Al-Ittihad Club (Jeddah)

Al-Ittihad
Full nameAl-Ittihad Saudi Club
Nickname(s)
  • Nadi Al-Sha'ab (The People's Club)
  • Nadi Al-Watan (The Nation's Club)
  • Amid Al-Andiyah (The Chief of Clubs)
Founded26 December 1927; 96 years ago (1927-12-26)[1]
GroundKing Abdullah Sports City
Capacity62,345
OwnerPublic Investment Fund (75%)
Al-Ittihad Non-Profit Foundation (25%)[2]
ChairmanAnmar Al Haily
ManagerMarcelo Gallardo
LeaguePro League
2022–23Pro League, 1st of 16
WebsiteClub website
Current season
Al-Ittihad active departments

Football
(men's)

Football
(women's)

Al-Ittihad Saudi Club (Arabic: نادي الاتحاد العربي السعودي), commonly known as Al-Ittihad, is a Saudi professional football club based in Jeddah. It was founded in 1927.[1] The club has spent its entire history in the top flight of football in Saudi Arabia, currently known as the Saudi Pro League.[3] Al-Ittihad has won 50 championships from which 39 are official championships.

Al-Ittihad matches are played at Jeddah's main stadium King Abdullah Sports City, which is the second-largest stadium in Saudi Arabia, accommodating 62,345 spectators.[1] Al Ittihad has a long-standing rivalry with Al-Hilal, which is referred to as Saudi El Clasico, and is considered the most prominent and most watched annual match(es) in Saudi football.[4]

It is the oldest sports club still surviving in Saudi Arabia, as the club was founded in 1927.[4] The most successful period in the club history was the 1990s and the 2000s,[1] when the club achieved a large number of titles and achievements domestically, regionally, and even globally culminating in the club securing the 4th place in the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship in Japan.

Al-Ittihad is one of the most successful Asian club at domestic and continental level, as they have achieved the AFC Champions League title twice in a row (one of only three Asian teams to achieve this, and the first to do so), the Asian Cup Winners' Cup once, the GCC Champions League and the Arab Champions League title each once.[5] Domestically, Al-Ittihad is also the second most successful club in Saudi Arabia (behind Al-Hilal), having won nine league titles, nine King's Cup titles, eight Crown Prince Cup titles, three Saudi Federation Cup titles and one Saudi Super Cup.[4][5][6]

History

Creation (1927–1949)

The club was founded after a meeting of some of the notable football enthusiasts (Dean, Zahid, Shawn, and Jazza) of the city of Jeddah, on 26 December 1927.[1] They met in the offices of the radio broadcasting company and discussed the idea of forming a football club to compete with various traveling teams and be a source of entertainment for inhabitants and an outlet for the city youth to practice organised sport.[1] Everyone agreed that they should create the team that unites them and Ittihad Jeddah was born. The attendees were Hamza Fitaihi, Abdulrazag Ajlan, Abdullah Bin Zagor, Fahad Badkook, Abdulsamad Najeeb Alsaady, Ismail Zahran, Ali Yamani, Abdulaziz Jameel, Abdul Latif Jameel, Abdulateef Linjawi, Othman Banajah, Ahmad Abu Talib, Ali Sultan, Ahmed Almir and Saleh Salamah.

As long as we are here together, let's call it Al-Ittihad (Mazen Mohammed)

The name of club was quoted from this wisdom, Mazen Mohammed words which created the current club name. Club owners agrees with him to put the club name Al-Ittihad (United or Union, jointly) in Arabic.

Ismail Zahran team player who was working as in Radio Office in Jeddah to the possibility of electing the head of the works Mr. Sultan to be a President of the club, However, Ali Sultan became the first official president of the club. Al-Ittihad did not find at first a strong support, there wasn't an official clubs (communities) such as Al Riyadhi, because the presence of powerful culture in the city of Jeddah only. In their first meeting with Al-Riyadhi, Al-Ittihad make it victory with 3–0 won. The club has achieved a historic first tournament, which was called The Cup of Nishan Nazer, counted as an official tournament at the time, The cup have formed a popularity of Al-Ittihad, Because of a challenge between them in the final. Depending on the narrator, the winner can burn the Embassy wood's. The Championship attended by several of the clubs, communities, fought Al-Ittihad where several games to achieve access to the final. with Al-Mukhtalat. The weather was dust, did not complete the first half, the match was stopped about 10 minutes. the referee stopped the game to rest for 8 minutes, the weather was changed for the better with the second half, Al-Mukhtalat squad had led to fail, it was a low attacking level. The most prominent player in the game is the club's defender Safwan which was sacrificed for his team. the club won the championship by 3–0 against Al-Mukhtalat. The most important characteristic of this tournament is the first sporting event held in the reign of the founder King Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud The periods of 1940 to 1950 remained difficult, as the Football Association was not established until 1956.[7]

The Start of The Official Tournaments, The First League Title, The Treble (1950–1999)

In late 1950s, it is considered as the first club to achieve both the Crown Prince Cup and the King's Cup for two consecutive times. On 2 May 1960, Al-Ittihad faced their traditional rivals Al-Ahli in the King's Cup, which ended with a big 7–0 victory, which is the largest victory in the derby. The tournament ended and the club became champions for the third time in a row over Al-Wehda, which completed the 1958, 1959, and 1960 series. The club went through its worst period since its founding, after winning the King's Cup in 1967, with the exception of achieving the Saudi Association Cup in 1974, after defeating Al-Hilal on penalties. In the following decade, the Saudi Pro League and the First Division were merged due to the many matches of the national team in 1982, which Al-Ittihad won its first league title in its history, which is the first and only club to achieve it. After an absence for 21 years, the club won the King's Cup after defeating Al Ettifaq in 1988.

In mid 1990s, Which is considered as the beginning of the golden age of the club, where a numerous of titles were achieved. In 1996–97, the club delivered a cup treble, winning the Premier League, Crown Prince Cup, and Federation Cup. After two seasons, the club won the league title for the third time in its history after eliminating rivals Al-Hilal in the final 2–0. The first continental championship was also achieved after winning 3–2 over Jeonnam Dragons with a golden goal, scored by Ahmed Bahja. GCC Champions League was also achieved, as the season ended with winning four trophies.[8] In 1999, The club was a runner-up in the Asian Super Cup, after losing 2–3 on aggregate to Júbilo Iwata.

New Century, A Miracle, Two Champions League Titles (2000–2010)

With the beginning of the new century during the period of president Ahmed Masoud, which is considered one of the most successful periods, winning 8 titles within 3 years. The 1999–2000 league season was achieved at the beginning of the century, after a 3–1 win over Al-Ahli in the final, also, Hamza Idris scored an unprecedented 33 goals, a record in that period, which made him the league's top scorer, and the most scored in a single season.[9] In the following season - the club winning the League for fifth time, and Crown Prince Cup. In the 2001–02 season, on May 1, 2002, Al-Ittihad lost the league final to Al-Hilal, a cross from a corner kick went to Al Hasan Al-Yami, who hit it and the ball entered the goal clearly before Al Hilal's Mohammed Al-Nazhan took it out with his hand. A goal was not awarded by the referee, even as a penalty kick, which in turn ended with a loss 1–2, where the referee was suspended six months after the final - and later apologized, declaring, "I am innocent of your defeat, and God bears witness to that." The match created a great controversy at all levels, as it faced a lot of criticism, which was considered by many and critics as a "robbery".[10][11]

When Ahmed Masoud left the club, Mansour Al-Balawi became president, which is considered by many including the fans as the most prominent and successful period in the club's history. In the 2002–03 season, many players have been brought in, such as Tukar, Saud Kariri, Muhammad Al-Khilaiwi, and Tcheco; who is considered as one of the greatest deals in the club's history, while both the League and the Crown Prince Cup were achieved. Despite leading the league and ending it without a loss, Al-Ittihad lost the league final to Al-Shabab in the championship-playoff finals. In the 2004 AFC Champions League, Al-Ittihad finished the group in first place with only one loss. In quarter-finals, it was successfully passed with a 1–1 draw in Dalian, followed by a home 1–0 victory scored by Tukar, against Chinese Dalian Shide, of which led them to reach the semi-finals. Both matches ended in the last minutes, as Hamad Al-Montashari finished the first leg's 2–1, and Osama Al-Muwallad scored the deadly equalizer in the second leg, with a 4–3 aggregate over Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, as the club qualified for the final for the first time.[1][12] The final was out of the ordinary; Al-Ittihad were thrashed at home 1–3 by Korean side Seongnam in the first leg—leading to the sacking of Croatian coach Tomislav Ivić, as assistant coach Dragan Talajić was given the opportunity. Who, in turn, started the return match in Seongnam, Redha Tukar opened the scoring, rising to a ball from a corner kick to score the first goal, Idris scored the second late minute goal in the first half, Mohammed Noor scored the two decisive goals in the second half, before Abushgeer scored the fifth and the last goal.[13] Overcoming the 1–3 loss with a miraculous 5–0 victory, to achieve the first title,[13] Dragan Talajić achievement was unforgettable and almost impossible, this second leg match became one of the most surprising and unforgettable comebacks in AFC Champions League history, which was called "the miracle".[5][12][13][14] Recalling the tournament, Talajić said, "I was initially an assistant to the compatriots Tomislav Ivic, and I learned a lot from him, and I considered the opportunity to work with a great team as a wonderful thing, which is why I agreed to work with him, I was with the team eight months after we arrived at the beginning of the season, and I knew all about the players." and continued, "I was young at the time, and maybe I was crazy by playing with five strikers, I told everyone before the match that we would win, I always knew we would win, but I didn't know if the difference would be enough."[12][15]

Al-Ittihad achieved its first Arab championship, after defeating Tunisian Club Sportif Sfaxien in the final.[16] On 5 November 2005, Al-Ittihad won the Champions League for the second time in a row, after a 5–3 victory over Al-Ain. Mohammed Kallon, which loaned from AS Monaco, became the top scorer of the tournament with six goals; of which two were in the final—which helped to achieve the second title.[17] Mohammed Noor, was awarded the best player in the tournament. The club remaining as the only to win back-to-back AFC Champions League titles in its current edition.[1][5][6] The club qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time, in the edition that was held in Japan, after achieving the Champions League title—as it became the second Saudi team to qualify for the tournament. On December 11, 2005, Al-Ittihad defeated African champions Al-Ahly after Mohamed Noor's only goal, to qualify for the semi-finals. Al-Ittihad faced the CONMEBOL champion São Paulo, and it was ended by a 2–3 loss. Al-Ittihad played the match to determine the third place against the Costa Rican club Deportivo Saprissa and lost with a 2–3, were two goals scored by Mohamed Kallon and Joseph-Désiré Job—to end the Club World Cup in the 4th place. Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter expressed his admiration, saying, "In 25 years, I have not seen an Asian team this great."[18][19] Ittihad's success is not limited only to football, but also in basketball, water polo, table tennis, volleyball, and swimming, amongst others. In total, Ittihad has won 8,649 trophies. However, football remains the primary sport.

Rivalries

Jeddah Derby

The Jeddah derby between Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli is known to be one of the most competitive games in the Saudi League. From the start of national competitions both clubs were seen as representatives of two rivals from the same city: Jeddah. This rivalry continued annually for more than 70 years, until Al-Ahli were relegated to the first division in 2022. The derby was back on October sixth 2023 with 1-0 Al-Ittihad loss.

Saudi Clasico

Saudi El Clasico, or simply the Clasico, is a long-running competitive match in Saudi football, between Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal. The competition represents the largest and most important two clubs in the city of Jeddah and the capital, Riyadh, the largest and most culturally prominent cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The two clubs are considered the most successful at domestic and continental level. Al-Ittihad is the oldest sports club still surviving in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and is seen as the People's Club. While Al-Hilal represents the culture of the Capital Club, it is called by the masses the Leader. The two teams meet twice a year in the league, as they may also meet in the King's Cup or the Saudi Super Cup or the AFC Champions League. It is considered as the most prominent and most watched match in Saudi football.

The first meeting between the two teams was held on July 27, 1962, a friendly match, in the capital, Riyadh, and ended with a 2–0 victory for Al-Ittihad. The first official meeting between the two teams was on January 10, 1964, the King's Cup Final, which in turn also ended with a 3–0 victory for Al-Ittihad.

Al-Hilal has the largest number of wins in the official meetings that brought the two teams together. The two teams faced each other in 148 official meetings, Al-Hilal won 63, while Al-Ittihad won 50, and the tie occurred in 35 meetings. Together with Al-Nassr, they are the only 3 teams that have not been relegated to the Second Division since its founding.

Present-day

Al-Ittihad is based in Sahafa street, Mushrefa district, in southeastern Jeddah, where they have a large sports complex. Senior teams play official games at the King Abdullah Sports City, north of the city, while youth teams play at the club's headquarters.

Al-Ittihad qualified for the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup after winning the 2022-23 Saudi Pro League, but were eliminated in the second round by Al Ahly.

Fanbase

Al-Ittihad is the highest-attended club in Saudi Arabia. In the 2014-15 Saudi League, Al-Ittihad's attendance during 12 home games averaged 42,371 per match. In 2016, American website The Sportster ranked Al-Ittihad fans the 12th most influential football fans in the world.[20][21] Al-Ittihad has built a strong fan-base across Saudi Arabia, amongst the Arab League and in Asia. Since its opening on 1 May 2014, Al-Ittihad shares the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium with local rival Al-Ahli, while their previous home the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium faced construction until it was renovated in 2022.

Sponsorship

Official sponsor

In a press conference on 9 January 2006, president of the club Mansour Albalawi announced that Sela Sport Co (which is the sponsor of Saudi National Team) will pay 350 million riyals to sponsor Al-Ittihad for 5 seasons. Al-Ittihad was later on sponsored by the Saudi Telecom Company, however the team has not renewed STC's contract.

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
1999–03 Umbro Multiple
2003–05 Lotto Lingo
2006–07 Hattrick STC
2007–08 Nike
2008–10 Lotto
2010–12 Nike
2012–13 One
2013–2014 One None
2014–2015 Errea
2015–2016 Adidas Bupa Arabia / Mobil 1
2016–2017 Joma[22] Bridgestone / Unionaire / Almosafer / Mobil 1
2017–2018 Bridgestone / Unionaire / Mobil 1
2018-2019 Noon / faqih / Mobil 1
2019 Stribes /S.Team Noon / faqih / C. Hub / Al Wefaq Rent A Car / Ibrahim Al-Qurashi
2020 Tamim faqih / C. Hub / Al Wefaq Rent A Car / Ibrahim Al-Qurashi
2021 Erreà Yelo / Emkan
2022-2023 Nike[23] Yelo / Emkan / DARCO / SAL / Tameeni / ALAMOUDI
2023- Nike[23] Roshn[24] / SRJ Sports Investments / Nua [note 1]

Honours and statistics

Honours

Al-Ittihad is one of the most of successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, it has 37 official honours, 30 of which are domestic. In addition to their continental successes, the club is one of the only three Asian clubs to have won the AFC Champions League twice in a row.

Al-Ittihad honours
Type Competition Titles Seasons
Domestic Pro League 9 1982, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2023
King Cup 9 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1967, 1988, 2010, 2013, 2018
Crown Prince Cup 8 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1991, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2017
Super Cup 1 2022
Saudi Federation Cup 3 1986, 1997, 1999
Continental AFC Champions League 2 2004, 2005
Asian Cup Winners Cup 1 1999
Regional Arab Champions League 1 2005
GCC Champions League 1 1999
Saudi-Egyptian Super Cup 2 2001, 2003
  •   record

Records & statistics

Other records

Season Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA GD P Domestic cups Asia Other competitions Top scorer Manager
1998–99 SPL 1 22 15 3 4 45 32 +13 48 CPC PFC ACWC, ASC GCC     Belgium Davidovic
1999–2000 SPL 1 22 16 3 3 69 23 +46 51 CPC  Saudi Arabia Hamzah Idris  33 Brazil Oscar
2000–01 SPL 1 22 11 5 6 35 23 +12 38 CPC EC  —  — Argentina Ardiles
2001–02 SPL 2 22 15 4 3 59 25 +34 49 CPC  —  — Brazil Oscar
2002–03 SPL 1 22 15 4 3 53 24 +29 49 CPC PFC SSC EC  Brazil Cleberson  8 Brazil Oscar, Saudi Arabia Khalid Al Koroni
2003–04 SPL 2 22 17 5 0 57 15 +42 56 CPC ACL  Saudi Arabia Mohammed Noor  8 Croatia Tomislav Ivić, Croatia Talajić, Croatia Luka Peruzović
2004–05 SPL 3 22 11 5 6 53 37 +16 38 CPC ACL ARCL  Brazil Sérgio Ricardo Messias Neves  13 Romania Iordănescu
2005–06 SPL 3 22 11 9 2 47 28 +19 42 CPC ACL Quarter-finals  Sierra Leone Mohamed Kallon  12 France Metsu
2006–07 SPL 1 22 15 3 4 52 25 +27 48 CPC PFC  Guinea Alhassane Keita  21 Belgium Dimitri
2007–08 SPL 2 22 14 6 2 40 16 +24 48 CC ACL Group Stage Brazil Magno Alves 14 Argentina Calderón
2008–09 SPL 1 22 17 4 1 57 21 +36 55 CC PFC ACL Morocco Hicham Aboucherouane 17 Argentina Calderón
2009–10 ZPL 2 22 14 3 5 46 30 +16 45 CC ACL Group Stage Algeria Abdelmalek Ziaya 15 Argentina Calderón, Argentina Enzo Héctor
2010–11 ZPL 2 26 13 12 1 49 23 +20 51 CC ACL Semi-finals   Saudi Arabia Naif Hazazi 18 Portugal Manuel José, Portugal Toni, Belgium Dimitri
2011–12 ZPL 5 26 10 7 9 49 35 +14 37 CPC ACL Semi-finals   Saudi Arabia Hazazi 20 Slovenia Kek, Spain Raul Caneda
2012–13 ZPL 7 26 8 9 9 36 36 0 33 CC   Saudi Arabia Fahad Al-Muwallad   9 Spain Raul Caneda, Spain Beñat
2013–14 ALJ 6 26 8 8 10 45 46 −1 32 CC ACL Quarter-finals  Saudi Arabia Mukhtar Fallatah  31 Spain Beñat, Egypt Amro Anwar, Uruguay Juan Verzeri, Saudi Arabia Khalid Al Koroni
2014–15 ALJ 4 26 16 4 6 44 33 +11 52 CC  Brazil Marquinho  13 Saudi Arabia Khalid Al Koroni, Romania Victor Pițurcă
2015–16 ALJ 3 26 15 4 7 54 37 +17 49 CC CPC ACL Group Stage  Venezuela Gelmin Rivas  24 Romania László Bölöni, Egypt Amro Anwar, Romania Victor Pițurcă
2016–17 ALJ 4 26 17 4 5 57 37 +20 52 (-3) CPC  Egypt Kahraba  19 Chile José Luis Sierra
2017–18 SPL 9 26 8 9 9 34 41 -7 33 CC  Tunisia Ahmed Akaïchi  10 Chile José Luis Sierra
2018–19 MBS 10 30 9 7 14 44 45 -1 34 CC   Saudi Arabia Fahad Al-Muwallad   11 Argentina Ramón Díaz, Croatia Slaven Bilić, Chile José Luis Sierra
2019-20 SPL 11 30 9 8 13 42 41 +1 35   Brazil Romarinho  13 Chile José Luis Sierra, NetherlandsHenk ten Cate, Brazil Fábio Carille
2020-21 SPL 3 30 15 11 4 45 29 +16 56   Brazil Romarinho  16 Brazil Fábio Carille
2021-22 SPL 2 30 20 5 5 62 29 +33 65   Brazil Romarinho  20 Brazil Fábio Carille, RomaniaCosmin Contra

League records

Performance in AFC competitions

Season Stage
2001 Quarter-finals
2002 Second round
2003 Did not qualify
2004 Champions
2005 Champions
2006 Quarter-finals
2007 Did not qualify
2008 Group stage
2009 Runner-up
2010 Group stage
2011 Semi-finals
2012 Semi-finals
2013 Did not qualify
2014 Quarter-finals
2015 Did not qualify
2016 Group stage
2017 Couldn't obtain AFC license due to financial issues
2018 Couldn't obtain AFC license due to financial issues
2019 Quarter-finals
2020 Couldn't obtain AFC license due to financial issues
2021 Couldn't obtain AFC license due to financial issues
2022 Couldn't obtain AFC license due to financial issues

Top scorers in the AFC Champions League

Ranking Nationality Name Years Goals
1  Saudi Arabia Mohammed Noor 1996–13 19
2  Saudi Arabia Naif Hazazi 2006–13 14
3  Saudi Arabia Hamzah Idris 1997–07 9
4  Saudi Arabia Fahad Al-Muwallad 2012–2022 8
5  Algeria Abdelmalek Ziaya 2009–11 7
 Saudi Arabia Mukhtar Fallatah 2012–16 7
 Brazil Romarinho 2018– 7
8  Saudi Arabia Marzouk Al-Otaibi 2000–07 6
 Saudi Arabia Osama Al-Muwallad 2000–16 6
 Sierra Leone Mohammed Kallon 2005–06 6
 Morocco Ahmed Bahja 1996–99 6
12  Morocco Hicham Aboucherouane 2008–10 5
 Saudi Arabia Redha Tukar 2003–13 5
 Saudi Arabia Manaf Abushgeer 1999–2012 5
15  Saudi Arabia Abdulrahman Al-Ghamdi 2013–21 4
 Saudi Arabia Sultan Al-Nemri 2006–12 4
 Venezuela Gelmin Rivas 1999–2012 4
 Brazil Dimba 2004 4
18  Brazil Renato Cajá 2009 3
 Brazil Tcheco 2003–08 3
 Morocco Faouzi Abdelghani 2012–2014 3
 Saudi Arabia Mohammed Abousaban 2009–16 3
 Saudi Arabia Nasser Al-Shamrani 2019 3
 Saudi Arabia Hamad Al-Montashari 2001–2016 3
 Saudi Arabia Saleh Al-Saqri 1999–12 3
 Saudi Arabia Sultan Al-Nemri 2006–12 3
 Tunisia Amine Chermiti 2009–2010 3
 Saudi Arabia Ziyad Al-Sahafi 2015– 3
 Saudi Arabia Abdulfattah Asiri 2012–16 3
 Saudi Arabia Saud Kariri 2007–17 3
 Portugal Nuno Assis 2010-11 3
31  Brazil Wendel 2011–12 3

AFC club rankings

Rankings are calculated by the AFC.[25][citation needed]

Last update: December 1, 2017

Ranking Club Association Coefficient
44 15 +29 +29 Persepolis Iran Iran 10.902 0 21 0 26 57.902
25 16 +9 +9 Gamba Osaka Japan Japan 13.527 0 29 5 10 57.527
14 17 -3 -3 Shandong Luneng Taishan China China 13.409 8 10 25.5 0 56.909
11 18 -7 -7 Pohang Steelers South Korea South Korea 18 27 0 11 0 56
19 19 0 Al-Ittihad Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia 13.48 23 0 15 0 51.48
22 20 +2 +2 Al Sadd Qatar Qatar 8.868 18 19.5 2 2 50.368

Source: Global Football Ranks

Asian record

Players

As of January 2024[26]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Saudi Arabia KSA Abdullah Al-Mayouf
4 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Omar Hawsawi
5 DF Italy ITA Luiz Felipe
6 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Sultan Al-Farhan
7 MF France FRA N'Golo Kanté
8 MF Brazil BRA Fabinho
9 FW France FRA Karim Benzema
11 MF Portugal POR Jota
12 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Zakaria Hawsawi
13 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti
14 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Awad Al-Nashri
15 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Hassan Kadesh
16 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Faisal Al-Ghamdi
17 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Marwan Al-Sahafi
19 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Turki Al-Jaadi
20 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Ahmed Sharahili
21 GK Saudi Arabia KSA Abdullah Al-Jadaani
No. Pos. Nation Player
25 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Suwailem Al-Menhali
26 DF Egypt EGY Ahmed Hegazi (captain)
27 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Ahmed Al-Ghamdi (on loan from Al-Ettifaq)
28 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Ahmed Bamsaud
29 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Farhah Al-Shammrani
30 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Saad Al Mousa (on loan from Al-Ettifaq)
33 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Madallah Al-Olayan
34 GK Brazil BRA Marcelo Grohe
35 GK Saudi Arabia KSA Mohammed Al-Mahasneh
37 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Fawaz Al-Sqoor
51 GK Saudi Arabia KSA Faisal Al-Eisa
52 FW Saudi Arabia KSA Talal Haji
77 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Saleh Al-Amri
80 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Hamed Al-Ghamdi (on loan from Al-Ettifaq)
88 GK Saudi Arabia KSA Osama Al-Mermesh
90 FW Brazil BRA Romarinho
99 FW Morocco MAR Abderrazak Hamdallah

Unregistered players

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
40 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Albaraa Addawi
44 MF Egypt EGY Noureddine El Bahhar

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK Saudi Arabia KSA Saleh Al-Ohaymid (on loan to Al-Taawoun)
MF Saudi Arabia KSA Abdulrahman Al-Aboud (on loan to Al-Ettifaq)
MF Saudi Arabia KSA Hussain Al-Eisa (on loan to Al-Kholood)
GK Saudi Arabia KSA Raghdan Matri (on loan to Al-Kholood)
FW Saudi Arabia KSA Haroune Camara (on loan to Al-Ettifaq)
DF Saudi Arabia KSA Hassan Al-Asmari (on loan to Al-Batin)
DF Saudi Arabia KSA Basil Al-Hedaif (on loan to Jeddah)
No. Pos. Nation Player
DF Saudi Arabia KSA Abdulelah Al-Shehri (on loan to Mudhar)
MF Saudi Arabia KSA Abdulaziz Al-Bishi (on loan to Damac)
MF Saudi Arabia KSA Omar Al-Jadani (on loan to Al-Ain)
MF Saudi Arabia KSA Abdulelah Hawsawi (on loan to Al-Khaleej)
MF Saudi Arabia KSA Al Mutasim Seddiq (on loan to Al-Kholood)
FW Saudi Arabia KSA Abdulaziz Al-Hassani (on loan to Al-Entesar)

Notable players

Players with senior international caps:

KSA ASIA AFRICA UEFA CONMEBOL CONCACAF

Personnel

Current technical staff

Position Staff
Manager Argentina Marcelo Gallardo
Assistant manager Argentina Matías Biscay
First-team Coach Argentina Hernán Buján
Goalkeeping coach Argentina César Zinelli
Fitness coach Argentina Pablo Dolce
Video Analyst Argentina Nahuel Hidalgo
Sporting Director Spain Ramón Planes
Physiotherapist Spain Iván López
Academy manager Netherlands Marco Koorman

Management

President Anmar al-Ha'ili
Vice President Ahmed Kaaki
Chief Executive Officer Domingo Suarez De Oliveira
Director of Football Hamed Al-Balawi
Director of Investments Area Louai Ghalayini
board member Mohammed Qutub

Managerial history

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Al-Ittihad Club History". www.footballhistory.org. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  2. ^ "Saudi Arabia's PIF takes over Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli". BBC Sport. 5 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Club | Saudi Professional League Association". spl.com.sa. Archived from the original on 2021-12-17. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  4. ^ a b c "Saudi Arabia's Eternal Rivalry: Al Hilal v Al Ittihad". the-AFC. Archived from the original on 2021-12-17. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  5. ^ a b c d "Tale of two winners: Al Hilal 2019 v Al Ittihad 2004-05". the-AFC. Archived from the original on 2021-12-17. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  6. ^ a b "Al Ittihad Football Club recognised by Guinness World Records for back-to-back AFC Championship league wins". Guinness World Records. 2015-05-27. Archived from the original on 2021-09-24. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  7. ^ "FIFA.com". 2007-06-13. Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  8. ^ "Dimitri, and quadruple of the century". www.al-jazirah.com. Archived from the original on 2021-09-17. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  9. ^ "Hamza Idris comments on Hamdallah breaking his historical record in the Saudi league | Goal.com". www.goal.com (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2022-01-03. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  10. ^ "Al-Nazhan Hand's | alriyadiah". 2022-01-01. Archived from the original on 2022-01-01. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  11. ^ "The hand of Al-Nazhan, which gave Al-Hilal an expensive title | Goal.com". 2020-03-19. Archived from the original on 2020-03-19. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  12. ^ a b c "Recalling Al-Ittihad's glory days | Arab News". 2020-11-20. Archived from the original on 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  13. ^ a b c "ACL Final: A look back at Al Ittihad's inspiring 2004 comeback win - Ghana Latest Football News, Live Scores, Results - GHANAsoccernet". 2022-01-01. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  14. ^ "Al Ittihad coach Dimitri Davidovic believes anything is possible in AFC Champions League semi-finals after Manchester City's unexpected 6-1 win over United - Goal.com". 2011-12-31. Archived from the original on 31 December 2011. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  15. ^ "Al-Jazirah". www.al-jazirah.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-03. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  16. ^ "What is the history of the Al-Ittihad's participation in the Arab Cup? And what is the best achievement? | Goal.com". www.goal.com (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2022-01-06. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  17. ^ "AS MONACO FOOTBALL CLUB - SITE OFFICIEL - Actualité - Mohamed Kallon prêté à AL ITTHIAD". 2011-07-26. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  18. ^ "Saudi clubs in the Club World Cup .. The kick-off to Al-Nassr and achievement for Al-Ittihad | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-11. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
  19. ^ "Blatter on Al-Ittihad". صحيفة الاقتصادية (in Arabic). 2009-05-01. Archived from the original on 2022-01-11. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
  20. ^ "جمهور الاتحاد ضمن أفضل جمهور في العالم". 7 August 2016. Archived from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  21. ^ "عالمي : جماهير الاتحاد تحتل المركز 27 على مستوى العالم". 16 January 2016. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  22. ^ "AL ITTIHAD FC JOINS JOMA SPORT". 12 May 2016. Archived from the original on 17 May 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  23. ^ a b النادي يتعاقد مع شركة نايك للملابس Archived 2022-10-29 at the Wayback Machine Twitter. (in Arabic). Retrieved 18 December 2022
  24. ^ "Real estate developer ROSHN becomes platinum sponsor of Saudi champions Al-Ittihad". Arab News. 2023-06-08. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  25. ^ "AFC Club Ranking (2012‐2015)" (PDF). the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  26. ^ "لاعبي الاتحاد في الفريق الأول" [Al-Ittihad players in the first team]. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  27. ^ "Mais de 40 anos vivendo futebol" (in Portuguese). luxemburgo.com.br. Archived from the original on 21 August 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  28. ^ "نادي الاتحاد السعودي لكرة القدم - منتدى الاتحاد السعودي - #شبكة_الاتحاد" (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2015-02-02. Retrieved 2015-02-01.

External links

  • Official website
  • Eighty years of Al Ittihad
  • Eighty years of Al Ittihad
  • int.soccerway.com
  • Network of Lady fans of Al Ittihad Football Club Archived 2021-02-27 at the Wayback Machine Arabic Site
  • Al Ittihad Club on Super.ae Arabic Site
  • Al Ittihad at the AFC Champions League Official website
  • League of the Ittihad Club Fans on the Internet
  • Alittihad in Languages Archived 2010-03-28 at the Wayback Machine (in English, French, German, and Italian)
  • Al Ittihad at the Arab Champions League Official website : Arabic – English – Francais
Achievements
Preceded by Champions of Asia
2004
Succeeded by
Holders
Preceded by
Holders
Champions of Asia
2005
Succeeded by
Preceded by Asian Cup Winners' Cup
Runner up: Chunnam Dragons

1999
Succeeded by
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