The professional experience of Saudi players abroad is a national project aimed at developing and nurturing Saudi talents in football by engaging with European football. This initiative enhances the ability to supply the Saudi national teams with these stars, while also opening opportunities for players to join European teams.
The professional experience of Saudi players abroad has gone through important phases, some of which were individual, while others were collective, until it became a national program dedicated to football talents in the Kingdom. Through this program, players are prepared professionally and scientifically. Many players have played professionally abroad since the start of professional football in the Kingdom. Among the most prominent are:
Fuad Anwar
The first Saudi player to experience professional football outside the Saudi league was in 1998, when he played for the Chinese club Shuang. However, his experience lasted no more than eight months.
Fahd al-Ghesheyan
A player for al-Hilal Club, turned professional in 1998 when he joined the Dutch club AZ Alkmaar. He became the first Saudi player to play professionally in Europe, although his experience lasted only around three months.
Sami al-Jaber
In 2000, he played professionally for the English club Wolverhampton Wanderers for only eight months on loan from al-Hilal Club.
Naji Majrashi
He played professionally for Ulsan Hyundai in South Korea in 2011, and his experience lasted for six months on loan from al-Shabab Club.
Osama Hawsawi
He joined the Belgian club Anderlecht in the 2013 season. His experience lasted no more than six months, during which he played one match in the Belgian league and another in the cup. He also won the domestic Super Cup.
Hussein Abdulghani
He is the only Saudi player to have had two professional experiences outside the Saudi league. He played for Neuchâtel Xamax in Switzerland in 2008 and later had another experience with Vereya in Bulgaria during the 2018 season.
Saud Abdulhamid
In the 2024 season, Saudi international player Saud Abdulhamid (twenty-five years old) from al-Hilal Club signed an official contract with the Italian club Roma, becoming the first Saudi player to play professionally in the Italian league.
Faisal al-Ghamdi and Marwan al-Sahafi
In the 2024 season, players Faisal al-Ghamdi and Marwan Al-Sahafi transferred from al-Ittihad Club to the Belgian club Beerschot, which plays in the Belgian Pro League, on a one-season loan.
Other professional experiences
Before the start of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, several Saudi players had professional experiences in the Spanish league for six months. These players included Fahad al-Muwallad (Levante), Salem al-Dawsari (Villarreal), Yahya al-Shehri (Leganés), Ali al-Nimr (Numancia), Abdulmajeed al-Sulaiheem (Rayo Vallecano), Abdullah al-Hamdan (Sporting Gijón), Nooh al-Mousa (Real Valladolid), Marwan Othman (Leganés), and Jaber Issa (Villarreal).
Some players also had professional experiences with Portuguese clubs, such as Saleh al-Shehri (Beira-Mar), Abdullah Otayf and Saqr Otayf (Lusitano, second division), Saeed al-Muwallad (Farense, second division), and Abdullah al-Hafith (União de Leiria).
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