Fuad Anwar

Fuad Anwar Amin (born in 1972) is a former Saudi footballer who captained the Saudi national team. He is the only Saudi player to have competed in the FIFA World Cup across all age categories, as well as the FIFA Club World Cup. Fuad Anwar is celebrated for scoring the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's first-ever goal in the World Cup and for being the first Saudi player to embark on an international professional career, playing for Shuang Club in China. He spent the majority of his illustrious career with al-Shabab FC before retiring with al-Nassr FC.

Fuad Anwar's football journey began with a local team in Riyadh City called al-Ahmadi, but he was quickly signed by al-Shabab FC in the youth category. In his first match with al-Shabab against ad-Dir'iyyah, he scored three of the six goals in the game, leading al-Shabab management to immediately promote him to the first team, where he made his official debut against al-Qadsiah.

Fuad Anwar achieved numerous titles with al-Shabab FC, including the Saudi Premier League championships in 1991, 1992, and 1993, the Gulf Club Champions Cup in 1993 and 1994, the Arab Club Champions Cup in 1994, the Arab Elite Cup in 1996, and the Saudi Crown Prince Cup in 1993, 1996, and 1999.

Fuad Anwar joined the national teams at a young age, representing the U-17 team at seventeen years old. He participated in two major tournaments, the AFC U-17 Asian Cup and the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Scotland in 1989, where he helped the team win the FIFA U-17 World Cup. In 1994, he achieved the Arabian Gulf Cup title with the national team and emerged as the tournament's top scorer. In the same year, he played a pivotal role in helping the national team qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where they advanced to the Round of sixteen in Group (F). In 1996, Fuad Anwar contributed to the national team’s victory in the AFC Asian Cup and also participated in 1996 Atlanta Olympics with the Olympic team. His final major international appearance was during the qualification for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Fuad Anwar is renowned for scoring the first-ever goal for the national team in the FIFA World Cup, netting the opening goal against the Netherlands in the 1994 World Cup. He was also the first captain of the national team to lift the Arabian Gulf Cup, achieving this in 1994 in the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, he participated in the first FIFA Club World Cup when he played with al-Nassr FC in 2000. Throughout his career, Fuad Anwar earned the title of the Best Arab Player and the Golden Ball in 1993. He also claimed the title of top scorer in the 1994 Arabian Gulf Cup and was selected as one of the best twenty-two players who participated in 1994 World Cup.

Fuad Anwar was the first player to venture abroad for a professional career, playing for Shuang Club in China. However, his international stint lasted for only eight months.

In 2018, a retirement festival was held in honor of Captain Fuad Anwar, featuring a match between al-Ahly of Egypt and al-Shabab FC, attended by stars of the Kingdom’s football under the patronage of the Board of Directors of the General Sports Authority (now the Ministry of Sport). The match took place at Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh City.