Salman Mohammed Mohammed Al-Faraj (; born 1 August 1989) is a Saudi Arabian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Saudi Arabia national team.
Club career
Al Hilal Al-Faraj was a one-club man of Al Hilal.
Neom On July 28, 2024, Al-Faraj completed his transfer to Neom, a team in the Saudi First Division League.
International career Al-Faraj's first match with his national team was against Congo in an international friendly at Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium in al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia on 14 October 2012. The match ended in a 3–2 win. In December 2014, he was named in the Saudi squad for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia.
Salman's first goal with his national team was against Timor-Leste during the second round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers at King Abdullah Sports City, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 3 September 2015. The match ended in a 7–0 win.
In May 2018, he was named in Saudi Arabia's preliminary squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. On 4 June, Salman was included in 23-man squad for the World Cup. On 25 June, Salman scored the equalizing goal and his first ever World Cup goal from the penalty kick in a 2–1 victory over Egypt in their last group stage match of the tournament; it was Saudi Arabia's lone win in the tournament as the team crashed out of the group stage.
In June 2021, he assumed the role of captain for the national team at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Subsequently, in November 2022, he earned a spot in the 26-man squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, under the coaching of Roberto Mancini, Al-Faraj was excluded from the squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, reportedly due to off-field issues and frictions.
Career statistics Club
ClubSeasonLeagueKing CupCrown Prince CupAsiaOtherTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAl-Hilal2008–0940100000—502009–1010200010—402010–11100000010—1102011–12151203060—2612012–13223203091—3642013–14220302060—3302014–152025142131—4262015–16192404180103632016–17172203080103122017–1817300—70—2432018–198200—00201022019–2019230—90003122020–2117010—00101902021–2222041—1011 103822022–238020—40—1402023–2421020—80—310Total242173321939037039125 Career totals242173321939037039125
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsSaudi Arabia20122020133020147020151012016802017812018112201972202000202192202260202321202620 Total759
Scores and results list Saudi Arabia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Al-Faraj goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Salman Al-FarajNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition 1 3 September 2015 King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 4–0 7–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 2 7 October 2017 King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 3–1 5–2 Friendly 3 9 May 2018 Estadio Ramón de Carranza, Cádiz, Spain 1–0 2–0 Friendly 4 25 June 2018 Volgograd Arena, Volgograd, Russia 1–1 2–1 2018 FIFA World Cup 5 14 November 2019 Pakhtakor Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan 1–1 3–2 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification 6 2–2 7 15 June 2021 King Saud University Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 1–0 3–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification 8 2–0 9 13 October 2023 Estádio Municipal de Portimão, Portimão, Portugal 1–0 2–2 Friendly
Honours Al-Hilal Saudi Pro League, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2023–24 King's Cup (Saudi Arabia): 2015, 2017, 2019–20, 2022–23, 2023–24 Saudi Crown Prince Cup: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2015–16 Saudi Super Cup: 2015, 2018, 2021, 2023 AFC Champions League: 2019, 2021
References
External links
Salman Al-Faraj at Saudi League