Saeed Al-Owairan

Saeed Ali Al-Owairan Al-Dossari (Arabic: سعيد علي العويران الدوسري‎; born 19 August 1967) is a Saudi Arabian former international footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or forward. Widely considered to be one of the greatest Asian footballers of all time,[2] Al-Owairan is renowned for his goal in the 1994 World Cup against Belgium, which was considered the sixth-best in FIFA's Goal of the Century rankings.

Saeed Al-Owairan
Personal information
Full name Saeed Ali Al-Owairan Al-Dossari[1]
Date of birth (1967-08-19) 19 August 1967
Place of birth Riyadh, Saudi Arabia[1]
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder, forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–2001 Al-Shabab 588 (238)
International career
1991–1998 Saudi Arabia 75 (24)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

Owairan spent his entire club career at Al-Shabab, a Saudi club based in Riyadh.

He won 75 caps for the Saudi Arabia national team, scoring 24 goals, including seven in 1994 World Cup qualifying. He achieved international renown at the 1994 World Cup in the United States, in which he scored a stunning individual goal against Belgium at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. that was later voted the sixth best in FIFA's Goal of the Century rankings.[3] The goal sent Saudi Arabia through to the second round of the World Cup for the first time. They subsequently lost 3–1 to Sweden in the Round of 16.

Following the World Cup, Owairan returned to Saudi Arabia. The same year he was named as Asian Footballer of the Year.[4] Despite interest from European clubs, he was unable to leave the country due to a national law preventing Saudi footballers from playing abroad.[5] Although he was selected as part of the Saudi Arabia national team at the 1998 World Cup in France, he only made two appearances as Saudi Arabia went out in the group stages.

Personal life

In 1996, he was caught drinking alcohol and socializing with women during Ramadan by the Saudi police. He was given a prison sentence (believed to be around six months) and suspended from competitive football for one year.[6]

The Goal (Arabic: الهدف) is a seven-episode docudrama biography about Saeed Al-Owairan that aired on Shahid in November 2022 right before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.[7]

Honours

Al-Shabab

Saudi Arabia

Individual

References
  1. "Saeed Al-Owairan". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  2. "The greatest Asian footballers of all time - ranked". 90min. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  3. "Diego Maradona goal voted the FIFA World Cup™ Goal of the Century". FIFA. Archived from the original on 30 September 2008. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  4. "Asian Player of the Year". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  5. "World Cup's Greatest Goals: Saeed Al-Owairan (1994, SAUDI ARABIA vs. Belgium)". espnfc.com. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  6. "Arrested After Shining in '94 World Cup, Owairan Battles Back : A Hopeful Return for Saudi Star". The New York Times. 4 May 1998. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  7. "Al Hadaf". Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  8. "8th Arab Club Champions Cup 1992".
  9. "15th Arab Club Champions Cup 1999".
  10. "Saudi Arabia 1990/91".
  11. "Saudi Arabia 1991/92".
  12. "Saudi Arabia 1992/93".
  13. "Asian Club Competitions 2000/01".
  14. "Arab Cup".
  15. "Intercontinental Champions Cup Saudi Arabia 1992 - Argentina 3:1 (2:0) Saudi Arabia - Overview - FIFA.com". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  16. "Japan - Saudi-Arabien 1:0 (Asian Cup 1992 Japan, Finale)".
  17. "Saudi Arabia 1991/92".


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