Yousuf Al-Thunayan

Yousuf Al-Thunayyan
Personal information
Full name Yousuf Al-Thunayyan
Date of birth (1963-11-18) November 18, 1963
Place of birth Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Winger, attacking midfielder
Youth career
1981–1983 Al-Hilal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1984–2003 Al-Hilal 350 (98)
International career
1986–1998 Saudi Arabia 81 (20)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Yousuf Al-Thunayyan (Arabic: يوسف الثُنيان, born November 18, 1963) is a former association football winger and attacking midfielder from Saudi Arabia. He spent all 21 seasons of his senior career at Al-Hilal FC. A playmaker known for vision and technique, Al-Thunayyan was nicknamed "The Philosopher" for his dribbling, goal scoring, and playmaking skills. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Saudi and Asian players of all time.

Club career

Al-Thunayan played his entire club career for Al-Hilal, joining the first team in 1984 and retiring in 2005 after winning a total of 24 titles with the club. On 14 December 2005, Al-Hilal hosted Valencia in his farewell match.[1] Particular highlights are Asian Club Championship 1991 Winner and Asian Club Championship 1999-2000 Winner.

International career

During his active career, Al-Thunayan played 95 international matches and scored 33 goals for the Saudi Arabia national team. At the age of 34 he was selected for his only Football World Cup, and appeared in two games, scoring from the penalty spot in the 2–2 draw with South Africa.[2] Yousuf represented Saudi Arabia in 3 consecutive AFC Asian Cup finals in 1988, 1992 and 1996, winning two out of these three.

1988 AFC Asian Cup (Qatar)

Yousuf took over the starting forward role mid-way through the tournament coached by Carlos Alberto Parreira.[3] He played against Bahrain in the group stage which ended 1-1.[4] He also played an important game vs China which Saudi Arabia won 1–0.[5] He played the semi finals against Iran which Saudi Arabia won 1–0.[6] He also played in the final against South Korea which Saudi Arabia won on penalties.[7]

1992 AFC Asian Cup (Japan)

He scored a goal in a group stage game against China which ended 1-1.[8] He also played a group stage game against Qatar which again ended 1-1.[9] In the final group stage game, Yousuf scored a goal in a 4–0 game against Thailand.[10] Yousuf led the team to defeat UAE 2–0 in the semi finals.[11] Yousuf played the final in which Saudi Arabia lost to Japan.[12]

1992 King Fahd Cup, later known as the FIFA Confederations Cup

The King Fahd Cup was the last stop prior to Asian World Cup qualifiers. Saudi Arabia beat USA 3–0, with Yousuf scoring a goal.[13]

1996 AFC Asian Cup (UAE)

Yousuf was on the bench but was substituted in the game against Iran, which Saudi Arabia lost 3–0.[14] A Quarter final game against China started badly, with Saudi Arabia down 2–0. Yousuf scored a goal and made an assist, and in the end Saudi Arabia won the game 4–2.[15] In the Semi Finals game vs Iran, Saudi Arabia won the match on penalties 4–3.[16] Saudi Arabia won 4–2 against UAE, the host nation, with Yousuf playing the whole game and scoring a critical first penalty shot.[17] This was a second continental Asian Cup for Yousuf and a third for Saudi Arabia.

1998 Arab Cup

Yousuf scored in the semi final game against Kuwait which ended 2-1. In the final against Qatar, he made an assist to clinch the title for Saudi Arabia.[18]

1998 World Cup

As Saudi Arabia failed to qualify for the 1986 and 1990 World Cup, Yousuf had only one chance to play on the World Cup near the end of his peak. He appeared as a substitute against Denmark in which Saudi Arabia lost 1–0. Yousuf scored a penalty kick to earn Saudi Arabia a 2–2 draw vs South Africa, resulting in the only point for Saudi Arabia in 1998 World Cup. He captained the team in the game.

International goals

[19]

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 25 February 1986 Khobar, Saudi Arabia  Wales 1–2 Lost Friendly
2 3 October 1986 Seoul, South Korea  Kuwait 2–2 Drew 1986 Asian Games
3 15 March 1989 Jeddah Saudi Arabia  Syria 5–4 Won 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
4 15 October 1992 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  United States 3–0 Won FIFA Confederations Cup
5 29 October 1992 Hiroshima, Japan  China 1–1 Drew 1992 AFC Asian Cup
6 2 November 1992 Hiroshima, Japan  Thailand 4–0 Won 1992 AFC Asian Cup
7 29 December 1995 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia  Kazakhstan 3–0 Won Friendly
8 29 December 1995 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia  Kazakhstan 3–0 Won Friendly
9 24 January 1996 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  Kyrgyzstan 3–0 Won 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification
10 24 January 1996 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  Kyrgyzstan 3–0 Won 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification
11 28 January 1996 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  Yemen 4–0 Won 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification
12 28 January 1996 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  Yemen 4–0 Won 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification
13 31 January 1996 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  Kyrgyzstan 2–0 Won 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification
14 21 October 1996 Muscat, Oman  Bahrain 3–1 Won 13th Arabian Gulf Cup
15 16 December 1996 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates  China 4–3 Won 1996 AFC Asian Cup
16 16 December 1996 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates  China 4–3 Won 1996 AFC Asian Cup
17 14 September 1997 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  Kuwait 2–1 Won 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
18 24 June 1998 Bordeaux, France  South Africa 2–2 Drew 1998 FIFA World Cup
19 29 September 1998 Doha, Qatar  Kuwait 2–1 Won 1998 Arab Nations Cup
20 2 November 1998 Manama, Bahrain  Bahrain 1–1 Drew 14th Arabian Gulf Cup

Honours

Club

International

Individual

Farewell match

Al-Hilal Saudi Arabia2–1Spain Valencia
Al-Qahtani 30'
Al-Jumaan 69'		 Regueiro 80'
Attendance: more than 65,000

References

  1. ^ "14.12.2005: Al Hilal 2 - 1 Valencia CF". www.ciberche.net. Archived from the original on 2013-12-11.
  2. ^ "FIFA.com - 1998 FIFA World Cup France ™". Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  3. ^ "Carlos Alberto Parreira". weltfussball.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2019-12-04. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  4. ^ "Saudi-Arabien - Bahrain 1:1 (Asian Cup 1988 Katar, Gruppe 2)". weltfussball.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2019-12-04. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  5. ^ "Saudi-Arabien - China 1:0 (Asian Cup 1988 Katar, Gruppe 2)". weltfussball.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2019-12-04. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  6. ^ "Saudi-Arabien - Iran 1:0 (Asian Cup 1988 Katar, Halbfinale)". weltfussball.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2019-12-04. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  7. ^ "Saudi-Arabien - Südkorea 4:3 (Asian Cup 1988 Katar, Finale)". weltfussball.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2023-05-12. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  8. ^ "Saudi-Arabien - China 1:1 (Asian Cup 1992 Japan, Gruppe 2)". weltfussball.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2019-09-17. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  9. ^ "Saudi-Arabien - Katar 1:1 (Asian Cup 1992 Japan, Gruppe 2)". weltfussball.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2019-09-17. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  10. ^ "Saudi-Arabien - Thailand 4:0 (Asian Cup 1992 Japan, Gruppe 2)". weltfussball.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2019-09-17. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  11. ^ "Saudi-Arabien - VA Emirate 2:0 (Asian Cup 1992 Japan, Halbfinale)". weltfussball.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2019-09-17. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  12. ^ "Japan - Saudi-Arabien 1:0 (Asian Cup 1992 Japan, Finale)". weltfussball.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2019-09-17. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  13. ^ "Intercontinental Champions Cup Saudi Arabia 1992 - USA 0:3 (0:0) Saudi Arabia - Overview". 2015-09-13. Archived from the original on 2015-09-13. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  14. ^ "Saudi-Arabien - Iran 0:3 (Asian Cup 1996 VA Emirate, Gruppe B)". weltfussball.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2019-12-04. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  15. ^ "Saudi-Arabien - China 4:3 (Asian Cup 1996 VA Emirate, Viertelfinale)". weltfussball.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2019-12-04. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  16. ^ "Iran - Saudi-Arabien 3:4 (Asian Cup 1996 VA Emirate, Halbfinale)". weltfussball.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2019-12-04. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  17. ^ "Saudi-Arabien - VA Emirate 4:2 (Asian Cup 1996 VA Emirate, Finale)". weltfussball.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2019-12-04. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  18. ^ "1998 Arab Nations Cup", Wikipedia, 2019-07-25, retrieved 2019-12-04
  19. ^ Roberto Mamrud & Naim Albakr. "Sami Abdullah Al-Jaber - Century of International Appearances". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2023-04-18. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
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