Ali Al-Habsi facts for kids
Al-Habsi playing for Reading in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ali Abdullah Harib Al-Habsi | ||
| Date of birth | 30 December 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Muscat, Oman | ||
| Height | 1.94 m | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1998–2002 | Al-Mudhaibi | 35 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Al-Nasr | 4 | (0) |
| 2003–2006 | Lyn Oslo | 62 | (0) |
| 2006–2011 | Bolton Wanderers | 10 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | → Wigan Athletic (loan) | 34 | (0) |
| 2011–2015 | Wigan Athletic | 102 | (0) |
| 2014 | → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2015–2017 | Reading | 78 | (0) |
| 2017–2019 | Al-Hilal | 34 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 360 | (0) | |
| National team | |||
| 2001–2019 | Oman | 136 | (0) |
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Ali Abdullah Harib Al-Habsi (Arabic: علي بن عبد الله بن حارب الحبسي; born 30 December 1981) is a retired Omani professional footballer. He played as a goalkeeper. He was the goalkeeper for the Oman national team for almost 20 years. He played from 2001 to 2019.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Early Career in Oman
Ali Al-Habsi was born in Muscat, Oman. He started his football journey in his home country. He played for local clubs like Al-Mudhaibi and Al-Nasr. He quickly became known for his skills as a goalkeeper.
Moving to Europe
Ali Al-Habsi then moved to Europe. He joined Lyn Oslo in Norway in 2003. He played many games for them. His great performances caught the eye of bigger clubs.
Bolton Wanderers
In January 2006, Ali Al-Habsi joined Bolton Wanderers in England. He made his first team debut in September 2007. This was in a League Cup match against Fulham. He played 15 games in the 2007–08 season. One of his best games was against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup. He made many amazing saves in that match.
Wigan Athletic
In July 2010, Al-Habsi joined Wigan Athletic on loan. He quickly became a fan favorite. He was even named Wigan's player of the season for 2010–11. Because he played so well, Wigan signed him permanently in July 2011. He signed a four-year contract.
Ali Al-Habsi became known for saving penalty kicks. He stopped about half of all the penalties he faced at Wigan. Some famous players he stopped include Robin van Persie and Carlos Tevez. He helped Wigan win the FA Cup in 2013. This was a huge achievement for the club.
Brighton & Hove Albion
In October 2014, Ali Al-Habsi had a short loan spell. He joined Brighton & Hove Albion. He played one game for them before returning to Wigan.
Reading
After leaving Wigan, Al-Habsi joined Reading in July 2015. He signed a two-year contract. He played very well for Reading. In March 2017, he made many important saves in a game against Sheffield Wednesday. His great performances earned him the Reading Player of the Season award. He was also named in the EFL Championship team of the season.
Al-Hilal
In July 2017, Ali Al-Habsi moved to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. He signed a three-year contract. He continued to play a key role as a goalkeeper for the team.
West Bromwich Albion
In August 2019, Al-Habsi joined West Bromwich Albion. He signed a deal until the end of the season. However, he did not play any games for the club. He returned to Oman and later announced his retirement.
Retirement from Football
On August 21, 2020, Ali Al-Habsi announced that he was retiring from professional football. He had a long and successful career.
Playing for His Country
Ali Al-Habsi started playing for the Oman national team when he was 17. He played in many important tournaments. These included the AFC Asian Cup in 2004, 2007, and 2015.
He also played in four Arabian Gulf Cup tournaments. He won the award for best goalkeeper in each of them. In 2009, Oman won the tournament, and he did not let in any goals. He played his 100th game for Oman in 2015. On January 5, 2020, he announced his retirement from international football.
About Ali Al-Habsi
Ali Al-Habsi is a Muslim. He has said that his faith is very important to him. He is married and has three daughters.
Before becoming a professional footballer, he worked as a firefighter at the airport in Muscat. He says this job taught him to be patient and work hard. He also learned to love his country even more.
Ali Al-Habsi also helped start an organization called Safety First. This group works to make roads safer in Oman. They want to reduce car accidents in the country.
Achievements
Lyn Oslo
- Norwegian Football Cup runner-up: 2004
Wigan Athletic
- FA Cup: 2012–13
Al Hilal
- Saudi Pro League: 2017–18
- Saudi Super Cup: 2018
Oman
- Arabian Gulf Cup: 2009
- Runner-up: 2004, 2007
Individual Awards
- Best Goalkeeper of the Gulf Cup: 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011
- Arab Goalkeeper of the Year: 2004
- Norwegian Goalkeeper of the Year: 2004
- Wigan Athletic Player of the Year: 2010–11
- Reading FC Player of the Year: 2015–16, 2016–17
See also
In Spanish: Ali Al Habsi para niños
- List of footballers with 100 or more caps
