Mohammed Abdul-Jawad, former Saudi national football team’s left-back, has recently been appointed coach of the Brazilian club Internacional de Minas’s youth team. 

Abdul-Jawad was born in November 1962 in Jeddah. He joined Al-Ahli team in 1980 at the age of 18. He is famous for his loyalty to the team, as he never switched sides.

His excellent skills helped him earn a spot in the Saudi national squad. He successfully remained part of the national team for 15 years during which he continued to play for Al-Ahli and won several domestic and regional titles.

Abdul-Jawad was part of the Saudi national team that won the Asia Cup in 1984 and 1988, and participated in the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 as well as the World Cup finals.

Mario Zagallo, former Brazilian coach of the Saudi team between 1981 and 1984, gave him shirt number 13, which was Zagallo’s number when he played for his country in the 1950s.

In a TV interview, Abdul-Jawad said that Zagallo admired the way he spoke Brazilian and gave him his number as a gift.

The first international appearance for the left-footed defender was in 1981 against Kuwait, which had great strikers like Jasim Yaqoub and Faisal Al-Dakheel. Abdul-Jawad showed excellent performance.

Abdul-Jawad was known for his ability to score beautiful goals from outside the area. The Saudi fans will not forget his goal against Cameroon in the Afro-Asian Cup of Nations championship. The flying-defender, as he was always called, shot from more than 30 yards outside the box and into the Cameroon’s net.

Abdul-Jawad, father of six, hung his boots in 1995 and started another career as a football agent and a pundit for TV football programs. His fluency in English and Portuguese helped him succeed in both careers.