Saudi Arabia’s World Cup Hero Emerges as the Team’s European Success Story

Saud Abdulhamid, the Saudi Arabia right back who was part of the country’s famous 2-1 win over Argentina at the 2022 World Cup, has become the standout figure in the national team four years later. He is the first Saudi player in history to move from the domestic league to one of Europe’s top five leagues.

At the time of the Qatar tournament, Abdulhamid was still with Al Hilal, but unlike many of the club’s stars who moved from Europe to the Middle East, he went the other way. His transfer to Roma did not go smoothly, and he made only eight appearances in the 2024-25 season. Roma then loaned him to Lens, where the move paid off for all sides.

In France, Abdulhamid became part of one of the season’s biggest surprises. Lens finished second behind Paris Saint-Germain and also won the French Cup. He played 31 matches, scored three goals and provided seven assists, including 90 minutes in the cup final against Nice and two assists in the semifinal against Toulouse.

His summer was not entirely easy. After winning the cup, he flew to the Netherlands for his wedding and was supposed to join Saudi Arabia’s camp in Riyadh, but his passport was stolen from his car during the celebration. He was stranded in Amsterdam for several days until the paperwork was resolved. He then linked up with Jorge Jesus’s team and hopes to keep raising his profile and his reported market value of 9 million euros. He has already helped Saudi Arabia keep clean sheets in a 3-0 win over Puerto Rico and a 0-0 draw with Senegal, after opening the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Uruguay.