Turki Al Ammar: The fearless Saudi excelling among Al Qadsiah's plethora of stars | OneFootball

In the summer of 2023, Turki Al Ammar made a major career decision.

The former AFC Young Player of the Year was an established figure at Al Shabab, where he had emerged from their junior ranks as one of Saudi Arabia’s brightest young prospects.

Making his debut aged 18, he took the league by storm in his debut season to be anointed the 2017-18 Roshn Saudi League’s best youngster.

“It is an honor to be named the best young player in the country,” Al Ammar told Saudi Sport Channel KSA Sport. “It is my first season with the first team at Al Shabab, so I never imagined I would go this far. But the win will only motivate me to work harder.”

And that’s exactly what he did.

Six months later, having only just turned 19, Al Ammar starred for the junior Green Falcons as Saudi Arabia stormed to the title at the AFC U19 Championships in Indonesia; their first success at that level for close to three decades.

In Indonesia, Al Ammar was superb. He scored the team’s first goal of the campaign in a 2-1 win against Malaysia, a result that set the tone for the rest of the campaign. It was followed by victories against China and Tajikistan to top the group with maximum points.

In the knockout stage, Al Ammar took his game to a new level, which is saying something given the Saudi side was stacked with talent in the likes of Saud Abdulhamid, Feras Al Buraikan, Hassan Tambakti and Abdullah Al Hamdan.

But it was Al Ammar that shone brightest.

The attacking midfielder opened the scoring again in the quarter-final against Australia as Saudi strode to a 3-1 win.

In the semi-final against continental heavyweights Japan, rather remarkably, it was Al Ammar who once more got the opener. Saudi Arabia went on to win 2-0 and book a place in the final against South Korea.

You can probably guess the script from here; again, Al Ammar sent the team on their way, this time finding the net in the second minute as Saudi Arabia went on to claim the trophy with a 2-1 victory.

Justifiably, Al Ammar was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Afterwards, he revealed that coach Khalid Abdullah Atawi set him the goal pre-tournament of being the tournament’s standout performer.

"The coach giving me that challenge gave me the confidence to be in this position," Al Ammar said. "The work of all of my teammates also helped me to be in this position, and this award could have been given to everybody in our team.”

The next month, at the AFC’s Annual Awards in Muscat, Oman, the then 19-year-old was crowned Asia’s best young player.

While thereafter it took a few years to push through, by the 2020-21 season, Al Ammar had firmly established himself at Al Shabab, scoring four goals in 26 RSL appearances as Al Shabab were pipped for the title by cross-town rivals, Al Hilal.

However, gradually those numbers started to decline across the following seasons, and perhaps seeing opportunities limited in the 2023-24 season, Al Ammar – now aged 23 – made a bold decision: he dropped out of the RSL to join Al Qadsiah in the Saudi First Division League.

It was a calculated move but one that, 18 months on, was perhaps the best of his career.

Sold by the vision of Al Qadsiah, Al Ammar took what many would consider one step back to take two forward. He played an important role in their Al Qadsiah’s title-winning campaign last season, scoring four goals as the club won promotion to the RSL for the first time in four years.

Then came an off-season of unprecedented change in Al Khobar.

While a plethora of international stars were suddenly sharing a locker-room with Al Ammar, such as recent Real Madrid captain Nacho and European football royalty Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, he already had the trust of the manager, Michel.

And, as he knows from the success at the AFC U19 Championships, the trust and belief of a coach can do wonders.

As a result, Al Ammar is now flying high as Al Qadsiah, who as the 2024-25 season has unfolded have slowly climbed to the upper echelons of the table – and in the process launched a late title challenge.

Al Qadsiah have lost only one of their past 14 RSL outings to sit third, with a solitary point now separating them and second-placed Al Hilal. Almost in an instant, they are chase what would represent a fairytale title in their first season back in the top flight.

With three goals and five assists – the most recent goal coming on Friday, in the 2-0 home win against Al Okhdood – Al Ammar stands as an important piece of the puzzle over the remaining months of the campaign.

That continues with a stiff test on Tuesday when they travel to the other side of the country to face Al Ahli in a crucial battle for spots towards the top of the table. It could conceivably be deemed Matchweek 22’s marquee fixture.

Al Qadsiah currently hold a six-point buffer to their fifth-placed rivals; stretching it to nine in Jeddah would give their season a significant boost.

While the title chase is very much alive, there is also the important factor of qualification for the AFC Champions League Elite, which goes to those who finish in the top three of the RSL.

Al Nassr, runners-up last term and with goal-hungry Cristiano Ronaldo at their head, lie fourth, three points behind.

With that in mind, Al Ammar is crucial to the hugely ambitious Al Qadsiah’s 2024-25 aspirations. Name now once more up in lights, the judgement call to join Al Qadsiah might’ve been the bravest of his career. As it transpires, his best also.