| Alongside team-mates such as striking legend Saeed Owairan, Sami Al Jaber made history with Saudi Arabia as they reached the second round of the 1994 FIFA World Cup™ as tournament debutants in the United States. Al Jaber made his contribution by scoring a crucial opening goal from the penalty spot in the 2-1 win over Morocco, a result which helped the Saudis go through as group winners. Now 33 years’ old, Al Jaber is still active with the Sons of Deserts, having spent half of his life steering the team to four consecutive FIFA World Cup finals. Like Owairan, Al Jaber is regarded as one of the best strikers Saudi Arabia have produced. At the age of 15, Al Jaber was already being pursued by many of the country’s top clubs and he joined Al Hilal in 1988. In his second season he finished top scorer for the club's youth championship-winning team and, in a rapid rise to prominence, he was called up for the full national side in January 1990. Al Jaber made his first real mark in Saudi Arabia's qualifying campaign for USA 1994, finding the net three times in their crucial 4-3 victory over Iran to book their first ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup. Asian milestone
After starring there, Al Jaber also played in Saudi Arabia’s three matches at France 98 and his goal in the 2-2 draw with South Africa made him the first Asian player to score in two consecutive FIFA World Cup finals. Al Jaber was to break further ground on the club front in August 2000 when he spent five months on loan with Wolverhampton Wanderers to become the first Saudi player to feature in English football. He had been struggling with injuries by the time of Saudi Arabia’s disastrous campaign in Korea/Japan 2002, where they exited after three group defeats, including an 8-0 rout at the hands of Germany. Al Jaber decided to retire from international football but he was tempted back by Saudi Arabia’s Argentine coach Gabriel Calderon in early 2005. He scored in the 1-1 draw with Uzbekistan in the opening match of FIFA World Cup qualifying and got another two in the return fixture as Saudi Arabia booked an early spot at Germany 2006. |
