Ali Al-Habsi

Ali Abdullah Harib Al-Habsi is an Omani goalkeeper, born on 30 December 1981, who became the first Omani footballer to build a career in Europe. He played for Lyn in Norway, Bolton Wanderers, Wigan Athletic — winning the FA Cup in 2013 — Reading, Al-Hilal and West Bromwich Albion, and was Oman's first-choice goalkeeper for nearly two decades before retiring in 2020. The sources disagree about his birthplace: the English article and Wikidata give Muscat, while the Arabic article gives Al-Mudhaibi, and this record carries both rather than choosing between them. ^{1 2 3}

Al-Habsi began in Oman with Al-Mudhaibi and Al-Nasr, and worked as a fireman at Seeb airport before football took him abroad. Spotted by the coach John Burridge, he joined Lyn in Norway in 2003, then Bolton Wanderers in 2006. He established himself at Wigan Athletic, first on loan and then permanently, and was in the squad that won the FA Cup in 2013. After a loan at Brighton & Hove Albion he spent two seasons at Reading, then played for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia and West Bromwich Albion, announcing his retirement on 21 August 2020. ^{1 2 3}

For Oman he played from 2001 to 2019, appearing at three Asian Cups and earning his 100th cap in January 2015. He was named best goalkeeper at four consecutive Arabian Gulf Cups, keeping a clean sheet throughout the 2009 tournament, which Oman won. ^{1 2 3}

The English article's personal-life section calls Al-Habsi a practising Muslim, citing The Guardian of 9 December 2011, and says his faith plays a big part in his life, citing his 2012 interview for the Association of Muslim Footballers. The Arabic article calls him a committed Muslim, citing the same Guardian article — one source family, not two independent ones. Both name Islam generically and describe devotion and practice; no source names a school or branch for him, and no source names an Ibadi affiliation, which his Omani nationality alone could never establish. Wikidata gives only generic Islam. His faith is therefore recorded as unknown, with the evidence set out here in full. ^{1 2 3}