Abdulhamid, Asia’s star who will resolve Roma’s right-back issues once and for all

Saud Abdulhamid is the first Saudi Arabian to play in Serie A, and Wayne Girard argues the star player will finally solve Roma‘s right-back issues as he looks to emulate Maicon.

The people of Saudi Arabia have a passion for Italian football. A country of over 36 million people, it’s a populous one that vehemently follows its favourite club and supports it through major accounts relatively unknown to those of us in the West.

Perhaps that’s precisely how Roma were able to sign Saud Abdulhamid for just €2.5m – which, if it increased with bonuses, would only rise by half a million more. But for those of us who might not be privy to football outside of the European continent, who is Abdulhamid, how did Roma find him, and why did the Giallorossi want him so badly?

The first answer lies not in the player himself but in Roma’s situation. In the shortest test sample of the past two weeks, Roma have started off poorly. There have been sparks (mostly just those provided by Paulo Dybala), with banal errors and gaps throughout the pitch. One spot in urgent need has been Daniele De Rossi’s right flank, which continues to be exposed not just in these opening three matches but throughout the last several seasons.

It’s an area that a slew of sporting directors have ignored in favour of strengthening other areas of the pitch. For one that truly convinces, one must look all the way back to Douglas Maicon – who Abdulhamid idolises – having left the team in 2016, or almost an entire decade ago. It would not be unfair to say that Roma have not had a competent right-back since, from Bruno Peres to Rick Karsdorp, who has just had his contract terminated. Even Alessandro Florenzi tried to handle it as he converted from a more offensive position, and most recently with Mehmet Çelik, who has struggled to establish himself ever since arriving from Lille. There might just be hope for an heir now.

This past summer, La Lupa considered several options before seeking and settling with Abdulhamid. Marc Pubill was close before failing his medical with Atalanta, and a fee was agreed with Rennes for Lorenz Assignon before Roma found themselves unable to offload enough salary cap. But those constraints led them to a budget-priced option with a major upside and a fortuitous turn towards the Saudi Arabian international.

He was first pointed out to the former Roma captain, now manager, by Roberto Mancini, who is the current boss of Saudi Arabia national team. There were several significant signs for those who did pay attention to world football.

For one, Abdulhamid played the most matches globally for any outfield player last season, appearing a staggering 67 times for Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League. This is a major feat, considering they are the most decorated club in Asia, with 70 major trophies and the most continental titles on the continent. This past year, he was a protagonist, leading the Blue Waves to the Saudi Pro League title (for the second time) with three goals and five assists.

It’s not just the numbers, though, but how he did it – relentless energy matched with a smile. Even when his father was dying – his inspiration for football – Saud made constant trips from Jeddah and Riyadh to see him. As the situation became grim, he continued to train even harder. That joy his dad passed him down helped him keep his head down and work hard, even in the face of emotional adversity. A true testament to his character that the right-back then won the league and all available cups directly after his father’s passing.

Abdulhamid has built quite a resume over the past several years, making 24 key contributions throughout his three seasons for Al-Hilal, and he has won the King Cup and Saudi Super Cup twice for the Riyadh-based club. He was matched with esteemed players such as Kalidou Kolulibaly and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic as they formed a formidable team to conquer other familiar icons of European football.

It should be noted that Abdulhamid made a move from Al-Ittihad two years back – a logical one for a player on the rise, but also a move that still sparks controversy within SPL faithful. Just look through the banter on X, and you might come across a reference towards Al-Hilal beating Al-Ittihad some seven times since that transfer happened. These quips have only added to the folklore surrounding his name.

Abdulhamid is also a highly accomplished international. One area in which he’s been able to best all of his foreign competition is speed. Saud is fast. Not just pacy, but blistering. In his nation’s infamous win during the 2022 World Cup over to-be-champions Argentina, his marauding kept Lionel Messi’s men at bay, where it seemed luck had played no part in the result – even as his courage allowed him to overcome a mistake which led to an Argentina penalty kick. He was the sole player out of 30 to complete a fitness challenge set up by Roberto Mancini for the Saudi national team.

Perhaps Argentina should have invested a bit more research into Abdulhamid, who even in 2018, was lauded by then-manager Slaven Bilic. With Al-Ittihad at the bottom of the table, Bilic looked around at his options, giving the youngster his start at just 18 years old, and promoted him to a first-team starter just three weeks after his professional debut: “We saw his physicality. We saw pace. We saw endurance, that can go up and down the whole day. We saw that he was listening. We saw that he’s really hard in a tackle and everything. And he wants to learn.”

Abdulhamid has built a fabulous track record of big game results while keeping a cool head and evergreen smile. A player who rose from humble beginnings and unaffected by pressure, he’s destined for big things at Roma. He can quickly adapt to Serie A, just as he has to foreign opponents on the grandest of occasions. If he could keep Vinicius Jr. on lockdown in 2022’s Club World Cup, he may emulate his idol’s results in Rome very well. He’s got the mindset, the work rate, and the joy within him – Abdulhamid may very well solve the Giallorossi’s right-back problem once and for all.

A special thanks to the Saudi and Al-Hilal fans who provided material for the writing of this article.