When Marwan Al-Sahafi arrived in Kiel, along with his compatriot Faisal Al-Ghami, eyebrows were raised. Players from Saudi Arabia have rarely shone in Europe. But Al-Sahafi has something, that’s for sure.
At the end of the transfer window, Beerschot, in great need of reinforcement, recorded two arrivals from Saudi Arabia: Marwan Al-Sahafi and Faisal Al-Ghamdi. There is little mystery surrounding their arrival: it was of course the Saudi owners of Antwerp who had operated their networks. With a clear idea in mind: to make Beerschot, among other clubs, one of the training centers for the Saudi national team in preparation for the 2034 World Cup.
After a little time to adapt, Al-Sahafi started against Anderlecht. The young striker continued, because on Tuesday, he was still in Saudi Arabia’s 11 against Bahrain. He only returned to Beerschot on Wednesday.
And yet, Marwan Al-Sahafi showed no sign of fatigue, each time undermining the Anderlecht defense on the counterattack. His catch on the ball on the first goal is as beautiful as his absolutely crazy run on the second, which recalled that of his compatriot Said Al-Owairan against the Belgians at the 1994 World Cup.
Kuyt amazed, Al-Sahafi gives an interview… in Arabic
Dirk Kuyt did not hide his admiration for his Saudi international. “I have rarely seen a player so fast! What’s more, he is able to dribble quickly but also change direction easily. When a player can put the best defenders in Belgium in difficulty, you can only be happy to have him on your team.” We will simply express doubts regarding Kuyt’s assessment of the qualities of the RSCA defense.
After the match, Marwan Al-Sahafi, all smiles, appeared in front of the press. Problem: he doesn’t yet speak enough English to express himself. It is therefore… the father of the former Beerschot Ilias Sebaoui who improvised as an interpreter. Despite a rather different Arab between Morocco and Saudi Arabia… “I knew Anderlecht, it’s a great club. It’s a pleasure to have scored twice against them”, declared the Rats winger.
“Normally, I’m more of a lane player, preferably on the right side,” he admitted. “But hey, today I was in the middle and I scored two goals, so we can’t say it went bad,” concluded Al-Sahafi with a smile.
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