Saudi Arabia’s Talal Haji is the youngest player ever to play in an AFC Asian Cup match.
Doha, Qatar: It was a historic moment for Asian football on Thursday when Saudi Arabia’s Talal Haji etched his name in the record books, becoming the youngest player ever to play in an AFC Asian Cup match at the age of 16 years and 131 days.
Haji took to the stage in Saudi Arabia’s Group F fixture against Thailand, which ended in a 0-0 draw at the Education City Stadium.
The talented teenager nearly made an instant impact, rising to meet Nasser Al Dawsari’s cross with a header only to be denied a goal by agile Thai goalkeeper Saranon Anuin.
“I can’t describe my feelings at being called to the national team and getting the chance to play in the AFC Asian Cup. I hope the next stage will be better for me and the team,” said Haji who plays for Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad Club.
“Being with such a great group of experienced players at the national team has helped me learn and develop. We hope to win the AFC Asian Cup title.”
Haji wasn’t even born when Saudi Arabia won the last of their three AFC Asian Cup titles in 1996 but the youngster believes they can go all the way in Qatar 2023 and, at the same time, help his development.
“There is potential to learn and develop, especially in terms of discipline. I hope to help the Saudi Arabian national team secure multiple titles.”
Haji’s appearance on Thursday meant he surpassed the milestone held by Syria’s Munaf Ramadan, who was selected in the squad for the 1988 edition.
The forward’s rapid rise doesn’t come as a surprise, having scored an impressive 10 goals in 11 games for Saudi Arabia’s U17 national team while he also holds the distinction of being the youngest player ever to feature in the Saudi Pro League, making his debut at the tender age of 16 years and 5 days.
Saudi Arabia head coach Roberto Mancini expects great things from the young talent.
“Talal is a very young player and he has great abilities. I think being with us will give him great experience and I hope he gets the chance to play more matches with us here.”
He may just get the chance when Saudi Arabia play Korea Republic in the Round of 16 on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, coach Masatada Ishii believes there is room for improvement in the attacking game of his Thailand side heading into the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Round of 16.
Thursday's 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia meant the War Elephants ended their Group F campaign unbeaten and without conceding a single goal, a defensive record only matched by hosts Qatar, but it was at the other end of the pitch that Thailand struggled, scoring only two goals; joint-lowest amongst the teams who reached the knockout stages.
“We have been saying that in this tournament, we go game by game and we will continue to take things step by step,” said Ishii.
“There needs to be a thorough assessment of our offensive game. We played a solid defensive game in all our three past games, but we need to look and see where our attacking game can take us."
“As you see Saudi Arabia changed a few players for this game, so they are already planning for the next round. Now that we have qualified, we need to analyse our upcoming opponents and look into how we can attack them.” AFC
