Al-Riyadh SC

Al-Riyadh
Full nameAl-Riyadh Saudi Club[1]
Founded1953; 71 years ago (1953) (as Ahli Al-Riyadh)
GroundPrince Turki bin Abdul Aziz Stadium
Capacity15,000[2]
ManagerSabri Lamouchi
LeagueSaudi Pro League
2023–24Pro League, 14th of 18
Websiteriyadhclub.sa
Current season
Al-Riyadh active departments

Football
(men's)

Football
(women's)

Al-Riyadh SC (Arabic: نادي الرياض السعودي, romanizednādī nādī al-Riyāḍ as-saʿūdī, lit.'Saudi Riyadh Club') is a professional football club based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It currently plays in the Saudi Pro League (the first tier of professional football in Saudi Arabia). It was established in 1953 as Ahli Al-Riyadh, then changed its name to Al-Yamamah and finally to Al-Riyadh. Best known for its football team, Al-Riyadh also have squads in other sports.

Al-Riyadh have won one major title: the Crown Prince Cup in 1994.[3] The team also finished as runners-up in the Saudi Premier League in 1994;[4] they have never won the top league.

Al-Riyadh was promoted to the Saudi Pro League in 2023.[3]

History

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Early history

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The club was founded in 1953 under the name "Ahli Al-Riyadh", before changing to "Al-Yamama" and then to "Al-Riyadh."[5] It is currently based in west Riyadh.[6] They reached the final of the Kings Cup in 1962 and 1978, but triumphed on neither occasion.[7]

Golden era

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Al-Riyadh was promoted to the Saudi Premier League at the end of the 1988/89 season after winning the Saudi First Division League.[8]

In the early 1990s, under the leadership of the Brazilian coach Zumario and players such as Khalid Al-Qarouni, Talal Al-Jabreen, Yasser Al-Taafi and Fahd Al-Hamdan, Al-Riyadh won the Crown Prince Cup in 1994.[4] They were unable to retain the Cup in 1995, losing in the final to Al-Hilal.[9] However, they did win the 1995 Federation Cup[7] and reached the semi-final of the 1995 Asian Cup Winners' Cup.[10] In 1998, Al-Riyadh once again reached the finals of the Crown Prince Cup, and lost to Al-Ahli.[11]

Al-Riyadh were relegated at the end of the 2004/5 season.[12]

Return to the top flight

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Al-Riyadh finished fourth in the Saudi First Division League in the 2022/23 season.[13] Normally, a fourth-place finish would not be good enough for promotion, but the Saudi Premier League was expanding from 16 teams to 18, offering an additional promotion spot.[3]

Honours

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Domestic

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Continental

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Current squad

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As of 21 August 2023:

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Scotland SCO Vincent Angelini
2 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Yazeed Al-Bakr
3 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Abdulrahman Al-Hajeri
5 DF France FRA Yoann Barbet
7 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Mohammed Al-Aqel
8 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Abdulelah Al-Khaibari
10 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Nawaf Al-Abed
11 MF Iraq IRQ Ibrahim Bayesh
13 FW Burkina Faso BFA Mohamed Konaté
14 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Ziyad Al-Sahafi
15 FW Saudi Arabia KSA Nasser Al-Bishi
16 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Akram Yousif U19
17 MF Comoros COM Faïz Selemani
18 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Mohamed Al Aqeel
20 MF Portugal POR Tozé
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 MF Brazil BRA Lucas Kal
24 FW Saudi Arabia KSA Rayan Al-Bloushi
25 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Suwailem Al-Menhali
27 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Hussain Al-Nowaiqi
28 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Bader Al-Mutairi
29 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Ahmed Assiri
35 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Turki Al-Mergaa U19
40 GK Saudi Arabia KSA Abdulrahman Al-Shammari
43 MF Ghana GHA Bernard Mensah
50 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Nawaf Hawsawi
66 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Majed Al-Qahtani U19
82 GK Canada CAN Milan Borjan
87 DF Saudi Arabia KSA Marzouq Tambakti
88 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Yahya Al-Shehri

Other players under contract

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
26 MF Saudi Arabia KSA Ali Al-Zaqaan
45 GK Saudi Arabia KSA Fahad Hashim
No. Pos. Nation Player
DF Chile CHI Enzo Roco

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK Saudi Arabia KSA Abdulaziz Al-Awairdhi (on loan to Al Qadsiah)
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF Saudi Arabia KSA Mohammed Suhluli (on loan to Al-Jabalain)

Management staff

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Position Name
Manager France Sabri Lamouchi
Assistant Manager France José Rodrigues
Germany Michael Hefele
Goalkeeper Coach Saudi Arabia Abdulrahman Hadl Al Shammari
Rehab Coach Saudi Arabia Nawaf Al-Qahtani
Fitness Coach Saudi Arabia Fahad Al-Zaqaan
Youth Coach Saudi Arabia Saad Al-Jaithen
Development Coach Saudi Arabia Bader Al-Koroni
Head of Medical Saudi Arabia Ibrahim Al-Khaibari
Doctor Saudi Arabia Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi
Sporting Director Saudi Arabia Saleh Al-Kubaishan

Managerial history

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International competitions

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Overview

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As of 1 July 2023
Competition Pld W D L GF GA
Arab Cup Winners' Cup 15 7 2 6 21 18
Arab Super Cup 2 0 2 0 1 1
Asian Cup Winners' Cup 4 3 0 1 7 2
TOTAL 21 10 4 7 29 21

Record by country

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Country Pld W D L GF GA GD Win%
 Algeria 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 050.00
 Bahrain 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 100.00
 Egypt 2 0 1 1 3 4 −1 000.00
 Jordan 2 1 0 1 1 1 +0 050.00
 Kuwait 2 1 0 1 2 2 +0 050.00
 Lebanon 2 2 0 0 5 0 +5 100.00
 Qatar 1 0 0 1 1 3 −2 000.00
 Saudi Arabia 1 0 1 0 0 0 +0 000.00
 Sudan 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 100.00
 Syria 2 1 0 1 3 2 +1 050.00
 Tunisia 3 0 1 2 1 4 −3 000.00
 United Arab Emirates 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 100.00
 Yemen 1 1 0 0 5 3 +2 100.00
TOTAL 21 10 4 7 29 21 +8 047.62

Matches

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Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
1995 Arab Cup Winners' Cup Group B Egypt Al-Ahly 2–2 2nd
Tunisia Club Africain 0–1
United Arab Emirates Al-Nasr 2–0
Syria Al-Ittihad Aleppo 2–0
SF Tunisia ES Sahel 0–2 0–2
Asian Cup Winners' Cup 2R Lebanon Homenmen 3–0 2−0 5–0
QF Kuwait Kazma 2–1 0−1 2–2[A]
SF Iraq Al-Talaba Withdrew
1996 Arab Super Cup Final Tunisia ES Tunis 1–1 2nd
Saudi Arabia Al-Hilal 0–0
Arab Cup Winners' Cup Group A Bahrain Al-Muharraq 2–0 1st
Jordan Al-Wehdat 1–0
Algeria Olympique Médéa 1–1
SF Jordan Al-Faisaly 0–1 0–1
1999 Arab Cup Winners' Cup QR Sudan Al-Merrikh 2–1 2nd
Egypt Al-Masry 1–2
Yemen Al-Ittihad Ibb 5–3
Group B Syria Al-Jaish 1–2 3rd
Qatar Al-Gharafa 1–3
Algeria MC Oran 1–0

Key: QR – Qualifying round; 1R/2R – First/Second round; R16 – Round of 16; QF – Quarter-final; SF – Semi-final;

Notes
  • ^
    Al-Riyadh advanced after Kazma withdrew.
  • See also

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    References

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    1. ^ "Al Riyadh Saudi Club". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
    2. ^ "Goalzz.com: live sports scores and news". www.goalzz.com. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
    3. ^ a b c Hankinson, Andrew (18 August 2023). "Behind the scenes of the Saudi Pro League: What really awaits stars like Neymar". The Athletic. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
    4. ^ a b Novello, Alberto. "Saudi Arabia 1993/94". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
    5. ^ "مكافأة فوزنا على النصر بخمسة.. طاسة لبن من "أم حسين"!!". Al-Riyadh. 11 July 2010. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
    6. ^ "مكافأة فوزنا على النصر بخمسة.. طاسة لبن من "أم حسين"!!". alriyadh.com. 2 June 2006. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
    7. ^ a b "Saudi Arabia - List of Cup Winners". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
    8. ^ "Saudi Arabia 1988/89". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
    9. ^ Bobrowsky, Josef (4 May 2001). "Saudi Arabia 1994/95". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
    10. ^ "Asian Club Competitions 1995/96". RSSSF. 22 December 2016. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
    11. ^ Qayed, Mohammad (12 December 2002). "Saudi Arabia 1997/98". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
    12. ^ Qayed, Mohammed (6 December 2006). "Saudi Arabia 2004/05". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
    13. ^ Stokkermans, Karel. "Saudi Arabia 2022/23". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
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