Mukhtar Ali

Mukhtar Abdullah Ali (; born 30 October 1997) is a Saudi Arabian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Al-Ittihad and the Saudi Arabia national team. He was part of the Chelsea youth side which recorded back to back triumphs in the FA Youth Cup in 2015 and 2016.

Vitesse On 29 January 2017, Ali joined Vitesse on loan for the remainder of the 2016–17 campaign. On 19 February 2017, Ali made his Vitesse debut in their 1–0 home defeat against Ajax, replacing Marvelous Nakamba in the 84th minute. On 4 February 2017, he played his first match for Jong Vitesse against SV Spakenburg. Ali went onto appear in five more league games during his loan spell.

On 17 July 2017, Vitesse permanently signed Ali on a three-year deal.

Al-Nassr On 31 August 2019, Al-Nassr signed Mukhtar Ali on a one-year deal from Vitesse. On 29 January 2022, he renewed his contract with Al-Nassr until 2025 and was loaned out to Al-Tai. On 29 August 2022, Mukhtar Ali rejoined Al-Tai on a one-year loan. On 7 September 2023, Mukhtar Ali joined Al-Fateh on a one-year loan.

Al-Ettifaq On 29 January 2025, Ali joined Al-Ettifaq on a four-and-a-half year deal.

International career Ali represented England at both under-16 and under-17 level and was also eligible to represent Somalia, the country of his parents. However, he pledged his allegiance to the Saudi Arabia national team, and made his senior debut on 7 October 2017 against Jamaica. This was possibly based on the player's assertion that he was instead born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Career statistics

Honours Club Chelsea Reserves FA Youth Cup: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16 UEFA Youth League: 2015–16

Vitesse KNVB Cup: 2016–17

Al-Nassr Saudi Super Cup: 2019, 2020 Arab Club Champions Cup: 2023