Majed Abdullah

Majed Ahmed Abdullah (Arabic: ماجد احمد عبد الله‎; born 11 January 1959) is a Saudi Arabian former footballer who played for Al-Nassr and the Saudi national team. Abdullah is the all-time leading goalscorer for Saudi Arabia with 72 goals in 117 games. At club level, he is the record goalscorer for Al-Nassr and is the all-time top scorer of the Saudi Professional League.[1][2][3] He was often referred to by his nickname "Arabian Jewel".[4]

Majed Abdullah
Majed in 1984
Personal information
Full name Majed Ahmed Abdullah Al-Mohammed
Date of birth (1959-01-11) 11 January 1959
Place of birth Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1975–1977 Al-Nassr
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1977–1998 Al-Nassr 194 (189)
Total 194 (189)
National team
1975–1977 Saudi Arabia U17 4 (7)
1977–1994 Saudi Arabia 117 (72)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Majed Abdullah is regarded as one of the greatest Western Asian strikers of all time. He was nominated for IFFHS Asia's Player of the Century, finishing third place.[5] He spent his entire club career at Al-Nassr, and scored 189 league goals in a twenty-one-year career. During this time, Al-Nassr established themselves as one of the dominant forces in Saudi and Asian football. With Majed Abdullah leading the attack, Al-Nassr won five League titles and four King Cup titles as well as the 1997–98 Asian Cup Winners' Cup. Majed Abdullah also finished as the Saudi League top scorer six times throughout his career. Majed Abdullah retired from football in 1998, after Al-Nassr's Asian Cup Winners' Cup Final victory over Suwon Samsung Bluewings.

His success was not limited to the domestic stage, in 1984 Saudi Arabia qualified for their first-ever global international tournament at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Abdullah scored their only goal as Saudi Arabia lost all three group games. International success did come in 1984, however, in the Asian Cup in Singapore. Saudi Arabia beat China 2–0 in the final to take the title for the first time, with Abdullah scoring the second goal. Four years later in 1988, he would score twice in the tournament in Qatar as the Saudi team retained the title by beating South Korea on penalties.[6]

Early life

Abdullah was born in the Al-Baghdadia District in Jeddah to Sudanese parents to Sudanese parents . Majed is the second son of Ahmed Abdullah. Live close to a sports club alongside being the son of a football manager piqued Majed's interest in football. In the mid-1960s, Majed and his family moved to Riyadh where his father got a job as the manager of Al-Nassr's youth team. Majed enrolled in Al-Jazaeria Elementary School and he passionately watched the older kids play football. A couple of years later, Majed joined the school football team as well as the neighborhood team. He used to play as a goalkeeper. One day the team's striker was absent and Majed had to replace him. This position change proved to be successful as Majed guided his team to a 3–1 victory. Majed's family moved to Hotat Khaled District and the young Majed joined Al-Motawasta Al-Thania high school. Majed and his neighbors formed a team they called "Al-Ittifaq". They tried to participate in a tournament but their request was rejected due to their young age. They didn't give up and challenged one of Riyadh's best neighborhood teams for a place in that tournament. Al-Ittifaq surprisingly won the match 3–1 with Majed scoring twice. Al-Ittifaq participated in the tournament and they went on to win the championship.[7][8][9]

Club career

Mohammed Al-Hudayan, a teammate at Al-Ittifaq, recommended Abdullah to Al-Nassr president Prince Abdulrahman Bin Saud, as did Al-Ittifaq's coach Nasseb Awad to Khaled Al-Turki and Al-Nassr coach Ljubiša Broćić.[10] Broćić went to see Abdullah unannounced at Al-Ittifaq's training field in Al-Batha and requested that the club sign him. Abdullah officially joined Al-Nassr on 10 November 1975.[11]

Abdullah spent 2 years playing for the youth teams before being promoted to the senior team. He made his senior debut in a friendly against Moroccan side Al-Fath in January 1977. He made his competitive debut on 21 January 1977 by coming off the bench in the league match against Al-Shabab. Abdullah made his first start as well as score his first goal for Al-Nassr on 18 March 1977 in the league match against Al-Wehda. Following an injury to first-choice striker Mohammad Abdeli, Abdullah was given a chance to prove himself. He repaid that trust by scoring 3 goals in the final 3 rounds of the league.[12]

Majed Abdullah finished as the Saudi League top scorer 6 times in his career. He also won the League 4 times as well as the King Cup 4 times. Majed is the all-time top scorer of the Saudi League with 189 goals and is also Al-Nassr's all-time top scorer with 260 goals. Majed Abdullah announced his retirement on 12 April 1998 following Al-Nassr's win in the 1998 Asian Cup Winner's Cup in front of 70,000 fans in Riyadh.[13]

International career

Majed made his senior team debut in 1978 in an unofficial friendly against Portuguese giants Benfica where he scored 2 goals. His official debut was against China on 10 December 1978. Majed represented Saudi national team in 2 Asian Cups, 5 Gulf Cups, the 1984 Olympic Games and the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He retired from the National Team shortly after the 1994 World Cup.[14]

Career statistics

Club

Source:[15][16]

Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Al-Nassr1976–77[17] Saudi Premier League6445———109
1977–78[18]Saudi Premier League181122———2013
1978–79[19]Saudi Premier League171836———2024
1979–80[20]Saudi Premier League171700———1717
1980–81[21]Saudi Premier League152144———1925
1981–82[22]Saudi Premier League9911———1010
1982–83[23]Saudi Premier League151433——4[lower-alpha 1]32220
1983–84[24]Saudi Premier League0000———0[lower-alpha 2]0
1984–85[24]Saudi Premier League4100———41
1985–86[25]Saudi Premier League161521———1816
1986–87Saudi Premier League111545———1520
1987–88Saudi Premier League6532———97
1988–89Saudi Premier League151945———1924
1989–90Saudi Premier League121335———1518
1990–91Saudi Premier League1110—45—4[lower-alpha 1]51920
1991–92Saudi Premier League23—0021—44
1992–93Saudi Premier League54—10——64
1993–94Saudi Premier League00—00——0[lower-alpha 2]0
1994–95Saudi Premier League88—11——99
1995–96Saudi Premier League30—22604[lower-alpha 1]5157
1996–97Saudi Premier League42—10315[lower-alpha 3]71310
1997–98Saudi Premier League00—0021—21
Career total1941893339981331720266259[lower-alpha 4]
  1. Appearances in Gulf Club Champions Cup
  2. Did not participate in the season due to the national team training camp
  3. 2 appearances and 4 goals in Saudi Federation Cup, 3 appearances and 3 goals in Gulf Champions Cup
  4. Unofficially, he scored 320 goals with Al-Nassr including 61 goals in friendly matches

International
Statistics accurate as of match played 29 June 1994[26][27][28]
Saudi Arabia
YearAppsGoals
197830
197967
198079
1981114
1982103
198300
19841615
198573
1986108
198700
19882311
198972
199032
199100
199221
199396
199431
Total11772

International goals
Goal Cap Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 424 March 1979Al-Shaab Stadium, Baghdad, Iraq United Arab Emirates2–12–15th Arabian Gulf Cup
2 528 March 1979Al-Shaab Stadium, Baghdad, Iraq Oman4–04–05th Arabian Gulf Cup
3 74 April 1979Al-Shaab Stadium, Baghdad, Iraq Qatar1–07–05th Arabian Gulf Cup
4 2–0
5 4–0
6 5–0
7 6–0
8 1030 January 1980Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia South Korea1–01–3Friendly
9 1229 September 1980İzmir Atatürk Stadium, İzmir, Turkey Malaysia1–03–01980 Islamic Games
10 1512 December 1980Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Indonesia1–08–0Friendly
11 5–0
12 6–0
13 7–0
14 8–0
15 1614 December 1980Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Indonesia1–03–0Friendly
16 2–0
17 2017 October 1981Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia South Korea2–02–0Friendly
18 2312 November 1981Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia China PR2–02–41982 FIFA World Cup qualification
19 2528 November 1981Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand New Zealand1–12–21982 FIFA World Cup qualification
20 2–1
21 3129 March 1982Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Qatar1–01–06th Arabian Gulf Cup
22 332 April 1982Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Bahrain1–12–26th Arabian Gulf Cup
23 2–2
24 3821 February 1984Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Algeria1–04–2Friendly
25 3–2
26 3910 March 1984Royal Oman Police Stadium, Muscat, Oman Qatar1–11–27th Arabian Gulf Cup
27 4125 September 1984Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium, Khobar, Saudi Arabia Iceland1–01–2Friendly
28 428 October 1984Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Thailand1–02–1Friendly
29 4419 October 1984Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia   Nepal2–07–01984 Asian Cup qualification
30 4522 October 1984Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates1–01–01984 Asian Cup qualification
31 4624 October 1984Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Sri Lanka1–05–01984 Asian Cup qualification
32 2–0
33 3–0
34 4726 October 1984Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Oman1–06–01984 Asian Cup qualification
35 2–0
36 4–0
37 482 December 1984National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore South Korea1–11–11984 Asian Cup GS
38 5316 December 1984National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore China PR2–02–01984 Asian Cup Final
39 575 August 1985Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco North Yemen1–02–01985 Pan Arab Games GS
40 588 August 1985Settat Municipal Stadium, Settat, Morocco United Arab Emirates1–01–01985 Pan Arab Games GS
41 5914 August 1985Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca, Morocco Iraq B1–01–21985 Pan Arab Games SF
42 6123 March 1986Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain Kuwait1–31–38th Arabian Gulf Cup
43 6225 March 1986Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain Bahrain1–11–28th Arabian Gulf Cup
44 6328 March 1986Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain Oman1–03–18th Arabian Gulf Cup
45 3–1
46 6821 September 1986Gwangju Mudeung Stadium, Gwangju, South Korea Malaysia2–13–11986 Asian Games GS
47 3–1
48 6925 September 1986Gwangju Mudeung Stadium, Gwangju, South Korea Indonesia1–02–01986 Asian Games GS
49 2–0
50 7117 February 1988Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Scotland2–22–2Friendly
51 749 March 1988King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Bahrain1–01–09th Arabian Gulf Cup
52 7513 March 1988King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates2–22–29th Arabian Gulf Cup
53 7923 June 1988Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne, Australia New Zealand1–32–3Friendly
54 2–3
55 8029 June 1988Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne, Australia Hong Kong1–03–0Friendly
56 826 July 1988Football Park, Adelaide, Australia Argentina1–12–21988 Australia Gold Cup
57 8413 July 1988Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne, Australia Brazil1–21–41988 Australia Gold Cup
58 8616 November 1988King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia England1–01–1Friendly
59 8723 November 1988Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium, Khobar, Saudi Arabia Tunisia1–01–0Friendly
60 9215 December 1988Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Qatar Iran1–01–01988 Asian Cup SF
61 9415 March 1989Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Syria4–35–41990 FIFA World Cup qualification
62 975 April 1989Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia North Yemen1–01–01990 FIFA World Cup qualification
63 10124 September 1990Xiannongtan Stadium, Beijing, China Bangladesh2–04–01990 Asian Games GS
64 4–0
65 10411 September 1992Al-Hamadaniah Stadium, Aleppo, Syria Syria1–01–11992 Arab Nations Cup GS
66 10618 April 1993National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore New Zealand2–13–1Friendly
67 10722 April 1993National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore Singapore1–03–0Friendly
68 10916 May 1993King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Malaysia1–03–01994 FIFA World Cup qualification
69 3–0
70 11018 May 1993King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Kuwait2–02–01994 FIFA World Cup qualification
71 11227 September 1993Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium, Khobar, Saudi Arabia Singapore2–03–2Friendly
72 1154 June 1994Alex G. Spanos Stadium, San Luis Obispo, United States Trinidad and Tobago1–03–2Friendly

Firsts in Majed life
From the Left Majed Abdullah, Tawfiq Al-Muqrin and Abdullah Abed Rabbo in Iraq 1978.
  • First training camp with Al-Nasr was in London in 1976.
  • First training camp with the National Team (under 17) was also in London in 1977.
  • First coach with Al-Nasr was Ljubiša Broćić
  • First coach with the National Team (under 17) was Jeff Faundon.
  • First shirt number with Al-Nasr was 14.
  • First shirt number with the National Team was 17.
  • First match with Al-Nasr was against Al-Fath from Morocco in a friendly in 15-1-1977.
  • First official match with Al-Nasr was against Al-Shabab in 22-1-1977.
  • First goal with Al-Nasr was against Al-Wehda in 18-3-1977.
  • First international goal was against Iran under 17 in 15-8-1977.
  • First goal with the Saudi Senior Team was in a friendly against Benfica in January 1978.
  • First official goal with the Saudi Senior Team was against Kenya in January 1978.
  • First official Globally goal with the Saudi Senior Team was against Brazil in Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984.
  • First "League Top Scorer" Trophy was in 1978-1979 season.

Lasts in Majed life

Honours
Majed Abdullah with the Asia Cup 1984

Player

Al-Nassr

Saudi Arabia

Individual

Manager

Al-Nassr

Retirement match
Majed Abdullah in 2012

On 20 May 2008, 10 years after Abdullah's last match, a testimonial match was held between Al-Nassr and Real Madrid, who were just crowned with their 31st La Liga title. The match was held at Al-Nassr's home ground, the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh.[32] Al-Nassr won the match 4–1 with 70,000 fans in attendance. The match saw players from other clubs such as Mohamed Al-Deayea, Malek Mouath and Nashat Akram represent Al-Nassr. Arjen Robben broke the deadlock at the 50th before Mouath and Akram scored in quick succession. Saud Kariri then added a third in the 61st before Mouath scored the fourth goal in the first minute of stoppage time.[33]

Match details
Al-Nassr 4–1 Real Madrid
 Report
Attendance: 70,000
Referee: Mutraf Al-Qahtani
Al-Nassr
Real Madrid

References
  1. "Mohammed Majed Abdullah". Eurosport. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  2. "Majed Abdullah - Player Info".
  3. "من هو ماجد عبدالله - Majed Abdullah؟".
  4. "ماجد عبد الله.. بيليه السعودي".
  5. "IFFHS HISTORY : ASIA – PLAYER OF THE CENTURY (1900-1999)". IFFHS. 10 October 2017.
  6. "069. Majed Abdullah".
  7. "أهم محطات الأسطورة ماجد عبدالله".
  8. "ماجد أحمد عبدالله ...أبرز هدّاف في تاريخ الكرة السعودية".
  9. "في حوار أجرته (الجزيرة) معه قبل مونديال 94 بأيام.. ماجد عبدالله يتحدث ل(الجزيرة)".
  10. "محمد الهديان.. مدافع الهلال الذي صنع النصر نجوميته ونقله إلى منصات البطولات".
  11. "من هاوٍ بحواري جدة والرياض.. إلى أسطورة الكرة السعودية والعربية والآسيوية".
  12. "موهبة ماجد ولدت بين العطايف والخزان.. و"العم أحمد" أول من اكتشفها".
  13. "متى يتحول حفل اعتزال ماجد عبدالله إلى حقيقة؟".
  14. "ماجد عبدالله".
  15. "اهدآف ماجد عبدالله الرسميه مع النصر والمنتخب".
  16. Majed Abdullah at National-Football-Teams.com
  17. "البداية مع الدوري العام لسنة 1397هـ - 1977م".
  18. "في موسمي الثاني مع #النصر سنة 1397-1398هـ - 1978م".
  19. "في موسمي الثالث مع #النصر سنة 1398-1399ه".
  20. "في موسمي الرابع مع #النصر سنة 1399-1400ه".
  21. "في موسمي الخامس مع #النصر سنة 1400-1401هـ".
  22. "في الموسم السادس مع #النصر سنة 1401-1402".
  23. "في الموسم السابع مع #النصر سنة 1403هـ".
  24. "في الموسم الثامن مع #النصر سنة 1404هـ".
  25. "في الموسم العاشر مع #النصر سنة 1406هـ".
  26. "Majed ABDULLAH Statistics".
  27. "( Majed ABDULLAH ) Matches Played".
  28. "( Majed ABDULLAH ) Goals".
  29. "الدوري السعودي قبل عامه الـ38: النصر أول بطل والهلال الأكثر فوزاً والعبدلي أول هداف والحمدان الأسرع" (in Arabic). SportKSA. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  30. "RSSSF – Asian Player of the Year 1984".
  31. "The World's best Player of the Century". IFFHS. 4 January 2000. Archived from the original on 8 October 2007. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  32. "ريال مدريد يوافق رسمياً على المشاركة في اعتزال ماجد".
  33. "في وداعية رائعة.. فوز النصر على ريال مدريد 1-4".
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