The Most Famous

SOCCER PLAYERS from Saudi Arabia

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This page contains a list of the greatest Saudi Arabian Soccer Players. The pantheon dataset contains 21,273 Soccer Players, 108 of which were born in Saudi Arabia. This makes Saudi Arabia the birth place of the 42nd most number of Soccer Players behind Ghana, and Greece.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Saudi Arabian Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous Saudi Arabian Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Saudi Arabian Soccer Players.

Photo of Majed Abdullah

1. Majed Abdullah (b. 1959)

With an HPI of 62.77, Majed Abdullah is the most famous Saudi Arabian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 34 different languages on wikipedia.

Majed Ahmed Abdullah (Arabic: مَاجِد أَحْمَد عَبْد الله; born 11 January 1959) is a Saudi Arabian former professional footballer who played as a striker for Al-Nassr and the Saudi Arabia national team. He is the all-time leading goal scorer for Saudi Arabia with 72 goals in 117 games. At the club level, he is the record goal scorer for Al-Nassr and the all-time top scorer of the Saudi Pro League. He was often referred to by his nickname "The Arabian Pelé". Majed Abdullah is regarded as one of the greatest Western Asian strikers of all time. He was nominated for IFFHS Asia's Player of the Century, finishing third place. He spent his entire club career at Al-Nassr, and scored 189 league goals in a twenty-one-year career. During this time, Al-Nassr established themselves as one of the dominant forces in Saudi and Asian football. With Abdullah leading the attack, Al-Nassr won five League titles and four King Cup titles as well as the 1997–98 Asian Cup Winners' Cup. Abdullah also finished as the Saudi League top scorer six times throughout his career. Majed Abdullah retired from football in 1998, after Al-Nassr's Asian Cup Winners' Cup Final victory over Suwon Samsung Bluewings. His success was not limited to the domestic stage. In 1984 Saudi Arabia qualified for their first-ever global international tournament at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Abdullah scored their only goal as Saudi Arabia lost all three group games. International success did come in 1984, however, in the Asian Cup in Singapore. Saudi Arabia beat China 2–0 in the final to take the title for the first time, with Abdullah scoring the second goal. Four years later in 1988, he would score twice in the tournament in Qatar as the Saudi team retained the title by beating South Korea on penalties.

Photo of Saeed Al-Owairan

2. Saeed Al-Owairan (b. 1967)

With an HPI of 60.29, Saeed Al-Owairan is the 2nd most famous Saudi Arabian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Saeed Ali Al-Owairan Al-Dossari (Arabic: سَعِيد عَلِيّ الْعُوَيْرَان الدَّوْسَرِيّ‎; born 19 August 1967) is a Saudi Arabian former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or forward for Saudi Pro League club Al-Shabab. Widely considered to be one of the greatest Asian footballers of all time, Al-Owairan is renowned for his goal against Belgium in the 1994 World Cup, which was considered the sixth-best in FIFA's Goal of the Century rankings. He scored 283 goals across his 13-year career.

Photo of Sami Al-Jaber

3. Sami Al-Jaber (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 56.80, Sami Al-Jaber is the 3rd most famous Saudi Arabian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Sami Abdullah Mohammed Al-Jaber (Arabic: سَامِي عَبْد الله مُحَمَّد الْجَابِر; born 11 December 1972) is a Saudi Arabian football manager and former professional player who played as a striker. He spent the entirety of his career with Al-Hilal, apart from a five-month loan to English club Wolverhampton Wanderers. Al-Jaber is his country's second highest international goal-scorer with 46 goals in 156 internationals from 1992 to 2006. He appeared in four consecutive FIFA World Cup tournaments, from 1994 to 2006, scoring in three of them. He was also a member of the Saudi squad which won the AFC Asian Cup in 1996. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Saudi footballers ever.

Photo of Mohamed Al-Deayea

4. Mohamed Al-Deayea (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 56.07, Mohamed Al-Deayea is the 4th most famous Saudi Arabian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Mohamed Abdullaziz Al-Deayea Al-Shammari (Arabic: مُحَمَّد عَبْد الْعَزِيز الدَّعْيَع الشَّمَّرِيّ; born 2 August 1972), also known as Mohammed Deayea al-Shammari, is a Saudi Arabian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He participated in four FIFA World Cups for the Saudi Arabia national team and earned a total of 173 officially recognised caps. Al-Deayea played for al-Tai FC and al-Hilal SFC and was represented in all Saudi national teams. He is considered one of the prominent goalkeepers in the history of Saudi sports.

Photo of Salem Al-Dawsari

5. Salem Al-Dawsari (b. 1991)

With an HPI of 54.31, Salem Al-Dawsari is the 5th most famous Saudi Arabian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 43 different languages.

Salem Mohammed Shafi Al-Dawsari (Arabic: سَالِم مُحَمَّد شَافِي الدَّوْسَرِيّ; born 19 August 1991) is a Saudi Arabian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal, which he captains, and the Saudi Arabia national team. He widely regarded as the greatest player in Al Hilal history.

Photo of Mohammed Noor

6. Mohammed Noor (b. 1978)

With an HPI of 50.67, Mohammed Noor is the 6th most famous Saudi Arabian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Mohammed Mohammed Noor Adam Al-Hawsawi (Arabic: محمد محمد نور آدم الهوساوي; born 26 February 1978), commonly known as Mohammed Noor (Arabic pronunciation: [moʊˈhæməd ˈnuːɾ]), also known as Abu Nooran and by his short name Noor, is a retired footballer from Saudi Arabia who played as an attacking midfielder. He played almost all of his career for Saudi Professional League side Al Ittihad. In 2013, Noor was forced out of Al-Ittihad due to a series of financial problems, and moved to Al-Nassr for a year before returning to his former club.

Photo of Yasser Al-Qahtani

7. Yasser Al-Qahtani (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 48.94, Yasser Al-Qahtani is the 7th most famous Saudi Arabian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Yasser Saeed Mosleh Abdulrahman Al-Qahtani (Arabic: يَاسِر سَعِيد مُصْلِح عَبْد الرَّحْمٰن الْقَحْطَانِيّ; born 10 October 1982) is a Saudi Arabian former footballer who played as a forward for Al-Hilal FC in the Saudi Professional League. He was also captain of the Saudi Arabia national team.

Photo of Yousuf Al-Thunayan

8. Yousuf Al-Thunayan (b. 1963)

With an HPI of 48.93, Yousuf Al-Thunayan is the 8th most famous Saudi Arabian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Yousuf Al-Thunayyan (Arabic: يوسف الثُنيان, born November 18, 1963) is a former association football winger and attacking midfielder from Saudi Arabia. He spent all 21 seasons of his senior career at Al-Hilal FC. A playmaker known for vision and technique, Al-Thunayyan was nicknamed "The Philosopher" for his dribbling, goal scoring, and playmaking skills. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Saudi and Asian players of all time.

Photo of Mohammad Al-Shalhoub

9. Mohammad Al-Shalhoub (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 48.37, Mohammad Al-Shalhoub is the 9th most famous Saudi Arabian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Mohammad Bandar Saud Al-Shalhoub (Arabic: مُحَمَّد بَنْدَر سُعُود الشَّلْهُوب; born 8 December 1980) is a Saudi Arabian former footballer and was the assistant manager of Al-Hilal. He played as an attacking midfielder for Al Hilal in the Saudi Professional League. A legend of Saudi football, he won 33 trophies with Al Hilal and one title with the Saudi Arabia national team, making him one of the most decorated footballers of all time. On 30 November 2006, Al-Shalhoub came third in the Asian Footballer of the Year award, after eventual winner Khalfan Ibrahim from Qatar and Bader Al-Mutawa from Kuwait.

Photo of Salman Al-Faraj

10. Salman Al-Faraj (b. 1989)

With an HPI of 48.32, Salman Al-Faraj is the 10th most famous Saudi Arabian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 39 different languages.

Salman Mohammed Mohammed Al-Faraj (Arabic: سَلْمَان مُحَمَّد مُحَمَّد الْفَرَج; born 1 August 1989) is a Saudi Arabian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Saudi First Division League club Neom and captains the Saudi Arabia national team.

People

Pantheon has 108 people classified as Saudi Arabian soccer players born between 1959 and 2001. Of these 108, 106 (98.15%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Saudi Arabian soccer players include Majed Abdullah, Saeed Al-Owairan, and Sami Al-Jaber. The most famous deceased Saudi Arabian soccer players include Mohammed Al-Khilaiwi, and Khamis Al-Owairan. As of April 2024, 108 new Saudi Arabian soccer players have been added to Pantheon including Majed Abdullah, Saeed Al-Owairan, and Sami Al-Jaber.

Living Saudi Arabian Soccer Players

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Deceased Saudi Arabian Soccer Players

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Newly Added Saudi Arabian Soccer Players (2024)

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