper. He was among the top five goalkeepers by rating, with an impressive score that placed him in the tournament’s elite bracket, according to authorities tracking performance metrics.

The performance surge helped Bono land a spot on the preliminary shortlist for the Ballon d’Or’s best goalkeeper of the world, a nod to his growing international reputation and the club’s continued ambition on multiple fronts.

Looking ahead, Al Hilal is intent on retaining its core foreign contingent to fuel continued success. The club’s “heavy artillery” includes Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves, and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, all of whom arrived in the 2023 window and have become central to the team’s tactical rhythm.

Kalidou Koulibaly, signed in 2023 on a three-year deal from Chelsea, has appeared 100 times for the club, scoring five goals and providing three assists. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic joined from Lazio in 2023 and has made 102 appearances, contributing 30 goals and 26 assists, helping secure multiple trophies. Ruben Neves, also arriving in 2023 from Wolverhampton, has featured 97 times, with 10 goals and 24 assists to his name.

In domestic and regional honours, Salem Al-Dawsari was crowned Asia’s Player of the Year in 2025 for the second time, following his 2022 award. He spoke about the significance of team achievements and the role of individual awards within the broader context of shared success.

During a post-award press conference, Al-Dawsari emphasized that personal accolades are important but secondary to collective success. He also acknowledged the pressure that comes with top-level football and reiterated his commitment to performing on the pitch, day in and day out.

Al-Dawsari’s remarks echoed a common theme at the club: ambition must be balanced with humility, and the focus should stay on improving and contending for trophies in the seasons ahead. Bono’s contract extension reinforces the idea that Al Hilal intends to remain competitive at the highest level, leveraging experience and cohesion built over the last few campaigns.

Punchline time: If goalkeepers were stock brokers, Bono would be the guy who guarantees you a risk-free bet on every shot. And yes, the vault is open for a few more years—no keys required, just trust in the gloves. Punchline two: With Bono guarding the goal, even the balls feel invited to the party but never invited to score—talk about a strict guest list.