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Comment: Will 2008 Be Yasser Al-Qahtani's Year?
“The problem with the Saudi Arabian players these days,” a member of the national team’s coaching staff told me during the Asian Cup, “is that they just don’t have the hunger to succeed.”
“The problem with the Saudi Arabian players these days,” a member of the national team’s coaching staff told me during the Asian Cup, “is that they just don’t have the hunger to succeed.”
It is an oft-repeated charge against the well-paid stars who ply their trade in the domestic league of one of Asia’s powerhouses. Traditional rivals Iran, South Korea and Japan have seen a number of their best head west with varying degrees of success but Saudi Arabians have been conspicuous by their absence.
That was always going to change sooner rather than later and since Yasser Al-Qahtani burst onto the international scene in a friendly against Bahrain in 2002, it was always likely to be the skilful striker at the vanguard.
It has been quite a year for the 25 year-old and one which ended with him on trial with Premier League high-fliers Manchester City. Less than a month before he arrived at Eastlands, ‘The Sniper’ was enjoying slightly better weather as he headed to Sydney to pick up the 2007 Asian Player of the Year Award.
The next step for the player is an obvious one and he has made no secret of his desire to try his luck abroad though there are few footsteps to follow. The last Saudi player to head to England was the legendary Sami Al-Jaber. The two know each other well and terrorized many a defence while starring for Riyadh powerhouse Al-Hilal, where Al-Qahtani still plays, and both were on the scoresheet as the national team drew 2-2 with Tunisia at the 2006 World Cup. Al-Jaber may have pulled on the Saudi shirt 163 times during his illustrious career but didn’t make too many starts during a brief five-month spell with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2001.
Sven Goran Eriksson's team are a class above that Wolves outfit. Flying high in the Premier League, City, with a Chinese player, a Thai owner and the recent signing of three Thai players, are looking to soar deeper into the Asian market.
Game time could be a concern for Al-Qahtani however, as it is for the small number of fellow Arabs currently in Europe. Just a few miles north of Eastlands, Omani goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi can be spotted warming the bench for Bolton Wanderers while Yasser Hussain of Qatar (and formerly Manchester City) sometimes appears for Portugal outfit Sporting Braga.
Al-Qahtani has the ability to do much better. Since excelling during qualification for the 2006 World Cup, the Sniper has established himself as one the continent’s best strikers. This was confirmed in style during the 2007 Asian Cup. After a quiet opening performance against a South Korean team that he terrorized on the road to Germany in March 2005, Al-Qahtani was the best player of the tournament.
As well as a formidable scoring record for the Sons of the Desert, he showed in the Saudis 4-0 thrashing of Bahrain that with his vision and passing skills, he is well capable of creating as well as finishing. His speed – of both thought and movement – impressed in the knockout stage in thrilling wins against Uzbekistan and defending champions Japan. His powerful header against Indonesia was a reminder of his prowess in the air despite a lack of height.
Al-Qahtani’s thunder was stolen in the final by opposite number Younis Mahmoud of Iraq as the tournament ended in the way that it had begun for the Al-Hilal star – quietly.
If Yasser Al-Qahtani can find that extra consistency then he is capable of not only becoming the first Saudi Arabian to succeed in England, he could also become what his legions of fans claim he already is – Asia’s number one striker.
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