Majed Ahmed Abdullah, the magician of Saudi Arabia

• Majed helped Green Falcons reach their first World Cup in 1994 by scoring twice in the qualifiers

• The prolific forward has scored a record 260 goals in 240 league appearances for his club Al-Nassr and is still the all-time top scorer of the Saudi Professional League

• The International Federation of Football History & Statistics named Majed Abdullah third on their list of the best Asian player of the 20th century

Shilarze Saha Roy In 2008, Al Nassr, one of Saudi Arabia’s top clubs, hosted a friendly with Real Madrid to celebrate their legendary star Majed Ahmed Abdullah. The then 49-year-old Majed himself took to the pitch on that night amid a rapturous reception. The match was held 10 years after his retirement and the adoring crowd showed that Majed’s magic didn’t wane at all after all those years. Majed, nicknamed the Arabian Jewel, is not only one of Saudi’s biggest footballing superstars but an Asian icon as well. During his 20-year career, the prolific striker has found the net 72 times in 117 games for Saudi Arabia, and has been the record goalscorer for Al-Nassr — 260 goals in 240 league appearances — and is the all-time top scorer of the Saudi Professional League. And that’s not it. His list of personal and collective awards is a lengthy one too. Majed Ahmed Abdullah has won the Asian Player of the Year thrice, won numerous league and cup competitions with Al-Nassr and two Asia Cup championships with Saudi Arabia. Majed’s feats prompted the International Federation of Football History & Statistics to name him as third in their list of the best Asian player of the 20th century.

Majed Ahmed Abdullah’s meteoric rise to the top though had an interesting starting point. Born to Sudanese parents in Jeddah, Majed moved to Riyadh when his father Ahmed Majed, a football manager, got a job as the manager of Al-Nassr’s youth team. It was here that Majed first picked up a football. Initially, though, he was playing as a goalkeeper. But as fate would have it, the striker of his local team was absent one day and Majed was called in as a replacement. He was an instant hit as he guided his team to a 3–1 win. Soon Al-Nassr came calling as the 16-year-old Majed Ahmed Abdullah signed for his father’s club in 1975. He rose through the ranks quickly to make his debut for the senior team in 1977. And the rest as they say is history. The period that followed saw the Al-Nassr become a force to be reckoned with in Saudi football and Majed was leading the show for them. It wasn’t only club football that Majed was leaving an impact. After making his debut in 1978, Majed went on to represent the Green Falcons, the nickname for Saudi Arabia, for 16 years. But it was in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles that the wider world got a chance to see his talent when he became the only Saudi player to score in the football competition when he netted against Brazil.

Later that year, the Saudis won their first-ever AFC Asian Cup in Singapore and the forward again played a crucial role. He made history by becoming the first Saudi goalscorer at the Asian Cup with his 90-minute strike in the opening game against South Korea. And he scored yet again in the final against China. Four years later, Majed was once again at the forefront as he scored twice in the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar as Saudi Arabia retained their title by beating South Korea on penalties. Towards the twilight of his career, the 35-year-old Majed also fulfilled his dream of playing in the World Cup when the Green Falcons qualified for the 1994 event. While he might not have scored any goals in the tournament proper, he was sharp enough to score twice in the qualifiers to help his side book a berth at the global event for the first time.