Majed Abdullah

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Majed's journey began in Jeddah's Al-Baghdadia District before his family moved to Riyadh. There, he played as a goalkeeper until a striker's absence forced him into attack, guiding his team 'Al-Ittifaq' to a 3–1 victory with two goals of his own. Recommended by teammates and coaches to Prince Abdulrahman Bin Saud, he joined Al-Nassr on 10 November 1975. After two years in the youth setup, he made his senior debut against Al-Fath in January 1977. His competitive debut came against Al-Shabab, but it was his first start against Al-Wehda on 18 March 1977 that announced his arrival; he headed in Nasser Al-Johar's cross for his first goal. Following an injury to Mohammad Al-Abdeli, Majed repaid the trust by scoring three goals in the final league rounds against Al-Shabab, Al-Ahli, and rivals Al-Hilal.

In Their Own Story

The 1977–78 season saw Majed transform into a prolific scorer. After a slow start, he scored his first brace of that campaign against Al-Nahda on 4 November. He followed this with goals against Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ittihad before suffering an injury in the derby against Al-Hilal on 29 December. Upon returning on 12 January 1978, he netted in a 2–1 win over Al-Ettifaq. By March, he had recorded two hat-tricks: one in a 4–0 victory against Ohod and another in a 3–1 away win versus Al-Ittihad. On the international stage, his impact was equally sharp. In the 1984 Asian Cup final against China, he scored the second goal in a 2–0 triumph, securing Saudi Arabia's first title. Four years later in Qatar, he scored twice as the team retained the crown, beating South Korea on penalties. His international career concluded with his last appearance for Saudi Arabia during the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

Reader's Guide

Majed Abdullah retired from football in 1998 following Al-Nassr's victory over Suwon Samsung Bluewings in the Asian Cup Winners' Cup final. He officially announced his retirement on 12 April 1998, ending a twenty-one-year career solely with Al-Nassr where he scored 189 league goals. His individual accolades include being named Saudi League top scorer six times (1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1985–86, 1988–89) and finishing third for IFFHS Asia's Player of the Century. His first training camp with Al-Nassr was in London in 1976, and his first shirt number was 14. He made his senior team debut scoring two goals against Pakistan in a 6–0 victory. His last local goal came against Al-Ittifaq in January 1997, while his final match with the club was the Asian Cup Winners' Cup final on 13 April 1998.

Did You Know?

• Majed originally played as a goalkeeper before switching to striker after the team's regular forward was absent.
• He scored five goals in a single match against Qatar during the 1979 Arabian Gulf Cup, ending in a 7–0 win.
• His first official goal for Al-Nassr was scored on his first start against Al-Wehda on 18 March 1977.
• He finished third in the voting for IFFHS Asia's Player of the Century.
• Majed scored Saudi Arabia's only goal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.