Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Mukhtar Abdullah Ali | ||
Date of birth | (1997-10-30) 30 October 1997 (age 27) | ||
Place of birth | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Al-Nassr | ||
Number | 6 | ||
Youth career | |||
0000–2008 | Leyton Orient | ||
2008–2017 | Chelsea | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2017 | Chelsea | 0 | (0) |
2017 | → Vitesse (loan) | 6 | (0) |
2017 | → Jong Vitesse (loan) | 4 | (0) |
2017–2019 | Vitesse | 9 | (1) |
2019– | Al-Nassr | 32 | (0) |
2022 | → Al-Tai (loan) | 11 | (2) |
2022–2023 | → Al-Tai (loan) | 27 | (2) |
2023–2024 | → Al-Fateh (loan) | 27 | (0) |
International career | |||
2012 | England U16 | 2 | (0) |
2013–2014 | England U17 | 4 | (0) |
2017–2021 | Saudi Arabia U23 | ||
2017– | Saudi Arabia | 13 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 29 November 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11 June 2024 |
Mukhtar Abdullahi Ali (Arabic: مختار علي, born 30 October 1997) is a Saudi Arabian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Saudi Arabia national team and for Al-Nassr. He was born in Jeddah and moved to London as an infant.
Club career
Chelsea
In 2008, Ali joined Chelsea at under-11 level from Leyton Orient and progressed through the club's academy system. He was part of the Chelsea youth side which recorded back to back triumphs in the FA Youth Cup in 2015 and 2016. With 42 appearances in all competitions he was the second-leading appearance maker in the academy and was also nominated for International Somali Sportsman of the Year.
Vitesse
On 29 January 2017, Ali joined Vitesse on loan for the remainder of the 2016–17 campaign. On 19 February 2017, Ali made his Vitesse debut in their 1–0 home defeat against Ajax, replacing Marvelous Nakamba in the 84th minute. On 4 February 2017, he played his first match for Jong Vitesse against SV Spakenburg. Ali went onto appear in five more league games during his loan spell.
On 17 July 2017, Vitesse permanently signed Ali on a three-year deal.
Al-Nassr
On 31 August 2019, Al-Nassr signed Mukhtar Ali on a one-year deal from Vitesse. On 29 January 2022, he renewed his contract with Al-Nassr until 2025 and was loaned out to Al-Tai. On 29 August 2022, Mukhtar Ali rejoined Al-Tai on a one-year loan. On 7 September 2023, Mukhtar Ali joined Al-Fateh on a one-year loan.
International career
Ali represented England at both under-16 and under-17 level and was also eligible to represent Somalia, the country of his parents. However, he pledged his allegiance to the Saudi Arabia national team, and made his senior debut on 7 October 2017 against Jamaica. This was possibly based on the player's assertion that he was instead born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Career statistics
- As of match played 27 May 2024.
Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Vitesse (loan) | 2016–17 | Eredivisie | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||
Vitesse | 2017–18 | Eredivisie | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
2018–19 | Eredivisie | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | ||
Al-Nassr | 2019–20 | Saudi Pro League | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | 29 | 1 | |
2020–21 | Saudi Pro League | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||
2021–22 | Saudi Pro League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
2023–24 | Saudi Pro League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
Total | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 1 | ||
Al-Tai (loan) | 2021–22 | Saudi Pro League | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 2 | ||
2022–23 | Saudi Pro League | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 2 | |||
Total | 38 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 4 | ||||
Al-Fateh (loan) | 2023–24 | Saudi Pro League | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 0 | ||
Career total | 108 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 129 | 6 |
- Includes KNVB Cup, King Cup
- Appearance in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in Eredivisie European play-offs
- ^ Appearances in AFC Champions League
Honours
Club
Chelsea Reserves
Vitesse
Al-Nassr
References
- ^ Meenaghan, Gary (2018-04-06). Mukhtar Ali 'fit and ready' for Saudi Arabia if World Cup call comes. Arab News. Retrieved 2020-03-22.
- ^ "Mukhtar Ali". TheChels.info. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
- "International Somali Awards 2017 Nominees: Sports Person of the Year". Anti Tribalism Movement : The ATM. 22 January 2017. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- "Academy midfielder loan". Chelsea Official Site. 29 January 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
- "Vitesse vs. Ajax". Soccerway. 19 February 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
- "SPAKENBURG VS. VITESSE II 2 - 2". Soccerway. 4 February 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
- "Ali joins Vitesse". Chelsea Official Site. 17 July 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
- Al-Nassr is officially signed by Mukhtar Ali
- "رسميا.. النصر يجدد عقد مختار ويعيره للطائي". 29 January 2022.
- "الطائي يستعير لاعب النصر". 29 August 2022.
- "الفتح يضم مختار علي بنظام الإعارة من النصر". 7 September 2023.
- "Mukhtar Ali 'fit and ready' for Saudi Arabia if World Cup call comes". 6 April 2018.
- Vitesse. "Vitesse nieuws: Vitesse-spelers internationaal actief". Vitesse.nl.
- "Mukhtar Ali 'fit and ready' for Saudi Arabia if World Cup call comes". Arab News. 6 April 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
- Mukhtar Ali at Soccerway
External links
- Mukhtar Ali at WorldFootball.net
Al Nassr FC – current squad | |
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Saudi Arabia squads | |||||||||||||
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- 1997 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Jeddah
- Saudi Arabian men's footballers
- 21st-century Saudi Arabian sportsmen
- Saudi Arabia men's international footballers
- English men's footballers
- English people of Saudi Arabian descent
- Saudi Arabian people of Somali descent
- England men's youth international footballers
- English people of Somali descent
- Naturalised citizens of Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabian emigrants to the United Kingdom
- Somalian emigrants to the United Kingdom
- Men's association football midfielders
- Chelsea F.C. players
- SBV Vitesse players
- Leyton Orient F.C. players
- Al Nassr FC players
- Al-Tai FC players
- Al Fateh SC players
- Saudi Pro League players
- Eredivisie players
- Expatriate men's footballers in England
- Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands
- Saudi Arabian expatriate sportspeople in England
- Saudi Arabian expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
- Footballers from London
- Olympic footballers for Saudi Arabia
- Footballers at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- 2023 AFC Asian Cup players
- 21st-century English sportsmen