LONDON: When Ali Al-Shabeeb starts talking, his Geordie accent is unmistakable. Although he was born in Dammam, Al-Shabeeb left Saudi Arabia when he was 8 years old to move with his family to Newcastle. He went to school there, stayed in the northeast of England to go to Northumbria University, and now plays football there too, for FC Darlington.

“When I first came here, I did not speak an ounce of English,” Al-Shabeeb told Arab News. “My dad was studying for his PhD, so he brought us all across, but I didn’t even play football then. I was a tennis player.

“But you can’t grow up in Newcastle without seeing the love and joy that football gives people, and so of course I started playing and kept improving to the level that I was able to think about having a career in the game.”

Picked for the prestigious English Universities side while studying at Northumbria, Al-Shabeeb recalls facing the likes of ex-Manchester United players Mason Greenwood and Angel Gomes in youth football tournaments.

Al-Shabeeb was still at university when he made history in 2021. Playing for non-league Consett AFC, the young Saudi forward helped his team reach the FA Vase final at Wembley Stadium, the iconic home of England’s national team. Although Consett lost the final 3-2, Al-Shabeeb became the first player from the Kingdom to score at Wembley.

“If I’m being totally honest, I had it in the back of my mind the night before,” Al-Shabeeb recalled, smiling. “Sitting in the hotel, I remember thinking, ‘You’ve actually got a chance to score at Wembley tomorrow.’

“I didn’t have any nerves going into the match, and then I scored the first goal of the game. It was surreal, incredible. When you think about all the players who have scored goals at Wembley, it is difficult to believe and hard to describe how it feels. 

“The only disappointing thing was it was during COVID-19, so there were no fans. I wish my family could have been there and we could have enjoyed playing in front of a big crowd.”

News of the Wembley goal made it all the way back to the Kingdom, and Al-Shabeeb soon found himself being approached by Saudi clubs about a professional contract.

The most exciting offer came from Al-Qadsiah, who were then playing in the Saudi First Division. Al-Shabeeb was set to sign for the club, but then the deal fell through when a groin injury was identified in his medical. Since then, Al-Qadsiah have enjoyed a meteoric rise and are currently third in the Saudi Pro League table and the King’s Cup semifinals.

“It’s a hard pill to swallow if I’m being totally honest,” Al-Shabeeb admitted. “Qadsiah would have been the right environment for me to improve and develop in Saudi Arabia. But these things happen in football, and I’m thankful for the opportunities I’ve had.

“Still, I honestly believe if I had signed for Qadsiah then I would still be there now. I think playing in English football has given me knowledge and experience that no other Saudi player has. I can handle myself physically but have the technical ability too.”

Al-Shabeeb ended up having surgery on his groin and moved to the Kingdom in the summer of 2022, joining Saudi First Division side Al-Sahel. He later played for Al-Qaisumah too, coming up against Michel’s Al-Qadsiah on their way to winning the Saudi First Division title last season.

“It was funny going back home to Saudi Arabia because there were four foreign players in the squad, but everyone would see me as a foreigner more than a Saudi player,” Al-Shabeeb said.

“I always got on really well with the foreign players — we had Brazilians and Portuguese — because I think we had a lot more in common. But of course, I speak Arabic too, so I really found myself to be a bridge between the two sets of players in the dressing room. It’s a nice position to be in when you can be that connection.”

Al-Shabeeb struggled to find his feet back in the country of his birth, and he felt his development was stifled as coaches regularly came and went.

“I didn’t have anyone to take me under his wing to show me the ropes,” he said. “I used to ask my coaches how I could develop, but it was more of a ‘keep your mouth shut and move on’ type of approach; no one seemed to like me asking these questions.

“Things didn’t quite click at either club, and that’s why I moved back to Darlington. I needed to get my love for the game back, and that’s exactly what has happened.”

At Darlington, Al-Shabeeb’s coach is Steve Watson, the former Everton, Aston Villa and Newcastle United defender who spent 14 seasons in the Premier League.

“Steve is a guy that has reached levels that me and my teammates wish we can. He’s also very honest and straight up. He took me in with no hesitation, and even though I felt pressure coming from a professional club in Saudi Arabia, he just let me play football.

“Even though we are in a league where teams like to kick it long, Steve wants us to play out from the back and actually play football. That’s what suits me best.”

Darlington play in the National League North, the sixth tier of English football, but Al-Shabeeb feels his experiences this season have left him better equipped to move back to Saudi Arabia.

“There are a few teams that have shown an interest from the Saudi First Division, and that is probably the best step for me right now,” Al-Shabeeb said.

“Obviously I would love to play in the Pro League, but there are so many great foreign players moving to Saudi Arabia now; in the First Division, there are more spots on the teams for Saudis, so it’s better for me.”

Al-Shabeeb admits it will be a wrench to leave Newcastle, his home for the majority of the past 17 years. But there remains an inextricable link between the city and Saudi Arabia; Al-Shabeeb has seen firsthand how the city has changed since the Saudi Public Investment Fund bought Newcastle United in 2021.

“It has been amazing since the takeover,” Al-Shabeeb said. “When I first came to Newcastle in 2008 and people asked where I was from, I’d say, ‘Saudi Arabia,’ and they’d respond with, ‘Where is that?’

“I remember I would just say, ‘Near Dubai,’ as more people had that as a reference point in the Middle East. There were never any other Saudis in school; we were the only ones.

“But since the takeover, I have seen so many more Saudis in Newcastle, it’s mad. The city has a lot of love for Saudi Arabia because of how well the team is doing. Now when people find out I’m from Saudi, there is more of an understanding and of course people also love that I sound like a Geordie!”