Sami Al-Jaber, 45, is president of Riyadh-based Saudi football club Al-Hilal.
He has spent most of his 20-year playing career at the club, and is Saudi Arabia’s second-highest international goal scorer, with 46 goals in 156 internationals from 1992 to 2006.
Al-Jaber is the only Saudi player to have appeared in four consecutive FIFA World Cup tournaments, from 1994 to 2006, having captained the national team in two editions of the World Cup, scoring on three separate occasions.
He was also a member of the Saudi football squad that won the AFC Asian Cup in 1996 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Saudi players in history.
The International Federation of Football (FIFA) has chosen Al-Jaber as a member of a 13-member panel team to put forward the final shortlist in selecting the FIFA Player of the Year.
FIFA has announced amendments to the shortlist of candidates for the World Player of the Year Award, to include only 10 players instead of 23. The vote will take place between July 23 and Aug. 10, with the announcement of the winner on Sept. 24, in London.
The 13-member panel chosen by FIFA included Ronaldo, Frank Lampard, Carlos Pereira, Fabio Capello, Kaka and Didier Drogba, among other internationally recognized stars.
Often cited as Al-Hilal’s most famous player, Al-Jaber joined the club at 15 and instantly made an impact helping them win six league titles, six Crown Prince Cups and two Asian Champions League titles among other honors.
He was top goal scorer in the Saudi Premier League twice in the 1989–90 and 1992–93 seasons. In 2008, Al-Hilal hosted a testimonial match for Al-Jaber against Manchester United.
Al-Jaber scored a penalty en route to a 3-2 victory in his farewell match for the club.
