10 Things You Didn't Know About Yousuf Al-Thunayan
Yousuf Al-Thunayyan is a former association football winger and attacking midfielder from Saudi Arabia. He spent all 21 seasons of his senior career at Al-Hilal FC. An elite playmaker, renowned for his elegance, vision, dribbling skills, ball control and technique, Al-Thunayyan was nicknamed "The Philosopher" due to his amazing abilities in terms of dribbling, unique goal scoring, and distribution. Therefore, he has been widely regarded as the greatest player in Saudi Arabia and Asia as well, and one of the greatest players of all time. Due to his exclusivity to the Asian Continent, many people are still discovering the skills Yousuf Al Tunayan had to showcase
Yousuf Al-Thunayan
was also referred to as, "The Wizard of Al-Hilal." Thunayan's massive talents were highlighted by his accomplishments in various international competitions, including the Qatar Stars League, Asian Club Championship, FIFA Club World Cup, and the FIFA Confederations Cup. Yousuf Al-Thunayan was a huge asset for Saudi Arabian team when he scored at least 20 goals in a season. The right wing attacker made his debut with Al-Hilal FC in 1986, and spent all his club career with the club. Thunayan had starred with the likes of the greatest players of his generation and those who followed after. However, he never played for the Saudi Arabian national team in any world-level competition.
Saudi Arabia
Yousuf Al-Thunayan was born on 12th August 1961. At age 14, he joined Al-Hilal's youth ranks. His father was an avid football enthusiast, and decided that he will be his son's future coach. Thus, his family moved to Riyadh and settled in the neighborhood of Diriyah where Al-Hilal was stationed at the time. Young Yousuf accepted the challenge to become a part of the Al-Hilal's playing staff. Throughout his club career, Al-Hilal maintained the most fanatic support in the country. Yousuf, as the star, had great amount of pressure to perform for his nation, and he was considered as the first hope of the team. During his later years at Al-Hilal, he won the AFC Asian Club Championship, the domestic league title, the King Fahd Cup, the Hazza Bin Zayed Trophy and several other titles.
Al-Hilal FC
Born in Riyadh, Yousuf Al-Thunayan began his career at Al-Jahid Club, before signing with Al-Hilal at the age of 20. He went on to play for Al-Hilal FC for all 21 seasons of his senior career. With Al-Hilal FC, he became one of the most prolific players ever with 301 goals in 344 appearances, and a Saudi Arabia national record which still stands today. Al-Hilal FC won 28 domestic league titles and 9 domestic cups, and reached the finals of the AFC Champions League in 1992, 1998, 2003 and 2009. Al-Hilal FC won the FA Cup 4 times. Yousuf Al-Thunayan also played for the Saudi Arabia national team between 1983-2002. He was a member of the squad that won the 1996 Asian Cup.
Summary
Strengths Aside from his dribbling skills, Al-Thunayan was also regarded for his ability to take shots from distance. He has a powerful left foot and high-volume of shots from outside the box. Due to his ability to strike cleanly and accurately, it is natural to see him frequently getting through on goal. His ability to thread the ball through the eye of a needle is one of the best in the history of football. In addition, Al-Thunayan possessed excellent ball control. He was proficient in how he used the ball in tight spaces and was renowned for his ability to throw the ball at his opponents with outstanding accuracy. Yousuf Al-Thunayan was also very comfortable and stylish in possession.
Conclusion
Yousuf Al-Thunayan's football journey is extremely rare for a player of his stature in football history. Hence, his professional life would undoubtedly influence football for decades to come. With the immense social media coverage, and modern world, footballers are looked at as superstars. The famous phrase "Al-Thanayan Skills" has long become a household phrase for everybody. Hence, Al-Thunayan, with his outstanding natural football ability has truly served as a role model for the upcoming generations of footballers in Saudi Arabia and Asia. Read Also: Top 5 Timeless Destinations For Adventure Travel With such glittering career in football, Al-Thunayan deserves to be mentioned in the list of the greatest footballers of all time
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