It would not be an overstatement to say that global interest in Saudi Arabian football -- and the Saudi Pro League -- has increased hundredfold in the past month or so.
There is good reason for that.
After all, with Cristiano Ronaldo joining Al Nassr after his acrimonious departure from Manchester United, the SPL is now home to one of the greatest players of all time -- a serial champion from his time in the Premier League, as well as with Real Madrid and Juventus, with over 800 goals to his name throughout his professional career.
The fact that Al Nassr were able to lure a megastar of Ronaldo's stature is testament to their standing for they are hardly slouches themselves, at least with the Saudi Arabian -- and bigger Asian -- landscape.
But even with 17 SPL titles to their names, they cannot lay claim to being the country's most successful teams.
That accolade belongs to Al Hilal.
And amid all the hype that Ronaldo has brought to Al Nassr, Al Hilal can give continue to give a reminder that they remain the biggest club in Saudi Arabia against LaLiga and European champions Real on Saturday.
In reaching the final of the FIFA Club World Cup, Al Hilal have already gone some way in doing that.
First when they defeated Morocco's Wydad Casablanca on penalties in their campaign opener, and then again on Tuesday with a stunning 3-2 triumph over Brazilian giants Flamengo.
That latter victory was hardly a fluke, even if two of their goals came from the penalty spot, as they almost matched their more-illustrious opponents in the possession stakes (48% to Flamengo's 52%) while nearly mustering as many efforts on goal (11 to 13).
They rose to the occasion while Flamengo withered from the nerves, perhaps even succumbing to complacency and already looking ahead to a final the Brazilians expected themselves to be contesting against Real.
Understandably, Al Hilal will once again head into Saturday's decider as the underdogs. This time even more so, given the strength of the opposition they will be up against.
That does however also bring about the ability to grace the stage without any pressure, and the Al Hilal players can instead look to shine and prove their worth against some of world football's biggest stars.
It was not too long ago that the Saudi Arabia national team pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent memory, when they beat eventual champions Argentina in their opening match at last year's FIFA World Cup.
However unlikely a similar result is, it should give Al Hilal reason to be optimistic that they cause a surprise.
Even if they do not, another creditable display will go some way in showing they remain Saudi Arabia's biggest club for good reason, even ahead of Al Nassr and a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.