Sami Jaber

Saudi legend, World Cup veteran, and Al-Hilal icon.

Sami Abdullah Mohammed Al-Jaber (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.

Quick Facts

Full name: Sami Abdullah Al-Jaber
Born: 11 December 1972
Birthplace: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Height: 1.76 m / 5 ft 9 in
Position: Forward
Total caps: 274

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, and this was to spell the end of his time in England. On 21 January 2008, Al-Hilal held a testimonial for Al-Jaber against Manchester United.

Al-Jaber scored a penalty en route to a 3–2 victory. He was named as assistant coach of Al-Hilal in 2009, one year after he retired. On 27 May 2013, he was named the manager of Al-Hilal, replacing Zlatko Dalić. He became the first Saudi coach to manage Al-Hilal after 14 years of Khalil Ibrahim Al-Zayani in 1999.

After his first season, he was ranked 19th in Football Coach World ranking, even though Al-Hilal decided to replace him. On 19 July 2014, Al Arabi announced his appointment as technical manager.

Did You Know?

On 27 May 1998, Al-Jaber made his 100th international appearance in a friendly against Norway. At 25 years, four months and 16 days old, this made him the youngest male footballer to reach 100 caps.
He was ruled out of the 2002 World Cup after his appendix burst and he had to be rushed to hospital.