Feras Al Buraikan putting name up in lights at star-studded Al Ahli

It can be hard to stand out in a team featuring Riyad Mahrez, Franck Kessie, Alan Saint-Maximim and Roberto Firmino, but that is exactly what Al Ahli striker Feras Al Buraikan has been doing after his early season switch from Al Fateh.

With 12 Roshn Saudi League goals to his name this campaign, eight of which have come since his arrival in Jeddah in September, he is once again the leading Saudi Arabian scorer in the RSL after registering 17 in the 2022-23 campaign - more than a third of all goals scored for Al Fateh last season.

For a man that has made famous his ‘guitar playing’ celebration, Al Buraikan is hitting all the right notes.

It’s the type of form that saw Al Ahli manager Matthias Jaissle pounce on the 23-year-old when given the chance little more than a month into the season. Ironically, it came just hours after the forward’s goal and assist for Al Fateh helped them to a shock 5-1 win over the German’s side in Matchweek 5.

When you add Al Buraikan’s five assists to his eight goals at Al Ahli, his 13 goal involvements are bettered in the squad only by Mahrez, who has found the net nine times and registered eight assists since last summer's transfer from English and European champions Manchester City.

In fact, if you factor in the four goals and one assist from his start to the season with Al Fateh, Al Buraikan’s 18 goal involvements place him fifth overall in the RSL. He is behind only Cristiano Ronaldo, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Anderson Talisca and Georges-Kevin N’Koudou.

They are impressive numbers in anyone’s language; especially so for a still-developing attacker in a side brimming with international talent.

It speaks to a potential that has been evident for some time, be it at club or international level. Al Buraikan not only played a leading role in helping Saudi Arabia to the 2023 AFC U23 Asian Cup title - he scored in the 2-0 victory in the final against Uzbekistan - but has established himself as a regular with the Green Falcons senior team under both Herve Renard and Roberto Mancini.

It was the Frenchman who handed Al Buraikan his international debut when aged just 19, before the latter went on to play all three matches at the FIFA World Cup in 2022. In the opener in Qatar, Al Buraikan grabbed an assist in the stunning 2-1 win over eventual champions Argentina.

Despite his success on the international stage, though, it is domestically where Al Buraikan’s star has shone brightest in recent years.

His strike last weekend, in what he described as an “important and tough game” against Al Taawoun, was enough to clinch a crucial 1-0 victory for the three-time RSL champions, closing the gap on second-placed Al Nassr to six points at the conclusion of Matchweek 23. Al Taawoun stay fifth.

“Three important points that put distance between us and Al Taawoun,” Al Buraikan said afterwards. “As for the goal, we got some chances in the first half, but we weren’t fortunate in converting them.

“We took advantage of the mistake in the second half and scored.”

The narrowing margin makes Friday’s visit of Al Nassr to Jeddah all the more fascinating. Not only will another win reduce the margin between the two and extend Al Nassr’s winless run in the league to three games, but it’s a match that carries extra significance for Al Buraikan given he is a product of Al Nassr.

A graduate of their youth system, he started his professional career with the Riyadh giants and, in April 2018, scored on his pro debut aged 17 years and 333 days in a 2-1 win over Al Qadsiah.

At the time, it made Al Buraikan the second youngest goalscorer in RSL history, behind Fawad Al Muwallad - by six days. 

Despite that, however, Al Buraikan found opportunities limited during his four seasons at the club, playing only 28 games and scoring four goals before making the most of a move to Al Fateh. There, he established himself as the leading Saudi striker in the league, with 28 goals across two campaigns.

Now he is mixing shoulders with household names, such as Mahrez, Kessie and Firmino, on a daily basis. He is more than proving he belongs at their level.

In their first season back in the RSL after their surprise relegation two years ago, Al Ahli have been impressive of late and have firmly established themselves in third, a position they’ve held since November.

Al Buraikan, ever keen to improve, admitted he is learning a lot from his more experienced teammates. As such, he fired an ominous warning to Al Ahli’s rivals.

‪”They’re experienced players and they help me a lot on the pitch,” he said. “Hopefully, what’s coming will be even better.”

Al Buraikan will be hoping Al Ahli’s recent run of good form – they have lost once in their past 12 RSL outings - continues this weekend when Al Nassr come to town looking to recover from their domestic woes and elimination on Monday from the AFC Champions League quarter-finals.

In the visitor’s favour is their recent record against Al Ahli, who have beaten their Riyadh opponents only once in their past 10 meetings across all competitions.

The portents for a gripping clash, whichever way it ultimately falls, are positive: earlier this season, the teams played out a seven-goal thriller at Al Awwal Park, with Al Nassr emerging 4-3 winners thanks to a pair of braces from Ronaldo and Talisca.

Al Buraikan, back then making RSL bow for Al Ahli, also found the back of the net, notching the encounter's final goal in the dying minutes. It marked the first time in five attempts that he scored against his former employers.

Al Buraikan will be intent on adding another at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Matchweek 24 - and continue a season in which he is writing his name in lights in the RSL.