Ali Al-Habsi

1.1. Birth and Background

Al-Habsi was born on 30 December 1981, in Muscat, Oman. Standing 76 in ^{(194 cm)} (174 lb ^{(79 kg)}), after completing his high school education, he initially pursued a career as a firefighter at the Seeb International Airport in Muscat. He continued to serve as a firefighter during his early years playing for Al-Mudhaibi Club. Al-Habsi has credited his time as a firefighter with instilling in him valuable qualities such as patience, hard work, and patriotism, lessons he carried into his football career. He has stated that if he had not become a professional footballer, he would most likely have continued his profession as a fireman.

1.2. Early Career in Oman

Al-Habsi began his football career in Oman at the age of seventeen. He started with Al-Mudhaibi Club in 1998, where he made 35 appearances until 2002. In 2002, he moved to Al-Nasr, a stronger club in Oman, making 4 appearances during his tenure there until 2003. His performances in Omani football, including his contributions during the 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, drew the attention of scouts. He was spotted by John Burridge in 2001, which marked a turning point in his career.

1.3. Move to Europe

In 2003, Al-Habsi made a significant move to European football, joining Norwegian club FK Lyn. This transfer was historic, as he became the first Omani professional footballer to play in Europe. Initially, securing a work permit posed a challenge, preventing an earlier move to Europe. His transition to FK Lyn marked his debut on the international club stage, setting the precedent for other Omani players.

2.1. Lyn Oslo

Al-Habsi played for FK Lyn from 2003 to 2006. He quickly established himself as the team's regular goalkeeper from his second year at the club. During his three seasons with Lyn, he made 62 appearances. His strong performances earned him the title of Norwegian Premier League's Best Goalkeeper in 2004. In that season, he conceded 32 goals in 24 matches, maintaining an impressive save rate, particularly when excluding goals conceded against strong opponents like Rosenborg BK. In his final season with Lyn, he helped the team secure a third-place finish in the league.

2.2. Bolton Wanderers

In January 2006, Al-Habsi transferred from Lyn Oslo to Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League. This transfer was noted in the Stevens inquiry report in June 2007, which raised concerns about an apparent conflict of interest involving agent Craig Allardyce, his father Sam Allardyce (who was Bolton's manager), and the club.

Al-Habsi did not make any first-team appearances in his initial year at Bolton. His full debut came in September 2007, in a 2-1 extra-time League Cup victory over Fulham, where he was substituted into the match late in the second half. He went on to make 15 more appearances during the 2007-08 season. A notable performance was against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup, where he made several crucial saves against the star-studded German team. His first Premier League start was against Wigan Athletic. Despite limited playing time due to the presence of established goalkeeper Jussi Jääskeläinen, Al-Habsi's performances were valued by the club. In December 2008, he was rewarded with a contract extension until 2013, reflecting the club's continued trust in his potential. He played a crucial role in preventing the team's relegation to the second division during Jääskeläinen's injury absence. However, once Jääskeläinen returned, Al-Habsi again lost his place as the primary goalkeeper.

2.3. Wigan Athletic (loan)

In July 2010, Al-Habsi joined local rivals Wigan Athletic on a season-long loan. He made his debut on 24 August 2010, in a League Cup match against Hartlepool United. Four days later, he made his League debut against Tottenham Hotspur. He quickly established himself as Wigan's first-choice goalkeeper, particularly after Chris Kirkland conceded ten goals in the opening two matches of the season and was subsequently loaned out. Al-Habsi played 34 league matches, contributing significantly to Wigan's survival in the Premier League for the 2010-11 season. His impressive performances led to him being named Wigan's Player of the Season for that year.

2.4. Wigan Athletic

On 4 July 2011, following his successful loan spell, Al-Habsi joined Wigan Athletic permanently, signing a four-year contract. The transfer fee was estimated to be around 4.00 M GBP from Bolton.

Al-Habsi became renowned as an outstanding penalty saver during his time at Wigan, reportedly saving approximately 50% of the penalties he faced. Notable players whose penalties he stopped included Robin van Persie, Carlos Tevez, Javier Hernández, and Mikel Arteta. His exceptional form led to transfer speculation linking him with clubs like Liverpool and Arsenal.

During the latter part of the 2012-13 season, Al-Habsi's position as Wigan's number one goalkeeper was challenged by the arrival of young Spanish goalkeeper Joel Robles on loan, leading to Al-Habsi being dropped to the bench. He started Wigan's FA Cup semi-final victory over Millwall but was on the bench for the final itself, which Wigan famously won against Manchester City. Shortly after this historic FA Cup triumph, Wigan were relegated back to the Championship. Al-Habsi remained with Wigan until 2015, making a total of 102 appearances during his permanent spell.

2.5. Brighton & Hove Albion (loan)

On 31 October 2014, while still with Wigan Athletic, Al-Habsi signed a one-month loan deal with fellow Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion. He made only one appearance for the club before returning to Wigan.

2.6. Reading

After his release from Wigan Athletic, Al-Habsi went on trial with Reading in July 2015. This trial resulted in him signing a two-year contract with the club on 14 July 2015. On 5 January 2017, Al-Habsi extended his contract with Reading until the end of the 2018-19 season.

He consistently delivered strong performances for Reading. On 17 March 2017, he made several crucial saves in a 2-0 victory against playoff rivals Sheffield Wednesday. His excellent form throughout the season earned him a spot in the EFL Championship Team of the Season and he was also awarded the Reading Player of the Season award for both the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. He made 78 appearances for Reading.

2.7. Al-Hilal

On 17 July 2017, Al-Habsi moved to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year contract. During his time at Al-Hilal, he made 34 appearances. He contributed to the team's success, winning the Saudi Pro League in the 2017-18 season and the Saudi Super Cup in 2018.

2.8. West Bromwich Albion

On 29 August 2019, Al-Habsi returned to England, joining Championship side West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer, signing a deal until the end of the season. However, he did not make any first-team appearances for the club. He was released by West Bromwich Albion in June 2020. West Brom manager Slaven Bilić expressed his desire to extend Al-Habsi's contract until the end of the delayed 2019-20 season, but this was not pursued as Al-Habsi had returned to Oman and would have faced a two-week quarantine period before rejoining the squad.

2.9. Retirement

On 21 August 2020, Ali Al-Habsi announced his retirement from professional football, concluding a career that spanned over two decades.

5.1. Club

5.2. International