Saeed Al-Owairan

Saeed Al-Owairan is a Saudi Arabian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder and forward for Al-Shabab, the only club of his career. ¹ He won 85 caps and scored 34 goals for Saudi Arabia and is renowned for his solo goal against Belgium at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, voted sixth in FIFA's Goal of the Century rankings. ¹ Neither article read for this record states his religion, and Wikidata carries no religion value for him, so his data record leaves his faith as unknown. ¹²³

Al-Owairan was born on 19 August 1967 in Riyadh and spent his entire club career at Al-Shabab of Riyadh. ¹ For Saudi Arabia he scored 34 goals in 85 appearances, including seven in the qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup. ¹

At the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Al-Owairan ran from deep inside his own half past several Belgian defenders to score at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., a goal that sent Saudi Arabia into the second round of a World Cup for the first time. ¹ FIFA's Goal of the Century vote later ranked it sixth, and it earned him the nickname "the Maradona of the desert". ¹ He was named Asian Footballer of the Year for 1994; despite interest from European clubs, Saudi rules then prevented the country's footballers from playing abroad, and he made two appearances at the 1998 World Cup in France. ¹

The sources read for this record do not state Al-Owairan's religion. The English article covers his career only and contains no statement of it. ¹ The Arabic article likewise makes no statement of his religion. ² Wikidata carries no religion value for him. ³ Saudi Arabia's Hanbali tradition is a national milieu rather than a personal attestation, so the data record leaves his faith as unknown.