Yousuf Nasr Al-Thunayan

Yousuf Al-Thunayyan (, born November 18, 1963) 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. A playmaker known for vision and technique, Al-Thunayyan was nicknamed "The Philosopher" for his dribbling, goal scoring, and playmaking skills. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Saudi and Asian players of all time.

Club career Al-Thunayan played his entire club career for Al-Hilal, joining the first team in 1984 and retiring in 2005 after winning a total of 24 titles with the club. On 14 December 2005, Al-Hilal hosted Valencia in his farewell match. Particular highlights are Asian Club Championship 1991 Winner and Asian Club Championship 1999-2000 Winner.

International career During his active career, Al-Thunayan played 95 international matches and scored 33 goals for the Saudi Arabia national team. At the age of 34 he was selected for his only Football World Cup, and appeared in two games, scoring from the penalty spot in the 2–2 draw with South Africa. Yousuf represented Saudi Arabia in 3 consecutive AFC Asian Cup finals in 1988, 1992 and 1996, winning two out of these three.

1988 AFC Asian Cup (Qatar) Yousuf took over the starting forward role mid-way through the tournament coached by Carlos Alberto Parreira. He played against Bahrain in the group stage which ended 1-1. He also played an important game vs China which Saudi Arabia won 1–0. He played the semi finals against Iran which Saudi Arabia won 1–0. He also played in the final against South Korea which Saudi Arabia won on penalties.

1992 AFC Asian Cup (Japan) He scored a goal in a group stage game against China which ended 1-1. He also played a group stage game against Qatar which again ended 1-1. In the final group stage game, Yousuf scored a goal in a 4–0 game against Thailand. Yousuf led the team to defeat UAE 2–0 in the semi finals. Yousuf played the final in which Saudi Arabia lost to Japan.

1992 King Fahd Cup, later known as the FIFA Confederations Cup The King Fahd Cup was the last stop prior to Asian World Cup qualifiers. Saudi Arabia beat USA 3–0, with Yousuf scoring a goal.

1996 AFC Asian Cup (UAE) Yousuf was on the bench but was substituted in the game against Iran, which Saudi Arabia lost 3–0. A Quarter final game against China started badly, with Saudi Arabia down 2–0. Yousuf scored a goal and made an assist, and in the end Saudi Arabia won the game 4–2. In the Semi Finals game vs Iran, Saudi Arabia won the match on penalties 4–3. Saudi Arabia won 4–2 against UAE, the host nation, with Yousuf playing the whole game and scoring a critical first penalty shot. This was a second continental Asian Cup for Yousuf and a third for Saudi Arabia.

1998 Arab Cup Yousuf scored in the semi final game against Kuwait which ended 2-1. In the final against Qatar, he made an assist to clinch the title for Saudi Arabia.

1998 World Cup As Saudi Arabia failed to qualify for the 1986 and 1990 World Cup, Yousuf had only one chance to play on the World Cup near the end of his peak. He appeared as a substitute against Denmark in which Saudi Arabia lost 1–0. Yousuf scored a penalty kick to earn Saudi Arabia a 2–2 draw vs South Africa, resulting in the only point for Saudi Arabia in 1998 World Cup. He captained the team in the game.

International goals Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 25 February 1986 Khobar, Saudi Arabia 1–2 Lost Friendly 2 3 October 1986 Seoul, South Korea 2–2 Drew 1986 Asian Games 3 15 March 1989 Jeddah Saudi Arabia 5–4 Won 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) 4 15 October 1992 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 3–0 Won FIFA Confederations Cup 5 29 October 1992 Hiroshima, Japan 1–1 Drew 1992 AFC Asian Cup 6 2 November 1992 Hiroshima, Japan 4–0 Won 1992 AFC Asian Cup 7 29 December 1995 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 3–0 Won Friendly 8 29 December 1995 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 3–0 Won Friendly 9 24 January 1996 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 3–0 Won 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification 10 24 January 1996 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 3–0 Won 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification 11 28 January 1996 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 4–0 Won 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification 12 28 January 1996 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 4–0 Won 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification 13 31 January 1996 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 2–0 Won 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification 14 21 October 1996 Muscat, Oman 3–1 Won 13th Arabian Gulf Cup 15 16 December 1996 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 4–3 Won 1996 AFC Asian Cup 16 16 December 1996 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 4–3 Won 1996 AFC Asian Cup 17 14 September 1997 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 2–1 Won 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) 18 24 June 1998 Bordeaux, France 2–2 Drew 1998 FIFA World Cup 19 29 September 1998 Doha, Qatar 2–1 Won 1998 Arab Nations Cup 20 2 November 1998 Manama, Bahrain 1–1 Drew 14th Arabian Gulf Cup

Honours

Club Saudi Premier League : 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1996, 1998, 2002 Saudi King Cup : 1984, 1989 Crown Prince Cup : 1995, 2000 Saudi Federation Cup : 1987, 1996, 2000 Saudi Founder's Cup : 2000 AFC Champions League : 1991, 2000 Asian Cup Winners Cup : 1997 Asian Super Cup : 1997 Arab Champions League : 1994, 1995 Arab Super Cup : 2001 GCC Club Cup : 1986, 1998

International AFC Asian Cup Winners (2) : 1988, 1996 Runners-up (1) : 1992 FIFA Confederations Cup Runners-Up (1) : 1992 Arabian Gulf Cup Runners-up (1) : 1998 Arab Nations Cup Winners (1) : 1998 Runners-up (1) : 1992

Individual 1986, 1991-92 Asian Club Championship - Best player

Farewell match