Sunday, June 4 2006

RIYADH: Opting for the familiar face and experience, Saudi Arabia remains reliant upon their veteran captain Sami Al-Jaber.

The 34-year-old forward with Al-Hilal, one of Saudi Arabia's strongest clubs, has featured in all three of “the Greens’” previous World Cup appearances and has 157 caps, one of the highest tallies of any player in the world.

It all seemed to be over after Saudi's embarrassing exit in the first round of the 2002 World Cup, but then-coach Gabriel Calderon recalled him from retirement during the qualifiers for a match against Uzbekistan.

Jaber scored one goal in that match in February 2005 — three years after his last international cap — and new manager Marcos Paqueta, familiar with Jaber from his years coaching the Riyadh team, has held on to the popular player. Jaber tends to play a dour game lacking flair, but has the public's respect as a strong leader.

He is revered in Saudi Arabia as the architect of their World Cup qualification in the United States in 1994 and France in 1998. He had a brief stint on loan to English side Wolves in 2000 but made only four substitute appearances before a death in the family obliged him to return to the desert kingdom.

Al-Hilal rejected an extension of the loan, as well as a reported US$800,000 four-year contract for their leading player.

Jaber, 34, was the first Saudi Arabian to play at such a high level of football, and he was ranked 33rd in FIFA’s World “Player of the Year” poll in 2000.

Something of a child football prodigy, Jaber joined Al-Hilal at the age of 15 in 1988 and was in the national team by 1990. Still relied on 16 years later, Jaber has been a linchpin that the national team has found difficulty replacing. (REUTERS)