Sami Al-Jaber facts for kids
Al-Jaber in 2013
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Sami Abdullah Al-Jaber | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 11 December 1972 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1988 | Al-Hilal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–2007 | Al-Hilal | 270 | (101) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | → Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 274 | (101) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–2006 | Saudi Arabia | 156 | (46) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Al-Hilal (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Auxerre (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Al-Hilal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Al-Wahda | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Al-Shabab | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Sami Abdullah Mohammed Al-Jaber (born December 11, 1972) is a famous Saudi Arabian football manager and former professional player. He played as a striker, which means he was a goal-scorer for his team.
Sami spent almost his entire playing career with one team, Al-Hilal, a big club in Saudi Arabia. He also played for a short time in England with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Al-Jaber is one of Saudi Arabia's top goal-scorers for the national team. He scored 46 goals in 156 international games between 1992 and 2006. He played in four FIFA World Cup tournaments in a row, from 1994 to 2006, scoring goals in three of them. He also helped Saudi Arabia win the AFC Asian Cup in 1996. Many people think he is one of the greatest Saudi footballers ever.
Contents
Sami Al-Jaber's Club Career
Playing for Al-Hilal
Sami Al-Jaber started playing for Al-Hilal in 1989. He stayed with the club for almost 20 years, which is a very long time for a football player!
In 2000, he went to play for Wolverhampton Wanderers in England for five months. He played in five games there. He had to leave early because his father became very ill. Sami then went to play for Al-Ain in the United Arab Emirates for a short time.
Sami Al-Jaber is one of the few Saudi Arabian footballers who have played for clubs outside their home country. This makes him special!
Farewell Match
On January 21, 2008, Al-Hilal held a special game for Sami Al-Jaber to celebrate his amazing career. This type of game is called a testimonial. His team played against the famous English club Manchester United. Sami scored a penalty kick in his last game, and Al-Hilal won 3–2!
Sami Al-Jaber's International Career
Playing for Saudi Arabia
Sami Al-Jaber played many games for the Saudi Arabian national team. On May 27, 1998, he played his 100th international game against Norway. He was only 25 years old at the time, making him one of the youngest male footballers to reach 100 games!
World Cup Moments
Sami played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. However, he only played in one game, which was a tough 0–8 loss against Germany. He couldn't play in the rest of the tournament because he had to go to the hospital for an emergency appendix surgery.
Sami Al-Jaber's Managerial Career
Becoming a Coach
After he stopped playing football, Sami Al-Jaber became an assistant coach for Al-Hilal in 2009. He learned a lot from famous coaches like Eric Gerets and Gabriel Calderon. In 2012, he became an assistant coach for Auxerre, a team in France.
Managing Al-Hilal
On May 27, 2013, Sami Al-Jaber became the main manager for Al-Hilal. He was the first Saudi coach to manage Al-Hilal in 14 years! After his first season as a manager, he was ranked among the top football coaches in the world. Even though he was highly ranked, Al-Hilal decided to find a new manager. On July 19, 2014, he became the technical manager for Al Arabi in Qatar.
Sami Al-Jaber's Personal Life
Sami Al-Jaber cares a lot about football. He has spoken about how Saudi football could improve. He believes that Saudi players should be allowed to play for teams in other countries. This would help them get better and grow as players. He said this after Saudi Arabia was one of the first teams to be knocked out of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Honours and Achievements
Sami Al-Jaber won many awards and championships during his career, both with his club and with the national team.
With Al-Hilal (Player)
- Saudi Premier League: 1989–90, 1995–96, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2004–05
- Crown Prince Cup: 1995, 2000, 2003, 2004–05, 2005–06
- Saudi Federation Cup: 1990, 1993, 1996, 2000
- Saudi Founder's Cup: 2000
- AFC Champions League: 2000
- Asian Cup Winners Cup: 1996–97, 2001–02
- Asian Super Cup: 1997
- Arab Champions League: 1994, 1995
- Arab Super Cup: 2001
- GCC Club Cup: 1998
- Saudi-Egyptian Super Cup: 2001
With Saudi Arabia (Player)
- AFC Asian Cup: Winner in 1996; Runner-up in 2000
- FIFA Confederations Cup runner-up: 1992
- Arabian Gulf Cup: Winner in 1994, 2002
Individual Awards
- AFC Player of the Month: February 1998
- AFC Goal of the Month: April 1998
- Saudi Premier League top scorer: 1989–90 (16 goals), 1992–93 (19 goals)
- Arab Champions League top scorer: 1994 (7 goals), 2004–05 (9 goals)
- Arab Club Champions Cup Best Player: 1994
- Gulf Club Champions Cup top scorer: 1998
- All-time top scorer in the Arab Club Champions Cup
- Arab Super Cup top scorer: 2001
- AFC Fans' All-time XI at the FIFA World Cup: 2020
See also
In Spanish: Sami Al-Jaber para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
