Hussein Omar Abdulghani Sulaimani ( ar, حسين عمر عبد الغني سليماني; born 21 January 1977) is a

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

n former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

in the

Saudi Professional League The Saudi Pro League (SPL for short) ( ar, دوري المحترفين السعودي, link=no, ''Dawriyy al-Muḥtarifayni as-Suʿūdī''), known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL for short) for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of associat ...

Club career

Al-Ahli

Abdulghani began his career at Al-Ahli joining the youth team in 1992. He originally started his career as a forward but he was moved to full-back, the position he would mainly play, by

Amin Dabo Amin may refer to: People * Amin (name), a masculine given name and also a surname * Al-Amin, the sixth Abbasid caliph, who ruled from 809 to 813 * Amin (Qing dynasty), an Imperial Prince of the Qing Dynasty * Amin, an arbitrator who assessed and ...

the youth team manager at the time. Abdulghani made his Al-Ahli debut on 26 September 1995 in a Federation Cup tie with Al-Qadsiah. The match ended in a 2–1 loss. On 25 November 1995, Abdulghani made his league in the

derby match A sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes, affecting participants, management, and supporters all to varying degrees. The intensity of the rivalry can range anywhere from a light hearted banter to serious violen ...

against

Al-Ittihad Al-Ittihad (Arabic: الاتحاد "The Union"), sometimes transliterated as Al-Etihad or Al-Ettihad may refer to: Sports Football Libya *Al-Ittihad Club (Tripoli), a football club based in Bab Ben Gashier * Al Ittihad Gheryan, a football club bas ...

that ended in a 2–1 win. He made 24 appearances in all competitions in his first season with the club as Al-Ahli finished runners-up in the league. In his second season, Abdulghani missed matches for Al-Ahli due to the national team's participation in the

1996 AFC Asian Cup The 1996 AFC Asian Cup was the 11th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in the United Arab Emirates be ...

. On 25 December 1997, Abdulghani scored his first league goal for the club against Al-Wehda. On 11 March 1998, Abdulghani started the Crown Prince Cup final against Al-Riyadh and provided the assist for Masaad's golden goal in the 97th minute, as Al-Ahli won their third

Crown Prince Cup The Saudi Crown Prince's Cup ( ar, كأس ولي العهد) was the Saudi Arabian annual cup competition. It was the oldest domestic football competition in Saudi Arabia, its first edition was held in 1956–57, but was not crowned from 1975 unti ...

title. This was Al-Ahli's first silverware since 1985. On 15 November 1999, Abdulghani made his continental debut for Al-Ahli against Syrian side

Al-Jaish Al Jaish is Arabic for army, and may refer to: * Tala'ea El Gaish SC, a football club based in Cairo, Egypt * Al-Jaish FC (Iraq), a football club based in Baghdad, Iraq * Al-Jaish SC (Syria), a football club based in Damascus, Syria * El Jaish SC, ...

in the

1999–2000 Asian Cup Winners' Cup The winners of the 1999–2000 Asian Cup Winners' Cup, the association football competition run by the Asian Football Confederation, are listed below. First round West Asia ''1 Al Arabi withdrew'' East Asia Second round West A ...

. Abdulghani missed most of the 2001–02 season with Al-Ahli through injury after injuring his

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligament Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and th ...

while on international duty. He was substituted in the 84th minute in the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification match against

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

on 21 October 2001. He made his return on 15 March 2002 in the Gulf Club Champions Cup match against Emirati side Al-Shabab. On 22 March 2002, Abdulghani started in the 2–0 win against Omani side

Dhofar The Dhofar Governorate ( ar, مُحَافَظَة ظُفَار, Muḥāfaẓat Ẓufār) is the largest of the 11 Governorates in the Sultanate of Oman in terms of area. It lies in Southern Oman, on the eastern border with Yemen's Al Mahrah G ...

as Al-Ahli won their second

Gulf Club Champions Cup The GCC Champions League ( ar, دوري أبطال الخليج للأندية), formerly known as the Gulf Cup for Clubs ( ar, كأس الخليج للأندية), was an annually organized football league tournament for clubs of the Arabian penin ...

. On 27 December 2002, Abdulghani was suspended for six matches for comments he made towards the referee, Mamdouh Al-Mirdas, following the loss against Al-Hilal. On 3 February 2003, Abdulghani started the Arab Unified Club Championship final against Tunisian side Club Africain as Al-Ahli won their first Arab title. Following the retirement of Mohammed Al-Jahani, Abdulghani was named as the club captain starting from the 2004–05 season. His first final as club captain ended in a loss in the 2005 Federation Cup final against Al-Hilal. Six months later, Abdulghani also captained the side in the 2006 Crown Prince Cup final loss against Al-Hilal as well. On 9 February 2007, Abdulghani captained Al-Ahli as they won their third Federation Cup, defeating derby rivals Al-Ittihad in the final by 3–0 at the

Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium Prince Abdullah al-Faisal Stadium ( ar, استاد الأمير عبدالله الفيصل) is a stadium in the port city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The stadium is located in the south east of Jeddah, between King Abdulaziz University and the in ...

. Two months later, on 27 April 2007, Abdulghani captained Al-Ahli as they won their fifth Crown Prince Cup title, defeating derby rivals Al-Ittihad in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

once again. In May 2007, Abdulghani was loaned to Qatari side

Al-Rayyan Al Rayyan (; also spelled as ''Ar Rayyan'') is the third-largest municipality in the state of Qatar. Its primary settlement is the city of the same name, which occupies the entire eastern section and largely surrounds Metropolitan Doha and funct ...

on a short-term deal. He made one appearance in the

Emir of Qatar Cup Emir of Qatar Cup ( ar, كأس أمير قطر), also known as the Emir Cup, but changed to Amir Cup starting in 2019, is an association football tournament played every season by 18 first and second division teams. The most successful is Al Sad ...

quarter-finals. Abdulghani missed a penalty in the penalty shoot-outs as Al-Rayyan were eliminated by Al-Arabi. On 4 April 2008, Abdulghani was sent off in the league match against Najran, and was suspended for two matches. On 26 April 2008, his suspension was lifted. On 27 April 2008, Abdulghani made his final appearance for Al-Ahli in the 3–1 loss against Al-Shabab in the 2nd leg of the

King Cup The King Cup (sometimes spelled King's), officially known as The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Cup ( ar, كأس خادم الحرمين الشريفين), is the Saudi Arabian football knockout cup competition, run by the Saudi Arabian Foot ...

quarter-finals.

Later career

He then moved to Swiss based

Neuchâtel Xamax , neighboring_municipalities= Auvernier, Boudry, Chabrey (VD), Colombier, Cressier, Cudrefin (VD), Delley-Portalban (FR), Enges, Fenin-Vilars-Saules, Hauterive, Saint-Blaise, Savagnier , twintowns = Aarau (Switzerland), Besançon (F ...

staying for a year. He made 13 appearances without scoring. His transfer to Europe had made him the third Saudi footballer to play in Europe, after

Sami Al-Jaber Sami Abdullah Al-Jaber ( ar, سامي الجابر; 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 ...

and Fahad Al-Ghesheyan. In 2009, he returned to

to play for

Al-Nassr Al Nassr Football Club ( ar, نادي النصر السعودي; '' Naṣr'' meaning ''Victory'') is a Saudi Arabian football club based in Riyadh. Formed in 1955, the club plays its home games at the Mrsool Park. Their home colours are yello ...

. He is one of the longest-tenured and most experienced Saudi footballers. On 13 September 2017, he signed a one-year contract with

Bulgarian First League The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...

club

Vereya Vereya (russian: Верея) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities *Vereya, Naro-Fominsky District, Moscow Oblast, a town in Naro-Fominsky District of Moscow Oblast ;Rural localities * Vereya, Orekhovo-Zuyevsky ...

. He hoped to take a chance to play for the Saudi Arabia national team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. In June 2018, he went back to Saudi Arabia to sign for the newly promoted Ohod. In January 2019, he returned to his former club Al-Ahli. On 15 October 2020, Abdulghani announced his retirement.

International career

Abdulghani was a regular member of the Saudi Arabia national team. He was on the national team that won

at age 19. He was selected for the

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

, 2002 and

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host th ...

s. Abdulghani announced his retirement from international football after failing to lead his national team to the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

. On 6 October 2018, he received a call-up for a friendly match against

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Career statistics

Club

''Updated 1 September 2022.''

International

International goals

Honours

Al-Ahli *

: 1998, 2002, 2006–07 *

Saudi Federation Cup Prince Faisal bin Fahd League U-21, formerly Saudi Federation Cup/Prince Faisal bin Fahd Cup U-21/Prince Faisal bin Fahd Cup and currently known as Prince Faisal Bin Fahad Cup, is an association football league of Saudi Arabia. It was founded in t ...

: 2001, 2002, 2007 *

Arab Champions League The Arab Club Champions Cup ( ar, كأس العرب للأندية الأبطال, french: Ligue des Champions Arabe) is an annual regional club football competition organised by the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA) and contested by el ...

: 2002–03 *

: 2002,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

* International Friendship Football Tournament: 2001, 2002 Neuchâtel Xamax FCS * Swiss Cup - 3rd place Al-Nassr * Pro League: 2013–14, 2014–15 *

: 2013–14 * Baniyas International Championship: 2011, 2013 * Alwehda International Championship: 2012 OHOD * Gulf of Aqaba Cup: 2018 * Jordan International Championship: 2018 Saudi Arabia * Summer Olympic Games:

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

* AFC Asian Cup: 1996 * Arab Nations Cup:

, 2002 * Gulf Cup: 2002 *

1997 FIFA Confederations Cup The 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup was the first Confederations Cup to be organised by FIFA. The tournament had previously been played in 1992 and 1995 as the King Fahd Cup. This edition of the tournament was hosted by Saudi Arabia, as with the pre ...

: Group Stage * 1998 FIFA World Cup: Group Stage * 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup: 4th Place *

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea an ...

: Group Stage *

: Group Stage individual * The best promising Gulf player in 1996. * Best Arab player in 1997. * He won the best player award 3 times from 8 matches in the final qualifiers for the World Cup in France, as a record for a player in the defense line. * He was chosen to play in the Asian Stars team in Moscow in 1998. * He was chosen to play in the World Stars team in 1997 and 2000 in Marseille. * He won the SANYO award for the best Asian full back in 2000. * Best defender in the Arab Clubs Cup in 2003 in Jeddah. * The best Arab player in the World Cup twice, 1998 AD and 2006. * He was chosen as the best Saudi football player in 2006. * The US magazine Esquire chose him as the best international player for teams in the Middle East and North Africa in the first decade of the millennium (2000 - 2009). * The Best Asian Goal Award for the month of April 2011 from the Asian Confederation. * Best Saudi Defender of 2014 from Opta. * Best Professional in Bulgaria in 2018.

Other prizes

* 1997: Saudi Arabia - Al-Ahli Club Golden Shield * 1998: Morocco - Arab Excellence Award from the Moroccan Arab Sports Magazine * 2002: Palestine - the shield of the Palestinian Football Association for its support for the Palestinian cause * 2014: France - Civilization and Excellence Award from the Encyclopedia of Excellence and World Civilization in Paris * 2017: Qatar - World Cup Ambassador for Orphans in Qatar

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Abdulghani, Hussein 1977 births Living people Sportspeople from Jeddah Saudi Arabian footballers Association football fullbacks Al-Ahli Saudi FC players Al-Rayyan SC players Neuchâtel Xamax FCS players Al Nassr FC players FC Vereya players Ohod Club players Saudi Professional League players Qatar Stars League players Swiss Super League players First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players Saudi Arabia youth international footballers Saudi Arabia international footballers Olympic footballers of Saudi Arabia Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics 1996 AFC Asian Cup players 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup players 1998 FIFA World Cup players 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2002 FIFA World Cup players 2006 FIFA World Cup players AFC Asian Cup-winning players FIFA Century Club Saudi Arabian expatriate footballers Saudi Arabian expatriate sportspeople in Qatar Saudi Arabian expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland Saudi Arabian expatriate sportspeople in Bulgaria Expatriate footballers in Qatar Expatriate footballers in Switzerland Expatriate footballers in Bulgaria