Sergej Milinkovic-Savic addressed critics of Saudi Arabian football following Al Hilal's impressive upset victory against Manchester City in the FIFA Club World Cup, stating: "Let's see if they criticize us now."

He is among several players who have moved from Europe to the Saudi Pro League amid substantial investments from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

Players like him have often been accused of prioritizing financial gains over competing at the top level. However, after Al Hilal's surprising 4-3 win over Manchester City in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, Milinkovic-Savic hit back at the detractors.

"Let's see now if they will criticize us," said the Serbian midfielder, who departed from Lazio in 2023.

"We demonstrated that the league isn't as they describe. We've shown it against Real Madrid, Salzburg, Pachuca, and tonight. I hope we continue to prove it."

Al Hilal's coach, Simone Inzaghi, also transitioned from Europe after leaving Inter Milan post their Champions League final loss to Paris Saint-Germain.

Inzaghi, who joined just weeks before the Club World Cup, quickly built a cohesive team and led them to this historic win.

"The secret to this success lies with the players and the passion they brought to the field," Inzaghi remarked.

"Tonight, we achieved something remarkable, knowing how formidable Manchester City is. It was like scaling Mount Everest without oxygen, and we excelled."

"[Pep] Guardiola is widely regarded as the best coach in the world, but tonight, we gave our all and earned the result."