Fahad withSaudi Arabia during the2018 FIFA World Cup | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Fahad Mosa'ed Al-Muwallad | ||
| Date of birth | (1994-09-14)14 September 1994 (age 31)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | ||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2011 | Al-Ittihad | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2022 | Al-Ittihad | 193 | (58) |
| 2018 | →Levante (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2022–2025 | Al-Shabab | 32 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011–2015 | Saudi Arabia U20 | 6 | (4) |
| 2015 | Saudi Arabia U23 | 3 | (1) |
| 2012– | Saudi Arabia | 80 | (17) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 29 August 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 16:34, 10 September 2023 (UTC) | |||
Fahad Mosa'ed Al-Muwallad (Arabic:فهد مساعد المولد, born 14 September 1994) is aSaudi Arabian professionalfootballer who currently plays as awinger.
He started his professional career with Al-Ittihad at the age of 16. On 31 July 2011 he scored the second goal forSaudi Arabia againstCroatia in the2011 U-20 World Cup inColombia, which marked his first ever international goal at age 16.[3][4] In 2012 while playing for Al-Ittihad, he entered the match as a substitute in the last 10 minutes and scored the winning goal againstGuangzhou Evergrande F.C. to help his team qualify forAFC Champions League semi-finals. WithSaudi Arabia, he scored the winning goal againstChina inAsian Cup qualifications. Additionally and most notably being the fastest Asian players nowadays.
Fahad Al-Muwallad was born inJeddah and from a very early age he became well known as a prominent footballing talent in the local area. He was then approached by a Barcelona scout after seeing him put in a good amount of great performances. He rejected the offer then went on to join theAl-Ittihad youth team from the age of 6, he worked his way up the ranks and started to gain national media attention when he started training with the first-team squad at the age of just 15 years. On 7 February 2012, at just 16-years-old, Fahad al-Muwallad made his professional debut againstAl-Raed. After playing more matches regularly in theSaudi Professional League, Fahad became renowned for his blistering pace and his superb technical ability while showing brilliant composure in front of goal.
Fahad continued to impress and on 2 August 2012, Fahad scored his first professional goal against Al-Raed in a 2–2 draw. During the 2012/13 season, Fahad started to become known as one of biggest talents in Asian football, after scoring many goals for Al-Ittihad from the wing. Fahad then grew further international attention when, at the age of just 17 years, he scored the decisive goal in the quarter-final of the prestigiousAFC Champions League againstMarcelo Lippi'sGuangzhou Evergrande that sent Al-Ittihad into the semi-finals. Fahad also lit up theChampions Cup where he, first, scored in Al-Ittihad's semi-final victory overAl-Fateh and then he scored in the final in a 4–2 victory overAl-Shabab played in front of over 50,000 at theKing Fahd International Stadium. Fahad was later voted the Champions Cup MVP (Most Valuable Player) due to his performances throughout the tournament. Fahad finished the 2012/13 season with an impressive 10 goals in 26 games in all competitions.
Fahad opened his account for the new season in theSaudi El Clasico in dramatic fashion, putting Al-Ittihad ahead after a clever through ball fromSaud Kariri. Al-Ittihad lost the match 5–2 at the King Fahd International Stadium, but Fahad's performance was praised by Al-Ittihad managerBeñat San José and pundits alike. Fahad then scored in a vital match againstAl-Ettifaq, opening proceedings with a powerful drive into the top left-hand corner of the net, leaving Al-Ettifaq goalkeeperMohammad Sharifi motionless. However the game ended in disappointment for Al-Ittihad as Hasan Kadesh equalised for Al-Ettifaq, and the game finished as a 1–1 draw. Fahad also heavily impressed in the AFC Champions League against some of the best teams throughout the whole of Asia. On 13 May 2014, Fahad scored 2 wonderful goals in a crucial last 16 tie against fellow Saudi outfit Al-Shabab] at the King Fahd International Stadium. After a clever reverse pass fromMukhtar Fallatah, Fahad ran onto the pass with excessive pace, beat the keeper to the ball and then poked the ball past him to send the crowd into raptures. Fahad then claimed his second goal of the match scoring an exquisite chip over Al-Shabab goalkeeperWaleed Abdullah. Al-Ittihad went on to win 3–1. Fahad ended the season with 5 goals in 36 appearances in all competitions. Fahad was praised by Al-Ittihad manager Khalid Al Koroni for improving his game this season by gaining more assists and described Fahad as an "extraordinary talent".
Fahad scored his first goal of the new campaign in a 2–1 victory overAl-Faisaly played at theKing Abdul Aziz Stadium because construction work was still being done on Al-Ittihad's new stadiumKing Abdullah Sports City Stadium which is set to hold a capacity of over 60,000. On 17 October 2014, Fahad scored the winning goal in a 2–1 win overAl-Khaleej firing the ball past the near post of goalkeeper Moslem Freej. This was Fahad's first goal at the newly completed King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. On 21 March 2015, Fahad scored against Al-Khaleej with a perfectly timed header to beat goalkeeper Moslem Freej. On 9 April 2015, Fahad scored a penalty which turned out to be the decisive goal in a 1–0 triumph overHajer, Fahad expertly fired his penalty in the top left-hand corner of the net past the out-stretched hand of former Al-Ittihad goalkeeperMustafa Malayekah. On 22 April 2015, in the last 16 of the Champions Cup, Fahad came off the bench to fire two late goals pastAl-Fateh in a 4–1 victory played at thePrince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium. Al-Ittihad managerVictor Pițurcă described Fahad's late goals as "heroic" and said "Fahad is making improvements everyday, if he keeps on playing as he is, he will go far, he has the world at his feet". 27 April 2015, Fahad scored a magical goal in Al-Ittihad's 4–3 victory overAl-Taawon. In the 25th minute of the game,Jamal Bajandouh squared the ball to Fahad at the edge of the area, Fahad then touched it up and hit a ferociousbicycle kick that flew past Al-Taawon goalkeeper Sultan Al-Ghamdi into the back of the net. Fahad also scored a penalty in the same game where he expertly sent Sultan Al-Ghamdi in the wrong direction while placing the ball in the other side of the net. On 15 May 2015, Fahad scored another wonderful goal in the"Derby of Jeddah" scoring the opening goal in the 84th minute after cutting inside and striking a thunderous shot into the top right-hand corner of the net past the helpless Abdullah Al-Maiouf in theAl-Ahli net. However, Salman Al-Moasher struck a late equalizer in the 89th minute to tie up proceedings, the match finished 1–1. On 31 May 2015, Fahad scored in the Saudi El Clasico, in the semi-finals of the Champions Cup at the King Fahd International Stadium, firing in a goal from the penalty spot, cancelling out the opening goal fromAl-Hilal defenderDigão. However the match ended in disappointment for Al-Ittihad as they capitulated with the match ending in a 4–1 win victory to Al-Hilal. Fahad ended the 2014/15 season with 10 goals in 24 appearances, while gaining praise from pundits for some extraordinary performances in Saudi Professional League and the Champions Cup.
Al-Muwallad won the2016–17 Saudi Crown Prince Cup with Al-Ittihad, contributing 14 goals across all competitions that season. He then went on loan toLa Liga clubLevante in 2018, where he made two appearances.[5] Upon his return in the 2018–19 season, he set a personal record by scoring 16 goals in all competitions.
In August 2022, Al-Muwallad joined fellow Saudi sideAl-Shabab.[6]
In May 2018, he was named in Saudi Arabia's preliminarysquad for the2018 World Cup inRussia.[7] However, his performance in the World Cup was considered to be a deep disappointment, due to his incapability and his silence in important moments. Saudi Arabia eventually crashed out in thegroup stage, having lost 0–5 toRussia and 0–1 toUruguay.
In 2022, he was removed from the Saudi squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup ondoping allegations.[8]
On 12 September 2024, Al-Muwallad was admitted tointensive care after a fall from the balcony of his second-floor apartment inDubai.[9]
| Club | Season | League | King Cup | Saudi Crown Prince Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Al-Ittihad | 2011–12 | SPL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[a] | 1 | — | 6 | 1 | |
| 2012–13 | 21 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 9 | ||||
| 2013–14 | 25 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7[a] | 2 | 1[b] | 0 | 40 | 12 | ||
| 2014–15 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 10 | ||||
| 2015–16 | 22 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5[a] | 1 | — | 32 | 4 | |||
| 2016–17 | 20 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | — | — | 24 | 14 | ||||
| 2017–18 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 11 | 4 | |||||
| 2018–19 | 21 | 11 | 3 | 1 | — | 5[a] | 4 | 1[b] | 0 | 30 | 16 | |||
| 2019–20 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | ||||
| 2020–21 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1[c] | 0 | 25 | 4 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 1[c] | 0 | 24 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 193 | 58 | 23 | 10 | 11 | 5 | 21 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 252 | 81 | ||
| Levante (loan) | 2017–18 | La Liga | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Al Shabab | 2022–23 | SPL | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | 19 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 22 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 30 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 225 | 60 | 27 | 10 | 11 | 5 | 23 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 290 | 83 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | |||
| 2012 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2015 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 13 | 2 | |
| 2019 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 11 | 4 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 80 | 17 |
International goals
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 9 January 2013 | Khalifa Sports City Stadium,Isa Town, Bahrain | 2–0 | 2–0 | 21st Arabian Gulf Cup | |
| 2. | 6 February 2013 | Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium,Dammam, Saudi Arabia | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification | |
| 3. | 4 March 2014 | 1–0 | 1–0 | |||
| 4. | 6 November 2014 | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | ||
| 5. | 14 November 2014 | King Fahd International Stadium,Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 1–0 | 1–1 | 22nd Arabian Gulf Cup | |
| 6. | 3 September 2015 | King Abdullah Sports City,Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | 7–0 | 7–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 7. | 17 November 2015 | National Stadium,Dili, East Timor | 10–0 | 10–0 | ||
| 8. | 11 October 2016 | King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 9. | 5 September 2017 | 1–0 | 1–0 | |||
| 10. | 23 March 2018 | Estadio Municipal,Marbella, Spain | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly | |
| 11. | 20 November 2018 | King Abdullah,Amman, Jordan | 1–0 | 1–1 | ||
| 12. | 8 January 2019 | Rashid Stadium,Dubai, United Arab Emirates | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2019 AFC Asian Cup | |
| 13. | 12 January 2019 | Al-Maktoum Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates | 1–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 14. | 30 March 2021 | King Saud University Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 15. | 5 June 2021 | 2–0 | 3–0 | |||
| 16. | 3–0 | |||||
| 17. | 11 June 2021 | 2–0 |
Al Ittihad
Individual