Mukhtar Ali
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mukhtar Abdullahi Ali | ||
| Date of birth | 30 October 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Mogadishu, Somalia[1] | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Al-Nassr | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2008 | Leyton Orient | ||
| 2008–2017 | Chelsea | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017 | Chelsea | 0 | (0) |
| 2017 | → Vitesse (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2017 | → Jong Vitesse (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2017–2019 | Vitesse | 9 | (1) |
| 2019– | Al-Nassr | 8 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012 | England U16 | 2 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | England U17 | 4 | (0) |
| 2017– | Saudi Arabia U23 | 2 | (0) |
| 2017– | Saudi Arabia | 3 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 7 October 2018 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18 November 2019 | |||
Mukhtar Abdullahi Ali (Arabic: مختار علي; born 30 October 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Al-Nassr and the Saudi Arabia national football team. He was born in Mogadishu and moved to London as an infant.[1]
Club career
Chelsea
In 2008, Ali joined Chelsea at under-11 level from Leyton Orient and progressed through the club's academy system.[2] He was part of the Chelsea youth side which recorded back to back triumphs in the FA Youth Cup in 2015 and 2016.[2] With 42 appearances in all competitions he was the second-leading appearance maker in the academy and was also nominated for International Somali Sportsman of the Year.[2]
Vitesse
On 29 January 2017, Ali joined Vitesse on loan for the remainder of the 2016–17 campaign.[3] On 19 February 2017, Ali made his Vitesse debut in their 1–0 home defeat against Ajax, replacing Marvelous Nakamba in the 84th minute.[4] On 4 February 2017, he played his first match for Jong Vitesse against SV Spakenburg.[5] Ali went onto appear in five more league games during his loan spell.
On 17 July 2017, Vitesse permanently signed Ali on a three-year deal.[6]
Al-Nassr
On 31 August 2019, Al-Nassr signed Mukhtar Ali on a one-year deal from Vitesse.[7]
International career
Being of Somali origin,[8] Ali represented England at both under-16 and under-17 level, however, pledged his allegiance towards the Saudi Arabian national team,[9] and made his senior debut on 7 October 2017 against Jamaica. This was possible based on the player's assertion that he was instead born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.[10]
Career statistics
- As of match played 8 February 2020.[11]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vitesse (loan) | 2016–17 | Eredivisie | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| Vitesse | 2017–18 | Eredivisie | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2018–19 | Eredivisie | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | ||
| Al Nassr | 2019–20 | Saudi Professional League | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |
| Career total | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 1 | ||
- ^ Appearance in the Europa League
- ^ Appearance in the Eredivisie European play-offs
Honours
Club
- Chelsea Reserves[2]
- SBV Vitesse
References
- ^ a b Meenaghan, Gary (2018-04-06). Mukhtar Ali ‘fit and ready’ for Saudi Arabia if World Cup call comes. Arab News. Retrieved 2020-03-22.
- ^ a b c d "Mukhtar Ali". TheChels.info. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
- ^ "Academy midfielder loan". Chelsea Official Site. 29 January 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
- ^ "Vitesse vs. Ajax". Soccerway. 19 February 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
- ^ "SPAKENBURG VS. VITESSE II 2 - 2". Soccerway. 4 February 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
- ^ "Ali joins Vitesse". Chelsea Official Site. 17 July 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
- ^ Al-Nassr is officially signed by Mukhtar Ali
- ^ "Mukhtar Ali" (in Dutch). Vitesse Official Site. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
- ^ Vitesse. "Vitesse nieuws: Vitesse-spelers internationaal actief". Vitesse.nl.
- ^ "Mukhtar Ali 'fit and ready' for Saudi Arabia if World Cup call comes". Arab News. 6 April 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
- ^ Mukhtar Ali at Soccerway
External links
- Mukhtar Ali at WorldFootball.net
- 1997 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Mogadishu
- Saudi Arabian footballers
- Saudi Arabia international footballers
- English footballers
- English people of Somali descent
- England youth international footballers
- Somalian footballers
- Naturalised citizens of Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabian people of Somali descent
- Saudi Arabian emigrants to the United Kingdom
- Association football midfielders
- Chelsea F.C. players
- SBV Vitesse players
- Leyton Orient F.C. players
- Al-Nassr FC players
- Saudi Professional League players
- Eredivisie players
- Expatriate footballers in England
- Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands
- Saudi Arabian expatriate sportspeople in England
- Saudi Arabian expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
- Footballers from Greater London
- Sportspeople from Jeddah