RSL Legends: Al Muwallad, the electric record-breaker made to entertain | OneFootball

It’s hard to believe Fahad Al Muwallad is still only 30 given how long he has been involved in Saudi Arabian football.

The Jeddah native started attracting interest for his talent from as young as six, with even Barcelona reportedly showing an interest in the prodigiously talented youngster before he chose to join the Al Ittihad academy.

By age 15, Al Muwallad was training with the senior team, and at 17 years and 146 days he made his professional debut for his hometown club, coming off the bench early in the second half against Al Raed. The experience was soured somewhat, however, with Al Ittihad losing 2-0 in a surprise result.

Around that time, Al Muwallad was already making a name for himself internationally, scoring the second goal in Saudi Arabia’s shock 2-0 win against Croatia to begin the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2011.

His speed and power quickly stood out, earning him a reputation as an excitement guarantor. Against Al Raed early the following season, Al Muwallad set the record for the youngest goalscorer in Roshn Saudi League history. His debut goal represented the first of 58 he would register in black and yellow.

It’s a mark that also stood the test of time, surviving more than a decade before being broken by the latest teen prodigy, also from Al Ittihad, Talal Haji. A Jeddah native, too, Haji shaved one year and 149 days off the record with his memorable strike against Al Okhdood in March.

Some time before, as the 2012-13 season developed, Al Muwallad wasted little time in announcing himself as a star of the future, with seven goals in his first full campaign in the top flight. The output made him the standout choice for the award of the league’s best young player that season.

His coach at Al Ittihad, Khalid Al Koroni, described Al Muwallad as an “extraordinary talent”, which is the ultimate understatement.

Along with players such as Yahya Al Shehri, Nawaf Al Abed and Salem Al Dawsari, Al Muwallad and Co spearheaded a new guard of attacking talent for Saudi Arabia.

Come the 2014-15 RSL, Al Muwallad’s goal tally once again hit seven as his star continued to shine, with his manager at the time, Romanian Victor Piturca declaring: “...if he keeps on playing as he is, he will go far. He has the world at his feet.”

And it was those feet that carried Saudi Arabia back onto the world stage.

Under Dutchman Bert van Marwijk, and with players like Al Shehri, Al Dawsari and Al Muwallad leading the way, the Green Falcons emerged as a genuine contender in Group B of the Third Round of qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, going head-to-head with the two expected heavyweights of the pool, Japan and Australia.

Coming into the final game of the group stage, the equation for Saudi Arabia was clear: victory of any margin against Japan in Jeddah would seal qualification, ahead of Australia on goal difference. With it, the country would return to the World Cup for the first time since 2006.

Coming on as a second-half substitute for Mohammad Al Sahlawi, Al Muwallad’s introduction turned the tide of the game. First, he drew a fine save from Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima after been played through on goal. Yet there would be no stopping Al Muwallad second time around.

Al Abed’s deft and classy pass on the edge of the Japan penalty area found Al Muwallad in enough space to fire a rocket that gave Kawashima no chance, his shot slamming into the roof of the net to send the capacity crowd in his home city wild in ecstasy.

The match would end 1-0 amid unconstrained celebrations across the country, with Al Muwallad the hero of the moment for his decisive finish.

Coming just a week before his 23rd birthday, it burnished his reputation as Saudi Arabia’s next big thing, especially coming on the back of his best domestic season; he struck 11 goals in the RSL and 14 in all competitions.

The flourish earned Al Muwallad a six-month loan move to Levante in La Liga, where he featured twice to make history as the first Saudi player to play in Spanish top flight.

While Russia did not go exactly as he would have wanted – beginning two of the team’s three matches, he made little impact – it left Al Muwallad with a point to prove upon his return to RSL action. He did so in emphatic fashion, with the 2018-19 season at Al Ittihad the finest of his career.

Once again, Al Muwallad hit double figures in the league, with 11, adding a further five in cup and continental competitions for an overall haul of 16 – his greatest tally.

A move across the Kingdom to Al Shabab in August 2022 offered a fresh challenge, but nothing like the one that now confronts Al Muwallad. A fall from the balcony of his second-floor apartment in Dubai last September placed him in intensive care, and now Al Muwallad fights for his life.

As the football world rallies around the 30-year-old, it’s timely to remember just how exciting, explosive and entertaining the mightily talented attacker was at his best.