Darwin Nunez sent a pointed message to Al-Hilal's owners just days after the former Liverpool striker was omitted from the club's squad for the Saudi Pro League
James Findlater Content Editor
06:00, 19 Feb 2026
Darwin Nunez looks to the director's box after scoring for Al-Hilal
Darwin Nunez sent a pointed message to Al-Hilal's owners after scoring
Darwin Nunez sent the perfect message to his own club’s owners after being frozen out at Al-Hilal.
The former Liverpool striker finds himself out of the picture in Saudi Arabia, just six months after making the move to the Middle East from Anfield, having been left out of his team’s squad for the remainder of the Pro League season.
With Saudi sides only able to register eight foreign players born before 2003 in their squads, Nunez has been forced to step aside after Karim Benzema was signed during the winter window, with the former Real Madrid star effectively taking the Uruguayan’s place for the remainder of the league campaign.
READ MORE: Trent Alexander-Arnold closer to Liverpool return after Champions League tie suspendedREAD MORE: Darwin Nunez frozen out as he counts cost of Liverpool blocking transfer
Explaining the decision to drop Nunez and former Arsenal defender Pablo Mari, Al-Hilal boss Simone Inzaghi said: “The decision was difficult, but that’s the job of a coach. He makes many decisions every day, even in every training session.
“Nunez and Pablo are good players. I want them in all competitions, but we know the restrictions on registering foreign players.
“Time was of the essence, and I made the difficult decision. I calmly informed the excluded players of my decision.”
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - FEBRUARY 09: Darwin Nunez (R) of Al-Hilal in action during the AFC Champions League football match between Al-Hilal and Shabab Al-Ahli at Rashid Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on February 09, 2026. (Photo by Waleed Zein/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Darwin Nunez has been omitted from Al-Hilal's squad for the remainder of the Saudi Pro League season(Image: Getty Images)
Despite such a big setback, Nunez can still play in the AFC Champions League for Al-Hilal, and he grabbed his latest opportunity with both hands.
The 26-year-old scored both goals in a 2-1 win over United Arab Emirates side Al Wahda, just days after being omitted from his side’s league squad.
Having scored the winner 13 minutes from time after Al Wahda had equalized during the first half, Nunez turned and stared towards the director’s box at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, seemingly in a pointed message to his employers.
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Nunez’s goals ensured Al-Hilal finished top of the league stage of the competition, having already secured a spot in the last-16.
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Nunez now has a maximum of just five games remaining to play this season, with the possibility that he could only make two more appearances before the end of the campaign. Al-Hilal faces Roberto Firmino’s Al-Sadd next in the knockout stages, with the last-16 games taking place over two legs before the competition moves to one-legged games from the quarter-finals.
It would appear likely then that an exit will be on the cards for Nunez in the summer, with his move to Saudi Arabia having not worked out as planned. Liverpool may not be best pleased either, with the Reds set to miss out on some performance-based add-ons, having agreed to around $14 million (£10.4M) in extras from Al-Hilal.