Al-Ahli Saudi Football Club (Arabic: النادي الأهلي السعودي, romanizedan-nādī al-ʿahlī as-saʿūdī, lit.'Saudi National Club'), commonly known as Al-Ahli, is a Saudi professional football club based in Jeddah. It competes in the Saudi Pro league, the top tier of Saudi football. Al-Ahli has won 31 official championships.

Al-Ahli
Full nameAl-Ahli Saudi Football Club
Nickname(s)Al-Malaki (The Royals)
Ma'aqil Al-Aswad (Stronghold of Lions)
Al-Raqi (The Classy Ones)
Founded17 March 1937; 87 years ago (1937-03-17) (As Al-Thaghar)
GroundKing Abdullah Sports City
Capacity62,345
OwnerPublic Investment Fund (75%)
Al-Ahli Non-Profit Foundation (25%)[1]
ChairmanKhalid Al Ghamdi
ManagerMatthias Jaissle
LeagueSaudi Pro League
2023–24Pro League, 3rd of 18
Current season
Al-Ahli active departments

Football
(men's)

Football
(women's)

Basketball
(men's)

The club was founded in 1937. Known as one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, domestically, Al-Ahli has won three Saudi Professional Leagues, and also holds the record of 13 Kings Cups, six Crown Prince Cups, one General League Shield, and one Super Cup. In international club football, they have won a record equal of 3 GCC Champions League and 1 Arab Club Championship. Al Ahli was the first Saudi club to win the league and the King's Cup in the same season, and has done so twice - in 1978 and 2016.

Al-Ahli was one of the four founding members of the Saudi Pro League and had never been relegated from the top flight until the 2021–22 season. The other three are Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Nassr.[2] Al-Ahli hold the record for the longest unbeaten run in the league with their 51-match unbeaten streak from 2014 to 2016.

Al-Ahli's home games are played at King Abdullah Sports City, also known as the shining jewel Stadium. The stadium, which is shared with long-lasting city rivals Al-Ittihad, is the second-largest stadium in Saudi Arabia, with a total capacity of approximately 63,000.

History

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Al-Ahli achieved the first shield for the Saudi League in 1968

Founded in 1937 by four young men, the Al Ahli Club is located in the heart of Jeddah, and serves as a sports beacon. It's strategically located on Jeddahs largest street, Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz Street. The idea of Al-Ahli was conceived by students in Al-Falah school. Al-Falah is the oldest school in the city of Jeddah.

Prince Khalid bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, chairman of the Honorary Members and Honorary Members of the club throughout its history, became a manager of the club while it was headed by Abdul Aziz Al Anqari. This was a historic day in Al Ahli Saudi FC's history, especially for Al Ahlawy, Al-Ahli's ultras. This was considered an honor, and happened shortly after the coach's unique achievement in the same year, 2008. He achieved four foreign championships with the handball team that won the Asian Club League Handball Championship.

The former Brazilian coach, Telê Santana coached Al-Ahli from 1983 to 1985 and won two titles, the League in 1984 and the King Cup in 1983. Al-Ahli has played in eighteen King Cup finals. They've won thirteen of them and came runners up five times.

From 2014 to 2016, under the management of Swiss coach Christian Gross, the team won four titles with him. 2014–15 Saudi Crown Prince Cup, 2015–16 Saudi Professional League and 2016 King Cup. Al-Ahli has won every major competition in which it has competed, with the exception of the AFC Champions League (in this competition they have lost two finals, in 1985–86 Asian Club Championship and 2012 AFC Champions League. They were also the first Saudi Club to play in the Asian Final. Al Ahli is one of the big four clubs in Saudi Arabia along with Al Hilal, Al Nassr, and their local rivals Al Ittihad.

Shield of Sports Excellence and the title of ambassador of the homeland

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In 2009, the club celebrated 75 years of historical achievements. On 3 July 2009, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz received the heads and members of the honor of the club and its board of directors, on the occasion of Al-Ahli winning four International titles in 2008. The club was awarded the highest honor; it was presented with the shield of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for sports excellence, and the title "Ambassador of the Homeland".

Honours

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League and King's Cup 1978.

Domestic

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The first championship in the history of Al-Ahli club, in 1956–57, which is the Crown Prince Cup.

International

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Kits and crest

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Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

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Period Kit manufacturer Shirt main sponsor
2001–2002 Le Coq Sportif
2002–2003 Diadora
2003–2006 Le Coq Sportif
2006–2008 Umbro Al-Jawal
2008–2009 STC
2009–2012 Adidas
2012–2014 Umbro
2014–2015 Qatar Airways
2015–2017 Puma
2017–2019 Umbro Saudia
2019–2020 S-Team
2020–2023 Xtep
2023– Adidas SIRC / Red Sea Global [note 1] / Neoleap / Urpay

Players

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As of 30 August 2024[7]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   KSA Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi
3 DF   BRA Roger Ibañez
5 DF   KSA Mohammed Sulaiman
6 DF   KSA Bassam Al-Hurayji
7 MF   ALG Riyad Mahrez
8 MF   KSA Sumayhan Al-Nabit
9 FW   KSA Firas Al-Buraikan
10 FW   BRA Roberto Firmino (captain)
11 MF   BRA Alexsander
15 DF   KSA Abdullah Al-Ammar
16 GK   SEN Édouard Mendy
19 MF   KSA Fahad Al-Rashidi
24 MF   ESP Gabri Veiga
26 DF   KSA Fahad Al-Hamad
27 DF   KSA Ali Majrashi
28 DF   TUR Merih Demiral
No. Pos. Nation Player
30 MF   KSA Ziyad Al-Johani
31 DF   KSA Saad Balobaid
39 MF   KSA Yaseen Al-Zubaidi
40 MF   KSA Ali Al-Asmari
45 FW   KSA Abdulkarim Darisi
46 DF   KSA Rayan Hamed
62 GK   KSA Abdullah Abdoh
79 MF   CIV Franck Kessié (vice-captain)
87 MF   KSA Ramez Al-Attar U19
90 MF   KSA Amar Al-Yuhaybi U19
99 FW   ENG Ivan Toney
GK   KSA Bader Kabli U19
DF   KSA Riyadh Al-Yami U19
MF   KSA Adnan Al-Bishri U19
FW   KSA Ziyad Al-Ghamdi U19
FW   KSA Mohammed Al-Amri U19

Other players under contract

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
14 MF   KSA Abdullah Otayf
21 GK   KSA Emad Al-Fadda
29 MF   KSA Mohammed Al-Majhad
33 GK   KSA Nawaf Shae'an
34 DF   KSA Bander Al-Shamrani
No. Pos. Nation Player
88 GK   KSA Ghassan Barqawi
92 DF   KSA Adel Khodari
DF   MKD Ezgjan Alioski
FW   KSA Yazid Al-Ghamdi

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
18 MF   KSA Younes Al-Shanqeeti (on loan to Al-Shabab)
49 MF   KSA Firas Al-Ghamdi (on loan to Al-Arabi)
65 MF   KSA Faisal Al-Subiani (on loan to Damac)
73 MF   KSA Abdulrahman Al-Humayani (on loan to Al-Anwar)
No. Pos. Nation Player
94 FW   BRA Marcão (on loan to Kocaelispor)
95 MF   KSA Ayman Fallatah (on loan to Damac)
97 FW   FRA Allan Saint-Maximin (on loan to Fenerbahçe)

Records

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Asian record

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Overview

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As of 30 April 2021
Competition Pld W D L GF GA
Asian Club Championship / AFC Champions League 103 46 27 30 165 127
Asian Cup Winners' Cup 4 3 0 1 9 3
TOTAL 107 49 27 31 174 130

Record by country

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Country Pld W D L GF GA GD Win%
  China 2 1 0 1 3 4 −1 050.00
  India 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 100.00
  Indonesia 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100.00
  Iran 24 11 5 8 38 33 +5 045.83
  Iraq 6 5 0 1 14 5 +9 083.33
  Kuwait 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 100.00
  Qatar 20 6 8 6 31 23 +8 030.00
  Saudi Arabia 5 2 0 3 5 7 −2 040.00
  South Korea 4 0 1 3 2 8 −6 000.00
  Syria 7 5 2 0 12 2 +10 071.43
  Tajikistan 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100.00
  United Arab Emirates 23 9 10 4 44 33 +11 039.13
  Uzbekistan 12 6 1 5 19 13 +6 050.00

Matches

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Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
1985–86 Asian Club Championship Group A   East Bengal 2–1 1st
  KYTB 1–0
Semi-final   Al-Ittihad Aleppo 1–0 1–0
Final   Daewoo Royals 1–3 1–3
1999–2000 Asian Cup Winners' Cup 2Q   Al-Jaish 1–0 2−0 3–0
Quarter-finals   Navbahor Namangan 6–1 0−2 6–3
Semi-finals   Al-Zawraa Withdrew
2002–03 AFC Champions League 3Q   Al-Ahli 2–2 2−3 4–5
2005 AFC Champions League Group D   Al-Zawraa 5–1 2−1 1st
  Al-Jaish 3–1 4−0
  Pakhtakor 3–0 1−2
Quarter-finals   Shenzhen Jianlibao 2–1 1−3 3–4
2008 AFC Champions League Group C   Al-Sadd 2–2 1−2 4th
  Al-Karamah 1–1 0−0
  Al-Wahda 0–0 1−2
2010 AFC Champions League Group A   Esteghlal 1–2 1−2 3rd
  Al-Gharafa 0–1 2−3
  Al-Jazira 5–1 2−0
2012 AFC Champions League Group C   Lekhwiya 3–0 0−1 2nd
  Sepahan 1–1 1−2
  Al-Nasr 3–1 2−1
Round of 16   Al-Jazira 3−3 3–3 (p)
Quarter-finals   Sepahan 4–1 0−0 4–1
Semi-finals   Al-Ittihad 2–0 0−1 2–1
Final   Ulsan Hyundai 0–3 0–3
2013 AFC Champions League Group C   Al-Gharafa 2–0 2−2 1st
  Al-Nasr 2–2 2−1
  Sepahan 4–1 4−2
Round of 16   El Jaish 2−0 1−1 3–1
Quarter-finals   FC Seoul 1–1 0−1 1–2
2015 AFC Champions League PO   Al-Qadsia 2–1[A] 2–1
Group D   Al-Ahli 2–1 3−3 1st
  Nasaf Qarshi 2–1 0−0
  Tractor Sazi 2–0 2−2
Round of 16   Naft Tehran 2−1 0−1 2–2 (a)
2016 AFC Champions League Group D   Nasaf Qarshi 2–1 1−2 3rd
  Al-Ain 1–2 0−1
  El Jaish 2–0 4−1
2017 AFC Champions League Group C   Bunyodkor 2–0 0−2 2nd
  Zob Ahan 2–0 2−1
  Al-Ain 2–2 2−2
Round of 16   Al-Ahli 1−1 3−1 4–2
Quarter-finals   Persepolis 1–3 2−2 3–5
2018 AFC Champions League Group A   Tractor Sazi 2–0 1−0 1st
  Al-Jazira 2–1 2−1
  Al-Gharafa 1–1 1−1
Round of 16   Al-Sadd 2−2 1–2 3–4
2019 AFC Champions League Group D   Al-Sadd 2–0 1−2 2nd
  Pakhtakor 2–1 0−1
  Persepolis 2–1 0−2
Round of 16   Al-Hilal 2–4 1–0 3–4
2020 AFC Champions League PO   Istiklol 1–0 1–0
Group A   Al-Wahda 1–1 1st
  Esteghlal 2–1 0–3
  Al-Shorta 1–0 1–2
Round of 16   Shabab Al-Ahli 1–1 1–1 (p)
Quarter-finals   Al-Nassr 0–2 0–2
2021 AFC Champions League Group C   Esteghlal 0–0 2–5 3rd
  Al-Duhail 1–1 1–1
  Al-Shorta 2–1 3–0

Notes

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  • QR: Qualifying round
  • 1Q: First qualifying round
  • 2Q: Second qualifying round
  • 3Q: Third qualifying round
  • PO: Play-off round
  • A ^ After extra time.

Top scorers in Asian competitions

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Player Country Goals
1 Omar Al Somah   Syria 24
2 Victor Simões   Brazil 14
3 Taisir Al-Jassim   Saudi Arabia 9
4 Amad Al-Hosni   Oman 8
Muhannad Assiri   Saudi Arabia
6 Abdulrahim Jaizawi   Saudi Arabia 6
7 Alessandro Cambalhota   Brazil 5
Mustafa Bassas   Saudi Arabia
Abdulfattah Asiri   Saudi Arabia

Recent seasons

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Season Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA GD P KC CPC PFC ARCL CL GCC Saudi Super Cup Top scorer Manager
2000–01 SPL 1 22 15 6 1 50 19 31+ 51  – Quarter-finals Winners Semi-finals  –  –  –   Ibrahim Al-Suwayyed 12   Luka Peruzović
2001–02 SPL 4 22 12 4 6 39 26 13+ 40  – Winners Winners  –  – Winners  –   Obeid Al-Dosari 11   Luka Peruzović
  Yousef Anbar
2002–03 SPL 2 22 15 2 5 54 23 31+ 47  – Runners-up Runners-up Winners 3rd Qualifying Round  –  –   Mohammed Barakat 10   Dimitri Davidovic
  Ilija Lukić
2003–04 SPL 4 22 10 8 4 31 21 10+ 38  – Runner-up Group stage Group stage  –  –  –   Rojero Pereira 11   Pierre Lechantre
  Valmir Louruz
2004–05 SPL 5 22 10 8 4 41 21 20+ 34  – Round 16 Semi-finals Semi-finals Quarter-finals  –  –   Rojero Pereira 13   Valmir Louruz
  Geninho
2005–06 SPL 4 22 9 9 4 45 23 22+ 36  – Runners-up Runners-up  –  –  –  –   Abdelhaq Ait Laarif
  Malek Mouath
8   Ilija Lukić
  Nebojša Vučković
2006–07 SPL 5 22 7 8 7 29 33 −4 29  – Winners Winners Semi-finals  –  –  –   Malek Mouath 20   Nebojša Vučković
2007–08 SPL 8 22 7 5 10 30 31 −1 26 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Semi-finals  – Group stage  –  –   Malek Mouath 14   Nebojša Vučković
  Yousef Anbar
2008–09 SPL 3 22 11 7 4 33 20 +13 40 Quarter-finals Round 16 Group stage  –  – Winner  –   Hassan Al-Raheb 10   Stoycho Mladenov
2009–10 ZPL 6 22 7 7 8 28 29 −1 28 Quarter-finals Runners-up Semi-finals  – Group stage  –  –   Victor Simões 13   Gustavo Alfaro
  Farias
2010–11 ZPL 6 26 11 4 11 48 41 +7 37 Winners Quarter-final Runners-up  –  –  –  –   Victor Simões 20   Trond Sollied
  Milovan Rajevac
  Aleksandar Ilić
2011–12 ZPL 2 26 19 5 2 60 22 +38 62 Winners Semi-final Winners  – Runners-up  –  –   Victor Simões 27   Karel Jarolím
2012–13 ZPL 5 26 12 8 6 51 33 +18 44 Semi-finals Quarter-finals Winners  – Quarter-finals  –  –   Victor Simões 17   Karel Jarolím
  Aleksandar Ilić
2013–14 ALJ 3 26 12 9 5 48 24 +24 45 Runners-up Quarter-finals Runners-up  –  –  –  –   Taisir Al-Jassim 9   Vítor Pereira
2014–15 ALJ 2 26 17 9 0 59 22 +37 60 Round 16 Winners  – Round 16  –  –   Omar Al Somah 31   Christian Gross
2015–16 ALJ 1 26 19 6 1 55 21 +34 63 Winners Runners-up  –  – Group stages  –  –   Omar Al Somah 34   Christian Gross
2016–17 ALJ 2 26 17 4 5 57 30 +27 55 Runners-up Semi-finals  –  – Quarter-finals  – Winners   Omar Al Soma 40   José Manuel Gomes
  Christian Gross
2017–18 SPL 2 26 16 7 3 59 26 +33 55 Semi-finals  –  –  – Round of 16  –  –   Muhannad Assiri 13   Serhii Rebrov
2018–19 SPL 4 30 17 4 9 68 41 +27 55 Round of 16  –  – Semi-finals Round of 16  –  –   Omar Al Somah 27   Pablo Guede
  Jorge Fossati
  Yousef Anbar

Player of the year

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Year Winner
2009–10   Abdulrahim Jaizawi
2010–11   Victor Simões
2011–12   Taisir Al-Jassim
2012–13   Mustafa Al-Bassas
2013–14   Taisir Al-Jassim
2014–15   Omar Al Soma
2015–16   Omar Al Soma
2016–17   Yasser Al-Mosailem
2017-18   Omar Al Soma
2018-19   Djaniny
2019-20   Omar Al Soma
2020-21   Omar Al Soma
2021-22   Omar Al Soma
2022-23   Ryad Boudebouz

Staff and management

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Technical staff

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Position Nat. Name
Manager   Matthias Jaissle
Assistant Manager   Engin Yanova
Goalkeeper Coach   Alexander Bade
Chief Analyst   Mohamed Abdelfattah
Video Analyst   Steffen Konrad
Match Analyst   Georgios Martakos
Director of Football   Naif Qadi
Technical Director   Jan van Winckel

Source:[8]

Board members

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Office Name
President Khalid Al Ghamdi
Vice-president Khalid Al Hendi
Chief Executive Officer Ron Gourlay
Director of Other Sports Khalid Al Shafei
Director of Legal Affairs Mohammed bin Laden
Commercial Director Abdulaziz Al Anqari
Investment Officer Ayman Al Rashed
Board Member Osama Shaker
Board Member Muhannad Al Blahid

Source:[9]

Presidents

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No Name From To
1   Hassan Hamood Al-Shams 1937 1940
2   Omar Hamood Al-Shams 1950 1952
3   Hassan Saroor Al Sabyan 1952 1954
4   Abdullah Bahery 1955 1955
5   Omar Hamood Al Shams 1956 1956
6   Ali Al Jassem Al Na'kly 1957 1957
7   Mohammed Fashlan 1958 1958
8   Abdulrahman bin Saead 1959 1960
9   Jameel Al-Gosani 1961 1961
10   Abdulfatah Abdulrabho 1962 1962
11   Abdullah Al-Bahry 1963 1963
12   Abdulfatah Abdulrabho 1964 1964
13   Omar Yousef 1965 1969
14   Mohammed bin Saleh Hamed 1970 1972
15   Abdullah bin Al-Ganb 1973 1974
16   Abdulmageed Yousef 1975 1975
17   Khaled bin Abdullah 1976 1980
18   Abdullah bin Faisal 1981 1981
19   Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Faisal 1982 1984
20   Abdulraziq Abu Dawod 1985 1986
21   Ahmed Eid Al-Harbi 1987 1987
22   Khaled bin Abdullah 1988 1994
23   Abdullah bin Faisal bin Turki 1994 1995
24   Badr bin Fahd 1995 1996
25   Zaki Raheme 1996 1997
26   Abdulaziz Abdulha'a 1997 1998
27   Salman Al-Sudairy 1998 1998
28   Nawaf bin Abdulaziz bin Turki 1999 2003
29   Ahmed Moahmmed Marzoqi 2004 2005
30   Abdulraziq abu Dawod 2005 2005
31   Aymin Fadel 2005 2007
32  Abdulraziq abu Dawod 2007 2007
33   Ahmed Moahmmed Marzoqi 2007 2008
34   Abdulaziz Mohammed Al-A'aqary 2008 2009
35   Fahd bin Khaled bin Abdullah bin Mohammed 2009 2015
36   Musad Al Zuwaihary 2015 2016
37   Ahmad Al-Marzouqi 2016 2017
38   Fahd bin Khaled bin Abdullah bin Mohammed 2017 2017
39   Turki bin Mohammed 2017 2018
40   Majed Al-Nefaie 2018 2018
41   Abdullah Batterjee 2019 2019
42   Ahmed Al-Sayegh 2019 2020
43   Abdulelah Mouminah 2020 2021
44   Majed Al-Nefaie 2021 2022
45   Waleed Muath 2022 2023
46   Khalid Al Ghamdi 2023

Managers

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Handball

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Current Squad

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Saudi Arabia's PIF takes over Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli". BBC Sport. 5 June 2023. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Al-Ahli relegated for the first time in history". Saudigazette. 28 June 2022. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  3. ^ Al-Ahli Saudi FC Official Account (18 November 2022). "Official Documentation of Al-Ahli's Championships". X Social media platform. (previously known as Twitter). Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "List of Cup Winners -". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  5. ^ "The tweet of the official Al-Ahli club account via Twitter, in which the number of Saudi professional league and the date of each season was mentioned". Twitter (in Arabic). 18 November 2022. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  6. ^ "List of Cup Winners - International Friendship Tournament". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  7. ^ "الفريق الأول" [First team]. Al Ahli Saudi FC. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  8. ^ "الصربي فلادان ميلويفيتش مدرباً للفريق الأول لكرة القدم". Archived from the original on 7 September 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  9. ^ "مجلس إدارة النادي #الأهلي الذي تمت تزكيته من الجمعية العمومية". Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
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