JEDDAH, 20 May 2008 — The legendary Saudi striker, Majed Ahmad Abdullah, best known as the Black Diamond, is expected to play in his testimonial match today featuring his home team Al-Nasr against Real Madrid of Spain at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh.
Prince Sultan ibn Fahd, president of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare, will attend the match on behalf of Riyadh Governor Prince Salman ibn Abdul Aziz.
Sponsored by Mobily, the match was organized in recognition of Abdullah’s achievements and contribution to Saudi football as well as the many laurels he brought to the country.
In a glittering career, Majed Abdullah has carved a niche for himself as one of the greatest strikers in Saudi football history with more than 500 goals scored for Nasr club and the national team that he represented for 16 years.
Abdullah contributed a lot to the national team’s success internationally. He also helped Nasr win many local and regional titles. The mere mention of the name Majed Abdullah strikes fear in the heart of goalkeepers.
Now in his late forties, Majed Abdullah was born in 1958 in Jeddah. He joined Nasr in 1977 and ended his career with the Riyadh-based club. During his 22-year stint at Nasr the club enjoyed a golden era that will never be repeated.
Among his career highlights, Majed Abdullah helped the Saudi team clinch their first Asian title in 1984 against China and even scored a legendary goal in the final match that ended 2-0 in favor of the Saudis. He was at the striking line in the same competition in 1988 when the Saudi team retained the title. He also helped Saudi Arabia advance past the group stage in the 1994 World Cup in US.
Majed Abdullah achieved 11 local and regional titles for Nasr club. His having won the top scorer title in the Saudi league six times, a number that not many players will be able to reach, was a personal milestone. A lightning-quick player, he was nicknamed by many goalkeepers as the “Flaming Arrow”. He is at his best when dealing with high balls inside the penalty box with his very dangerous headers. He is also expert in scoring penalty kicks and he rarely misses them. Majed Abdullah, nicknamed “Pele of the Desert” by the western media, retired from football in 1994.
Nines From Mobily for Majed Abdullah’s Fans
Meantime, fans attending the Majed Abdullah testimonial match today will get free vanity numbers from Mobily, according to a statement issued by Etihad Etisalat.
Majed Abdullah’s number when he played for Nasr club up until the early 1990s was 9.
The vanity numbers will feature triple “9s” (056*999***, 056999****, 056****999, 056**999**).
Mobily, the official and exclusive sponsor for the Majed Abdullah festival, presented the soccer star with 99,999 free minutes, a vanity number featuring five nines and variety of gifts Sunday night.
Fans without tickets to the stadium can watch the match on their mobile phones using Mobily’s innovative Mobile TV service on (Mobily 3lhawa). Customers subscribed to the SR50 mobile TV package will not be charged extra for the match.
