Ali Saleh (footballer)
Ali Saleh (Arabic: علي صالح; born 22 January 2000) is an Emirati professional association football player who plays for Al Wasl. Ali was awarded the 2018-19 Arabian Gulf League’s Golden Boy Award. He made his debut in 2016, the day after his 16th birthday to become the youngest player to feature in the Arabian Gulf League.
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ali Saleh Amro | ||
| Date of birth | 22 January 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Al-Wasl | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2016 | Al-Wasl | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016– | Al-Wasl | 33 | (10) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2018 | United Arab Emirates U19 | 3 | (3) |
| 2019– | United Arab Emirates | 5 | (1) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:44, 4 June 2019 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 12:52 13 November 2020 (UTC) | |||
Ali started his career at Al Wasl Club at the age of 6. Around the age of 13 he was benched for an entire season without a minute of playing time. He made his comeback at 16 years old against Al Ain FC.
Early life
Ali Saleh was born in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. His father is a UAE national and his mother from Edinburgh, Scotland.[1] Ali is the eldest of 4 siblings. He has 1 brother and 2 sisters. The family would spend the summer months of Dubai in Scotland.
At an earlier age, Ali would sometimes be playing football in his compound. He drew attention to his father once he realized his sons’ potential to go professional.
Club career
Ali Saleh joined Al Wasl FC in 2006 and has played for Al Wasl's under-14, under-15, under-16 clubs. He was then selected to play in the club's first team at the age of 16, which lead him to be the youngest draft to the first team in UAE association football history.
International career
Ali was selected to play on the UAE national team in 2019, at the age of 19.
International goals
- Scores and results list the United Arab Emirates' goal tally first.[2]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 31 August 2019 | Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain |  Sri Lanka | 5–1 | 5–1 | Unofficial friendly |
| 1 | 12 November 2020 | Zabeel Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates |  Tajikistan | 3–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
Style of play
Ali plays as a forward and is known for his footwork on the field. He is also recognized for his ball control, shooting skills and on-pitch positioning.
Outside association football
Ali Saleh is attending American University in the Emirates, majoring in International Relations. Ali also spends some of his time with family and dog Zeus. He is a sneaker collector.
Media
Ali Saleh has been interviewed by some publications such as The National and Gulf News. He also was recorded live in the studio with Dubai Eye 103.8 discussing his recent Golden Boy Award title.
In May 2019, Gulf News writes up an exclusive on Ali Saleh and label him as 'UAE football's boy to become king'. The article is accompanied by a raw video where Ali talks about his life.
In November 2019, Ali was featured on the cover of Esquire Middle East magazine. He was named the one of the top ten people who will help shape the region over the next decade.
December 2019, Ali did a collaboration with sports magazine, Sports 360 and Cadillac on the release of the new XT6.
Sponsorship
In May 2019 Ali signed an exclusive contract with sportswear company Nike.
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Al-Wasl | 2015–16 | UAE Pro-League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2016–17 | 1 | 1 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |||
| 2017–18 | 11 | 1 | 2[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 5[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | ||
| 2018–19 | 17 | 5 | 2[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 5[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 3] | 1 | 25 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 33 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 49 | 9 | ||
- Notes
- Appearances in the UAE League Cup
- Appearances in the AFC Champions League
- Appearances in the Arab Club Champions Cup
References
- Lomas, Mark (23 December 2019). "Ali Saleh: Meet the half-Scottish 'Golden Boy' starring for UAE". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- "Ali Saleh". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 25 October 2019.