Betrayal or Breakthrough? The Inside Tale of Inzaghi’s Al Hilal Move After a 5-0 Final
17 November 2025
The European final disaster sealed the negotiations.
Federico Pastorello, the Italian agent representing Simone Inzaghi, offered a window into the behind‑the‑scenes move to Al Hilal at the start of the season.
Inzaghi was appointed to lead Al Hilal in July and began his tenure with the Club World Cup 2025, which saw the team exit in the quarterfinals, while the Saudi side sat third in the league standings.
Behind the Scenes Truth
Pastorello told the Saudi daily Al Yaum that no agreement with Al Hilal had been reached before the Champions League final against Paris Saint‑Germain, as some narratives claimed.
He added that Inzaghi closed the negotiations with Al Hilal five or six days before the final, driven by professional discipline and a focus on winning the showpiece above all else.
“The loss to Paris was the factor that pushed the move,” he said, explaining that the moment of truth arrived when it became clear the time had come to move on.
He wrapped up with a forward-looking line: “Winning the European title would likely have kept Inzaghi with Inter.”
The Final Disaster
Even the most cautious Inter Milan voices did not foresee the European dream ending in such harsh fashion.
The 2025 Champions League final night turned from a milestone into one of the club’s darkest moments, with a 5‑0 defeat to Paris Saint‑Germain that sent shockwaves through European football and sparked questions about what unfolded on and off the pitch.
From the opening whistle, Inter looked far from the steady unit that had carried them to the final; defense, once dubbed iron, cracked under Paris’s pace and ruthless attack.
The first goal opened the floodgates, and the scoreline soon reflected a team that had seemingly lost its tactical bearings and its nerve.
PSG, by contrast, produced a performance of rare high quality: relentless pressure, exceptional pace, disciplined possession, and a ruthless finish. It felt as if they had come to settle scores that had simmered for years.
A clean five-goal triumph isn’t just a scoreline; it’s a statement of strength and a blunt wake‑up call to Inter’s project.
For Inter, the defeat wasn’t merely a final loss; it touched reputation, identity, and morale, with newspapers dubbing it “the night of the great fall” and calling for a rethink of the continental project.
The coach found himself in the eye of a storm while players faced heavy criticism, and fans were left in shock over a thrashing no one saw coming.
The 2025 final will be etched in memory: for PSG, a milestone; for Inter, a night of fracture and a cautionary signal about rebuilding before returning to Europe’s top stage.
Inzaghi’s Betrayal
The brutal defeat catalyzed a surge of accusations toward Inzaghi, with critics arguing that his focus on a future move diluted preparation in the final weeks.
Reports of private talks with Al Hilal circulated, and fans accused him of betrayal, claiming his attention was divided at a critical moment for Inter’s continental campaign.
Yet Pastorello stepped forward to clarify that no formal negotiations with Al Hilal had begun before the final and that the rumors were aimed at destabilizing Inter.
Regardless, the debate persisted, with lingering questions about the causes of the collapse, and whether Inzaghi paid a price for speculation as much as for the on-pitch performance.
As the season closes, Inter supporters will weigh the lessons learned and consider the paths forward, much like a club that must decide what it wants to be on Europe’s grand stage.
Punchline time: If timing were a sniper shot, this deal would have been a clean headshot—boom, right on target, and the drama ends there. And if football had a calendar, this one would be circled in red with a warning: don’t trust a rumor during trophy season.
Punchline 2: In football, even a five-goal defeat can’t silence a transfer rumor longer than a referee’s whistle—let’s see who’s really keeping score next season.
