Abdullah Al Salem: free-scoring Saudi lighting up RSL with Al Khaleej

If you asked anyone who the leading Saudi Arabian goalscorer in the Roshn Saudi League is at the moment, you’d be hard pressed to find those that would nominate Abdullah Al Salem.

Al Hilal superstar Salem Al Dawsari would no doubt be top of most lists, or perhaps even Firas Al Buraikan, the Al Ahli forward who for the past few seasons has taken that mantle. Saleh Al Shehri, who moved from Al Hilal to Al Ittihad in the summer, might also feature.

But, so far this season, 31-year-old Al Salem, who plays for hometown club Al Khaleej, is upstaging those national-team stalwarts. And, with it, he is helping his Saihat side springboard up the table.

Now in his second stint with the Eastern Province outfit, Al Salem was born in Qatif and grew up a proverbial stone’s throw away from Al Khaleej’s traditional home in Saihat.

While much of Al Khaleej’s existence in the RSL has been a struggle, with a highest league finish of seventh in 2015-16, they are flying so far this season under new manager Georgios Donis. With 11 matchweeks gone - almost a third of the campaign complete - they sit sixth. They currently hold the league's second-longest winning streak with five consecutive wins.

Considering Al Khaleej gleaned a single victory from their opening five league matches, it’s been quite the turnaround for Donis’ men. A large part of that, then, is down to the form of Al Salem, who has bagged six goals in his past three appearances, earning three successive RSL Man of the Match awards. Having notched the winner in last month's 1-0 victory against Al Kholood, his record reads seven goals in his past six RSL matches.

It’s a rich vein of form almost unseen in Al Salem's career to date. Already less than 33 percent of the way through the season, he has already surpassed his season-best of six goals, which he recorded twice, in 2014-15 and 2016-17.

The flip in fortunes, for both Al Salem and Al Khaleej, comes after a tweak to the system employed by Donis in the opening rounds. During the first five matchweeks, Al Salem started once, used in a strike pairing with Mansour Hamzi in a 4-4-2 against Al Taawoun.

Otherwise, the Saudi striker was limited to a bench role as Donis tinkered to find, not only his best formation, but the best talent to fit that line-up. As the Greek searched for a solution, the attacking options changed.

Since the start of October, though, Donis seems to have struck gold with his now preferred 4-2-3-1, having previously experimented with both 4-4-2 and 5-3-2 during the early rounds of the campaign. With that in place, Al Salem plays as the focal point in attack, ably assisted by Khaled Narey, Kostas Fortounis and the iconic Fabio Martins.

It’s a front four that hasn’t changed in the past six games, and with five wins and 13 goals scored, it’s easy to see why. Donis appears to have landed on something that truly ticks.

“We have been on an upward trajectory for the past few games,” Al Salem said after Al Khaleej’s recent 4-0 rout of Al Raed in Matchweek 9. “We have a new coach and a number of new signings in the team, too, so it took us time to ramp up, especially with the hot and humid weather at the start of the season.

“Now, the weather is improving, and we are getting to know each other better. And that has reflected on our form.”

For Al Salem, he looks at home in this set-up. Tall and athletic, he knows his game well and takes the chances when they present; be it getting on the end of a well-worked passing move or making the most of a fumble from the goalkeeper. He has a clear predator’s instinct.

Despite experiencing the good times this season, that hasn’t always been the case throughout his career, as Al Salem had previously struggled to nail down a spot across several clubs. His first stint with Al Khaleej started brightly, with 14 goals in three seasons, but a move to Al Fayha didn’t bring with it the riches he had hoped.

There, Al Salem netted five goals in three campaigns, which at one point included a six-month loan stint with Al Nassr. A return home - to the Eastern Province at least - with Al Ettifaq also failed to reignite his career as he failed to get both game-time and goals across a frustrating four years.

Thus, the chance to return Al Khaleej - his true home - at the start of last season offered a shot at redemption. And, while it’s bearing fruit at present in terms of pure output, 2023-24 was an important campaign in so many ways.

Playing all 34 league matches, as either a starter or a substitute, represented the most Al Salem had played in a single season in his entire career. Meanwhile, he also contributed his most match minutes since 2016-17 (1013) - the season in which he scored those six goals.

Yet the arrival of Donis, formerly of Al Hilal, Al Fateh and last season Al Wehda, has evidently offered Al Salem another fresh opportunity. So far, it is one the Saudi with the scoring boots is grasping with both hands.

The crowning moment of Al Salem's season so far came on Saturday, when his Al Khaleej side produced arguably the greatest upset of the past 18 months of RSL football, dealing defending champions Al Hilal their first defeat in 46 league matches. Once more, Al Salem was at the heart of his side's success as he netted twice to move level with Cristiano Ronaldo on seven goals this campaign, only Aleksandar Mitrovic and Karim Benzema have more.

With Al Khaleej trailing by two goals in the dying embers of the first half, they were awarded a penalty that Konstantinos Fortounis stepped up to take, but was denied by Yassine Bono. The Greek midfielder's blushes were spared by Al Salem's poacher's instincts as the 31-year-old raced to the rebound and swept it home. 

But as in his previous two outings, one goal was not enough for the homegrown goal-getter and soon after the restart he was on the receiving end of Narey's pass inside the box, controlling and applying a finish that was helped by a deflection to beat Bono. A touch of luck that favoured the brave took Al Khaleej and Al Salem into heights they have never tasted. Sitting above the likes of Al Ahli and Al Taawoun in the table, and within three points of Al Nassr in third after 11 matchweeks is anything but lucky. There is certainly more to come from the brave boys of Saihat.