After a relatively sedate start to life in the Saudi Pro League, it is safe to say that Ivan Toney has found his goalscoring groove for Al Ahli.
The £40 million summer signing from English Premier League side Brentford notched his first SPL hat-trick in stunning fashion on Friday.
Toney had scored twice in six minutes to put Al Ahli 2-0 up at Al Hilal – the first a clinical finish past Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, the second a tap-in following fine work down the right by Brazilian winger Galeno.
But the reigning champions were not about to give up without a fight and after Salem Al Dawsari had pulled one back, Marcos Leonardo’s 83rd-minute penalty looked to have secured Jorge Jesus' side at least a point.
Toney, though, was to have the final word with three minutes to go. Gabri Veiga, who had supplied the assist for Ahli's opener, hooked a hopeful ball back over his head which was brought down in style by Toney who then blasted home a brilliant winner.
“We dug it out and the boys worked very hard,” said Toney afterwards. “And especially to get a hat-trick; especially because it’s my son’s birthday tomorrow, so a present for him when I get home.”
The treble means Toney has scored 12 in seven games and was the seventh successive match he had found the target, dating back to his double against Al Riyadh in January.
It was also Al Ahli’s first win against Al Hilal in eight SPL attempts and leaves them fifth in the table, four points behind the second-placed Riyadh club who are in turn six shy of leaders Al Ittihad.
“It means a lot,” added Toney. “I think we owed them; it’s been a long time since we beat them. We worked hard, it was back-to-back games, we had a game three days ago, and were tired.
“But it shows the spirit we have in the changing room and the players coming on did well also.”
Toney, 28, has now registered 16 goals in 22 SPL games for Ahli putting him in the most esteemed of company at the top of the scoring charts – level with Ittihad's Karim Benzema and one behind Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr.
“Hopefully I can score more,” Toney said back in October. “But I’m competing with myself; I don’t watch what other people are doing. [Ronaldo] is a top player, [but] I’ll concentrate on myself.”
Toney has notched 22 goals across competitions including five in the AFC Champions League which helped Ahli secure their spot in the last-16 after finishing second in the West Region table behind Al Hilal only on goal difference.
Next up is a trip to Qatari side Al Rayyan in the last 16, with the first leg taking place on Tuesday, and Toney looking to maintain his hot streak and help propel his team into the quarter-finals.
And he will be hoping his prolific club form might have caught the attention of new England manager Thomas Tuchel, who will soon name his first squad ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia at Wembley Stadium in March.
Toney has not played for England since making an 89th-minute substitute appearance in the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain with interim manager Lee Carsley opting to go with other attacking options in the six games he took charge of.
“We had a brief conversation, but there’s a squad of more than one player that he has to focus on so, we had a brief chat and that was it,” Toney told FourFourTwo when asked about whether he had spoken to Carsley. “He’s got plenty of other players to focus on, and the squad at the time that he chose.”
Captain Harry Kane's relentless scoring form for Bayern Munich – the 31-year-old tops the Bundesliga goal chart with 21 in 22 games – means England's record goalscorer will not be relinquishing his starting spot any time soon.
But the role of Kane's understudy is up for grabs. Cole Palmer is the top English scorer in the Premier League with 14 but prefers not to lead the attacking line.
Ollie Watkins has 12 league goals for Aston Villa despite not yet hitting the heights of previous campaigns, while Spurs striker Dominic Solanke has seven goals but is currently out injured.
Liam Delap has been impressive scoring 10 times for relegation-candidates Ipswich Town but the 22-year-old has yet to win a senior cap.
The likes of James Maddison (nine), Jarrod Bowen (seven) and Morgan Rogers (seven) have been in the goals but are also not out-and-out strikers, while Marcus Rashford is still finding his feet on loan at Aston Villa and is unlikely to add to his 60 caps any time soon.
Toney has made it clear that he has not given up on an England recall while also hitting back at critics who question the standard of Saudi football.
“This league is a tough league,” Toney, who was banned for eight months in 2023 for breaking English Football Association betting rules, added in his interview with FourFourTwo. “Everyone has their opinion, it doesn’t mean it’s factual, I’m here to focus on myself and what will be, will be.
“If I was to get back involved on the international stage, I’m ready for it. But if not, then it is what it is.”
