Ali Hadi Mohammed Al-Bulaihi (Arabic: علي هادي محمد البليهي; born 21 November 1989) is a Saudi who plays as a centre-back for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal and the Saudi Arabia national team.[4]
_(cropped).jpg) Al-Bulaihi with Saudi Arabia at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ali Hadi Mohammed Al-Bulaihi[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 21 November 1989[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Najran, Saudi Arabia | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Al Hilal | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2014 | Al-Amal | ||
| 2014–2015 | Al-Nahda | ||
| 2015–2017 | Al-Fateh | 47 | (1) |
| 2017– | Al Hilal | 149 | (15) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018– | Saudi Arabia | 57 | (2) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 7 December 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:14, 22 December 2024 (UTC) | |||
Club career
editAl-Bulaihi started his career at Al-Amal where he spent three years before joining Al-Nahda in 2014.[5] On 23 July 2015, he joined Al-Fateh.[6]
Al-Hilal
editOn 21 June 2017, Al-Hilal signed Al Bulaihi on a free transfer. He signed a three-year contract with the club.[7]
In April 2024, in a derby match against rival team Al Nassr, he gathered some controversy after being elbowed by Cristiano Ronaldo after trying to intimidate him, resulting in a red card for Ronaldo and a yellow card for Al-Bulaihi.[8]
International career
edit.jpg)
In June 2018, Al-Bulaihi was named in Saudi Arabia's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[9] He made his debut in the competition against Uruguay.[10] In November 2022, he was called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[11] In the opening game, he played the whole match as his team defeated the eventual world champions Argentina 2–1.[12]
In January 2024, he drew criticism for shoving and grabbing the hair of South Korean player Son Heung-min, unprovoked, during the 2023 AFC Asian Cup round of 16. Al-Bulaihi had previously similarly taunted Argentine player Lionel Messi by slapping him on the back.[13][14]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 31 May 2024[15]
| Club | Season | League | King Cup | Asia | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Al-Fateh | 2015–16 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 26 | 0 | |
| 2016–17 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2[a] | 1 | 33 | 2 | |
| Total | 47 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 59 | 2 | |
| Al-Hilal | 2017–18 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 8[b] | 0 | 39 | 4 | |
| 2019–20 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 3[c] | 0 | 34 | 3 | |
| 2020–21 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 3 | |
| 2021–22 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3[d] | 0 | 35 | 3 | |
| 2022–23 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4[e] | 0 | 33 | 2 | |
| 2023–24 | 32 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 8[f] | 0 | 56 | 3 | |
| Total | 136 | 13 | 16 | 1 | 51 | 4 | 26 | 0 | 229 | 18 | |
| Career totals | 183 | 14 | 19 | 1 | 57 | 4 | 29 | 1 | 288 | 20 | |
- ^ a b Appearance in Crown Prince Cup
- ^ Six appearances in Arab Club Champions Cup, one appearance in Saudi Super Cup, and one appearance in Saudi-Egyptian Super Cup
- ^ Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
- ^ One appearance in Saudi Super Cup, and two appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
- ^ One appearance in Saudi Super Cup, and three appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
- ^ Six appearances in Arab Club Champions Cup, and two appearances in Saudi Super Cup
International
edit- Statistics accurate as of match played 22 December 2024.[16]
| Saudi Arabia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2018 | 11 | 0 |
| 2019 | 6 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 |
| 2021 | 8 | 0 |
| 2022 | 13 | 0 |
| 2023 | 7 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 1 |
| Total | 57 | 2 |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 September 2023 | St James' Park, Newcastle, England |  Costa Rica |
1–2 | 1–3 | Friendly |
| 2 | 16 January 2024 | Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar |  Oman |
2–1 | 2–1 | 2023 AFC Asian Cup |
Honours
editAl Hilal
- Saudi Professional League: 2017–18, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2023–24
- Kings Cup: 2019–20, 2022–23, 2023–24
- Saudi Super Cup: 2018, 2021, 2023[17]
- AFC Champions League: 2019, 2021
Individual
References
edit- ^ Ali Al-Bulaihi at Soccerway
- ^ "FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019: List of Players: Al Hilal SFC" (PDF). FIFA. 5 December 2019. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 December 2019.
- ^ "Ali Al-Bulaihi". Saudi Pro League. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ "علي هادي آل بليهي - Ali Al-Boleahi".
- ^ "النجم علي البليهي من ملعب نادي البكيرية إلى الملاعب العالمية".
- ^ ""الفتح" يوقع مع "البليهي".. ويواجه "الترجي" ودياً غداً". 23 July 2015.
- ^ "الهلال السعودي يعلن ضم مدافع الفتح". 9 July 2019.
- ^ Butler, Alex (9 April 2024). "Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo red-carded for elbowing Saudi Super Cup soccer foe". Yahoo! Sport. UPI. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ Soliman, Seif (4 June 2018). "Saudi Arabia announce final 23-man World Cup squad". kingfut.com. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- ^ "Uruguay 1–0 Saudi Arabia". FIFA. 20 June 2018.
- ^ "Renard announces the national team list for the World Cup 2022 in Qatar". Saudi Arabian Football Federation. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ "'You won't win' - What Saudi Arabia defender Ali Al-Bulayhi said to Lionel Messi during shock victory over Argentina". Goal.com. 22 November 2022.
- ^ "Son Heung-min involved in clash with Saudi player who has already confronted Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo". SPORTbible. 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ "메시 도발했던 사우디 선수, 손흥민 머리채 잡고 황희찬 목 조르고". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ "Ali Al-Bulaihi". Soccerway.
- ^ Ali Al-Bulaihi at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ "Al Hilal thrash Al Ittihad to win Saudi Super Cup". ESPN. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "Team of the Tournament". Instagram.com. AFC Asian Cup. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
External links
edit- Ali Al-Bulaihi at Soccerway