Sami Al-Jaber Professional Debut

Lore & Background

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.

Reader's Guide

Al-Jaber made his Al-Hilal debut in 1989 and spent nearly 20 years at the club. In 2000, he joined Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan, where he made just five appearances in five months. After the club learned that Al-Jaber's father had been taken seriously ill, he was allowed to join the United Arab Emirates side Al-Ain on loan. On 21 January 2008, Al-Hilal held a testimonial for Al-Jaber against Manchester United; Al-Jaber scored a penalty in a 3–2 victory.

He made his 100th international appearance on 10 June 1998 against Denmark, becoming the youngest male footballer to reach 100 caps. He appeared in the 2002 World Cup but only played in one game, a 0–8 hammering by Germany; he was ruled out of the rest of the competition when his appendix burst. After retiring, he became assistant coach of Al-Hilal in 2009, then assistant coach of Auxerre in 2012. On 27 May 2013, he was named manager of Al-Hilal, becoming the first Saudi coach to manage the club after 14 years. On 19 July 2014, Al Arabi announced his appointment as technical manager.