Former Al Hilal Fullback Saud Abdulhamid Creates History by Becoming the First Saudi Arabian National to Play in Serie A
Saud Abdulhamid, the 25-year-old right back who made the switch in the summer from Al Hilal to AS Roma, finally made his Serie A debut on Sunday, becoming the first player from Saudi Arabia to play in Italy’s top league.
Abdulhamid made the historic move this past summer and became the first professional footballer from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to join one of Europe’s top five leagues on a permanent deal.
He joined AS Roma with a decorated past, having won the Saudi Pro League twice and become a regular in the Saudi national team. At AS Roma, he’s had some challenges settling in, but he’s bid his time to wait for the right moment. Saud has already made two Europa League appearances but has yet to appear in Serie A before Sunday. He was introduced in the 78th minute in the away match against Napoli and, unfortunately, was part of the losing team, with the game ending 1-0.
In September, Abdulhamid made his official Roma debut as a substitute in the 1-1 Europa League draw against Athletic Bilbao. In October, he was named in the starting lineup for the 1-0 defeat against IF Elfsborg, also in the Europa League.
There has been some turmoil at AS Roma, with the club parting ways with managers Danielle De Rossi and Ivan Juric this season. Claudio Ranieri has taken over at the club, and Abdulhamid will hope that his cameo was enough to convince the new manager to consider him for more playing time.
Abdulhamid’s progress and eventual success will be welcome news in the Saudi Pro League, given the message it conveys: the Saudi Pro League is much more than a league where past-their-prime players come for their last paycheck; it can nurture world-class talent as well.
