Old Derby: Al Obud seizing opportunity to shine in Al Ittihad's RSL title bid | OneFootball

Seeing a player go down with injury is never a nice sight, particularly when it’s one of the star players in the league, as was the case with Al Ittihad’s French superstar, Moussa Diaby.

The Frenchman’s injury in November saw him sidelined for two months, a potentially key blow to the Jeddah giants given his considerable impact across the first few months.

A headline signing from the English Premier League last summer, Diaby began his debut season in the Roshn Saudi League by registering 10 assists and one goal.

To underline his astonishing start, Diaby sits still at the top of the assist charts, despite playing around an hour in the league in the nine matchweeks since his injury. His absence, then, could have been hugely damaging to Al Ittihad’s RSL title challenge.

However, disappointment for one player often presents an opportunity to another, and that was certainly the case for the previously unheralded Abdulrahman Al Oboud.

The 29-year-old has spent his career at opposite sides of the Kingdom, firstly in Dammam in the east of the country, with Al Ettifaq, and more recently to the west, with Al Ittihad.

The Dammam native had been a solid contributor to both clubs, highlighted by playing 21 games in Al Ittihad’s title-winning season of 2022-23. Yet, and through no fault of his own considering the club’s plethora of star names, he was never a standout.

In Al Obud’s past five seasons in the Saudi Arabian top flight – he spent almost all that time with Al Ittihad except for a six-month loan to Al Ettifaq at the end of last season - he has scored only five goals.

To be fair, they were goals at the right time, coming across the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns as the national team were preparing for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and so it caught the eye of manager Herve Renard.

So, four years after his national-team debut, which came off the bench in a 2-2 draw with Bolivia in 2018, Al Obud was back in the fold.

“The World Cup is a dream for every player and thank God who honored me and gave me this opportunity to represent my country's national team, I ask God for success,” Al Obud shared on Instagram.

Little did he know what was coming.

While he didn’t get on the pitch for Saudi Arabia’s famous win against Argentina, the 2022 FIFA World Cup remain a moment he will never forget. Al Obud’s big bow arrived off the bench against Poland in the second Group C match, when he came on for Abdulelah Al Malki.

He got another 28 minutes as a second-half substitute against Mexico, and while Saudi Arabia’s campaign ended at the group stage, Al Obud had achieved a lifelong ambition. With his title success with Al Ittihad sealed only six months later, it was arguably the peak period in his career.

“Ittihad fans - a lot of feelings on this night,” he wrote on social media after the RSL triumph. “Thank you for your patience, thank you for your love, thank you for your loyalty. You were and still are the most important figure.

“I can't do everyone justice, but I can speak with pride and pride about my supporters of this ancient club. Thank you to my big brother, Anmar Al Haili, and to my big brother, Ahmed Kaaki, you were patient, and you got it.”

Last season, though, Al Obud’s opportunities dried up: he made 10 RSL appearances at a total of 233 minutes. Of course, his experience was invaluable, but he looked set for another bit-part campaign this term. Until the untimely injury to Diaby.

Suddenly, Al Obud was back in the frame, and most probably sensing it might be his final opportunity to stake a claim at the decorated club, he grabbed it with both hands. Since the turn of the year, he has looked a completely different player.

Al Obud has struck four goals in his past five league games, a vitally important outlay in Al Ittihad’s see-saw tussle with Al Hilal for top spot.

It has helped Laurent Blanc’s side reclaim supremacy in the title race, with four wins in their past five meaning they go into Saturday’s Old Derby at Al Wehda with a one-point lead at the summit. Win in Mecca, and Al Ittihad are four clear ahead of next week’s Saudi Clasico.

Al Obud, therefore, will be expected to keep contributing. His first goal of the season, in last month’s 4-1 win against Al Raed in Matchweek 15, represented his first in the RSL in more 1000 days - the longest drought of his career.

Al Obud scored again a week later, in a 2-1 win at home to Al Shabab, and dedicated the goal to former teammate Fahad Al Muwallad. Al Muwallad, who now plays for Al Shabab, continues the recovery from shocking injuries sustained after falling from his apartment balcony last year.

The tribute was a touching moment that gave a glimpse into Al Obud’s character, and he did the same after his most recent goal last time out in a dramatic 2-1 win at Al Taawoun. The victory took Al Ittihad back to the top of the table.

It’s where they’ll be hoping to stay for the rest of the season and, as unlikely that appeared earlier in the campaign, Al Obud’s form could be absolutely crucial to that. The Saudi Arabian, in the most purple patch of his career to date, is proof that you never know when your opportunity might come.