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Fahad al-Ghesheyan

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Fahad al-Ghesheyan
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Fahad Saleh al-Ghesheyan (born August 1, 1973) is a former football player from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He is considered the first Saudi player to play professionally in Europe with the Dutch club AZ Alkmaar. He played for al-Hilal and al-Nassr SFCs and represented the Saudi national team in the 1994 World Cup in the United States of America, where he scored one of the most beautiful Arab goals in the World Cup according to the International Federation of Association Football "FIFA."

Fahad al-Ghesheyan's career with the clubs he represented

Born in Riyadh City, Fahad al-Ghesheyan's prominence emerged in the youth categories at al-Hilal SFC until he reached the first team in 1991. In 1998, he moved to the Dutch club AZ Alkmaar as the first Saudi player to play professionally in Europe. This move came at the request of Dutch coach Hanegem, who supervised him when he was coaching al-Hilal SFC. The deal was supposed to last for three years, but al-Hilal SFC's management decided to loan him for only six months to the Dutch club. After his professional period ended, he returned to al-Hilal SFC but did not stay long before moving to al-Nassr SFC in a significant deal. However, the experience did not last long, and Fahad al-Ghesheyan announced his departure from the field and his retirement from football.

Fahad al-Ghesheyan's career with the Saudi National Team

Fahad al-Ghesheyan was considered a key player in the Saudi national teams, playing in all categories with thirty-three international matches. Since his star rose with al-Hilal, he immediately joined the first national team despite his young age, while simultaneously participating with the youth national team that played in the 1993 FIFA World Youth Championship in Australia. He received the award for the best player in the match between the Saudi national team and Brazil. He participated with the first national team in the 1994 World Cup, playing in two matches during the tournament, during which he scored a goal against Sweden in the Round of Sixteen, making al-Ghesheyan the first Saudi player to score in the knockout stages of the World Cup. Fahad al-Ghesheyan concluded his international participations in the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1995 in Riyadh City.