Abdulhamid: the smiling star with talent and tenacity to thrive at AS Roma

Saud Abdulhamid tends to take major milestones in stride.

Just ask Slaven Bilic.

“Normally, young players go on loan and then, when they’re ready, come back, and then five games, 10 games, five minutes, 15 minutes, whatever,” the former Al Ittihad coach tells the SPL, recalling Abdulhamid’s senior debut for the club.

“Saud was like ‘bang’, all in. He entered the pitch like he played 100 games. And he never stopped.”

The marauding full-back certainly has not stopped, both figuratively and what, at times, feels literally. Bilic, an accomplished defender in his own right during a playing career that included bronze with Croatia at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, was the man to give the history-making Saudi Arabian his big break.

In September 2018, Bilic was appointed manager of a struggling Al Ittihad and, with the Jeddah giants suffering from opening the Roshn Saudi League season with three defeats and a draw, and with established right-back Hassan Muath unavailable, the former West Ham United head coach opted for the hometown boy with almost-unparalleled talent and tenacity.

“I always like to give young players a chance,” says Bilic, who the previous year had handed an 18-year-old Declan Rice his first English Premier League appearance. “We asked around, ‘Is there anybody grown here that is good?’ And there are a few that said, ‘Saud, right-back’.

“We saw his physicality. We saw pace. We saw endurance, that can go up and down the whole day. We saw that he's listening. We saw that he's really hard in a tackle and everything. And he wants to learn.

“His skill was more than good enough for [the] very young age that he was…we put him first in training and talked to him, showing him this and that. And he seemed very, very, very confident to play for Al Ittihad.”

And so, on December 15 2018, away to Al Batin, Bilic introduced a 19-year-old Abdulhamid to the RSL.

“At that time, it was not easy for young players,” the Croat says. “You know, it's never easy for young players to step in at such a big club.”

Not for Abdulhamid, though. That initial match constituted only a few minutes as substitute and was followed by a full half off the bench a week later. However, it represented the start of something special. By his third game, Abdulhamid was in the starting XI. He hasn’t looked back since.

In fact, much like his energetic play, he has focused solely on what lay in front. Having transitioned into one of Al Ittihad’s most crucial components, Abdulhamid caught the attention of Al Hilal and, after 72 RSL appearances for the former, he transferred from Jeddah to Riyadh in December 2021.

Abdulhamid would end that campaign an RSL champion; the following year he captured the prestigious King’s Cup. Last season, he collected both trophies; this summer, a second Saudi Super Cup.

His continual development, allied with consistent displays, underline why Abdulhamid was on Tuesday confirmed as AS Roma newest addition. It is a landmark move: in joining the Serie A side, three-time Italian champions, the defender becomes the first Saudi Arabian footballer to sign permanently for a club in one of Europe’s traditional top-five leagues.

For that, Abdulhamid stands alone. But, during those two-plus years at Al Hilal, he quickly became a standout. The Kingdom’s most decorated club, they had for years possessed two of the country’s most enterprising full-backs in Yasser Al Shahrani, on the left, and Mohammed Al Burayk, on the right. The pair were long-time starters for the Saudi national team.

Soon, though, they had competition - at club and country. Having acquired Abdulhamid, Al Hilal’s backroom staff were immediately impressed with his “beyond normal” athletic ability, his exceptional speed, aggression, power. That he could run, they noted, as much after the 90-minute mark as he could seemingly from the first whistle.

It made Al Hilal, of course usually dominant, forever dangerous on the counter-attack. With nine assists in the past two RSL seasons - not to mention three goals last term - Abdulhamid was an incredible attacking outlet. It is little wonder, then, that in his first interview at Roma, he cited Maicon as an inspiration.

Abdulhamid's prowess on the pitch was permitted by his persistence in training. He approached sessions as he did matches, never letting standards drop. Manager Jorge Jesus, in his second stint at Al Hilal, was taken not only by the player’s work ethic, but his capacity to learn. After a full year overseeing Abdulhamid's evolution, the Portuguese coach recognised that, tactically, the player had risen to “another level”.

Outwardly at least, Abdulhamid’s commitment to self-improvement belies his personality. Known for his wide smile, he is loved by teammates and often by opponents, too. At Al Hilal, he and winger Michael forged a particular bond, bringing a warmth and light-heartedness to the dressing room. Despite one hailing from Jeddah and the other from Mato Grosso in Brazil’s Central-West region, they are described as copycat characters. Each now departed, Hilal will miss both off the pitch as much as on it.

Abdulhamid’s easy-going demeanour should, however, not be mistaken for a lack of courage. He is fiercely ambitious, conveyed by his insistence on continuing his career at a colossal club in one of Europe's lead leagues, while he has represented with distinction two of the most high-profile teams in Saudi and, indeed, Asia.

Towards the conclusion of last season, when tragedy struck and his father battled serious illness, Abdulhamid made frequent journeys between Jeddah and Riyadh. Even in his father’s final few weeks, he never let slip his performance; somehow, he took strength from the personal distress, resolved to excel in part for his stricken parent.

Those close to him say Abdulhamid understood the joy his football gave his father. Hence, he offered more in training and on the pitch. He finished the season with a league-and-cup double.

That bravery has been notable with the national team as well. Abdulhamid debuted in 2019, competed at the 2020 Olympics and was integral to the side that sealed the AFC U23 Asian Cup in Uzbekistan in 2022. But it was six months after the latter that he really demonstrated his mettle.

By then a regular in Herve Renard’s senior team, Abdulhamid started against Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Group C opener in Qatar. While the match has gone down in folklore in Saudi, it started inauspiciously for Abdulhamid, who conceded a penalty inside 10 minutes. Lionel Messi promptly put Argentina ahead from the spot.

Even in the cauldron-like atmosphere of the imposing Lusail Stadium, it did not derail Abdulhamid. He simply ploughed on, contributing keenly to one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history. It speaks to a titanium temperament.

“Despite making a mistake that led to a penalty kick for the Argentina team… I didn’t let it deter me,” Abdulhamid told GQ Middle East earlier this year. “I persevered, and we ultimately won the match 2-1, which was a historical achievement for both the team and the nation.

“Throughout, I maintained faith in my skills and those of my teammates.”

His performances across the entire tournament, but especially in that opening game, saw Abdulhamid named by English publication The Guardian as one of seven breakout stars of the tournament.

“He brings speed, pinpoint tackling and is comfortable in possession, as well as being a set-piece specialist and having the adaptability to operate in midfield,” they wrote. "Clubs in Europe have taken note after his impressive efforts.”

They most definitely had. Less than two years on, and with his performances for Al Hilal only improving since, the opportunity in Europe has finally arrived at one of Italy’s most storied clubs.

The Eternal City is an appropriate new home for a player with an eternal smile and aspirations to match. Abdulhamid, 25, has for some time blazed a trail, both on the flanks in Saudi Arabia and through his career. Now at AS Roma, he is doing that for his compatriots - and football in the Kingdom.