With 900 minutes in 10 matches, Muhammad Al-Deayea remains the Arab player with the most minutes in the history of the World Cup, as the Saudi goalkeeper played in 3 copies of the tournament, and participated in a fourth tournament as a reserve player.
Al-Deayea (Dean of the Guardians of the World) stresses in an exclusive interview with Al-Jazeera Net that the Saudi team is capable in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, to repeat the achievement of the 1994 World Cup, and to go far to the advanced roles in light of the tournament being held in Qatar and the public support that it will receive from the Saudi fans. Qatari and Arabic.
The goalkeeper of the 20th century in the Asian continent believes that the World Cup in Qatar will be a unique and exceptional version in the history of the world championships, and he hopes that two Arab teams will reach the semi-finals, and then one of them will qualify for the final for the first time in history.
Al-Deayea won 24 different championships throughout his career in the stadiums, with 6 titles with the national teams, most notably the Junior World Cup, the Asian Championship and the Arab Cup, and 18 titles with his club Al-Hilal, most notably the AFC Champions League, the Asian Cup Winners’ Cup, and 4 local league titles.
The following is the text of the interview:
The Saudi national team squad for the 1998 World Cup France (Saudi Press)
What are the ambitions of the Saudi national team during the World Cup in Qatar?
The Saudi national team is able to make history during the 2022 World Cup, and achieve a better achievement than what was achieved in the United States 1994 World Cup (Saudi Arabia then reached the second round), especially as it will play in Qatar on its own land and among its fans, as there is no difference between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and all the fans of the national Al-Arabi will stand behind the Saudi team, which will contribute to supporting the players to repeat the achievement and go far towards the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
What are the factors that contributed to the Saudi team’s achievement of qualifying for the second round in the World Cup in America?
The generation of the Saudi team in the World Cup in America received great attention and care from the Saudi government, led by the late Saudi King Fahd bin Abdulaziz, and the follow-up of Prince Faisal bin Fahd, head of the Supreme Council for Youth Welfare, as well as the presence of an integrated technical staff at the highest level, along with a distinguished group of players who gathered Between experience and youth, which contributed to the achievement of qualifying for the second round in the first Saudi participation in the World Cup.
Where is the 1994 generation of Saudi football now?
Currently, some of the generation of the Saudi national team participating in the 1994 World Cup are working as coaches in clubs and other age teams, and some of them work as analysts for leagues, while a group of them went to work, whether in the Saudi Federation or the committees of the Ministry of Sports, but I think it was more useful to pay more attention to this generation. And take advantage of them in a better way to serve and develop Saudi football.
What are your most important memories of the Saudi national team’s participation in the first World Cup in America 1994?
I was young during my time in the Saudi national team squad for its first participation in the World Cup, and the memories of this tournament are beautiful, and all its details, small before big, are still stuck in the minds and memory of all Saudis.
I still remember our strong match against the distinguished Dutch team, and the mistake I made which resulted in the second goal, to lose the match in the last minutes, as well as the camp we fought before the World Cup for 6 months, and the victory over Morocco and Belgium, the strongest candidate, and qualifying for the second round.
What does it mean to you to participate in a tournament the size of the World Cup 4 times?
I participated in the World Cup 4 times, 3 of them as a main player and one as a reserve player, and any player in the world wishes to have at least one participation in the World Cup during his career, but I participated in 4 editions, and in the Junior World Cup in Scotland, and contributed with The rest of my colleagues won Saudi Arabia the world title in 1989.
My participation in 4 copies of the world championships did not come out of nowhere, but after great effort and work and maintaining high levels, as well as attending stadiums for a long time and playing 178 international matches, and obtaining the title of dean of world players for 15 years, and then I became the dean of world guards , The Guardian of the 20th Century in Asia.
Will increasing the number of Asian seats in the next World Cup guarantee Saudi Arabia a continuous presence in the world championships?
The Saudi team, before increasing the Asian seats in the next World Cup, qualified 6 times, and it is a strong team, and it always qualifies for the World Cup finals, and the increase in the number will benefit the other teams, but the Saudi team was a continuous participant, and it will also be present in all the upcoming versions.
Al-Deayea has played 178 international matches and won the title of goalkeeper of the twentieth century in Asia (Getty)
What is your assessment of the development of the level of Saudi football?
Saudi football has been in continuous development and escalation since 1984, which witnessed the first Asian title for the national team, and then participation in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and won the second Asian title in 1988, and then qualified for the 1994 World Cup in America, and the third Asian title in 1996, as well as Wassafa Asia in 1992 and 2000, and successive qualification for the World Cup more than once.
And the development of Saudi football is still ongoing, and will continue in the coming years, but I am optimistic about seeing the real development of the team during the Qatar World Cup 2022, and achieving remarkable results that lead it to advanced roles.
Will increasing the number of foreigners to 8 in the Saudi League reduce opportunities for local players, and negatively affect the team?
The number of foreign players allowed in the Saudi League reached 8 for each team, which contributed greatly to the development of local players, raising the value of the Saudi League, and making it the strongest Arab league during the recent period.
I do not agree with the saying that the increase in the number of foreign players weakens the strength of the Saudi team at all, and I think that qualifying for the Qatar World Cup 2022 is the biggest evidence that proves the validity of my talk.
I see that the smart local player is the one who benefits from the presence of foreign players in the Saudi League, and develops himself in light of friction with professional players at the highest level, as well as benefiting from them, whether in the way of nutrition, training or other details, until he becomes one of the players qualified for professionalism. future in various international leagues.
What does Qatar's hosting of the 2022 World Cup represent for Arab football?
Qatar's hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, as the first Arab country to organize this global football forum, is a pride for every Gulf and Arab, especially since the presence of such a global forum on our land Qatar and among our fans, and the participation of international teams in it, will make the eyes of the whole world turn towards our region for a month Kamel, and we wish Qatar a successful and distinguished organization, and present a unique version that will remain stuck in the minds of all football fans around the world.
What are your expectations for the journey of Saudi Arabia in the Qatar World Cup?
The Saudi team is ready to participate in the World Cup in Qatar and achieve the best, especially as it qualified for the finals after overcoming a strong group that included Japan, Australia, China and Vietnam.
When Saudi Arabia falls in a strong group, it is always on time and achieves the achievement, which is what happened in the World Cup America, where we fell in a strong group, but the team was able to qualify for the second round, and I hope to repeat the matter in the World Cup Qatar despite the difficulty of the group, especially that the Saudi team He loves the difficult road, and I hope he achieves a better journey than the achievement of 1994, and we go to the quarter-finals, and then the semi-finals.
How do you judge the teams of the Saudi group?
The Saudi national team’s group in the World Cup in Qatar is very difficult, as it includes large teams, namely Argentina, Mexico, and Poland, but the Saudi team is not inferior and is under the leadership of a technical staff at a world level, as well as distinguished players who have a lot of professionalism, in addition to the matches that The team played it, whether it was a friendly or in the qualifiers, and it proved the strength of the team and its ability to overcome the group stage and go far in this participation.
Will the Arab teams be qualified to achieve outstanding results in light of the World Cup in Qatar?
Holding the World Cup in Qatar will enhance the chances of all the participating Arab teams, especially that the fans of the Arab communities in Qatar will support the Arab teams, and Qatar’s stadiums are close in distance, and it will make it easier for the Arab, Gulf and Saudi fans to attend all matches and support the Arab teams.
I hope that one or two Arab teams will reach the semi-finals, and then qualify for the final as well, to be the first time in history, especially since all Arab teams are ready, and have many high-level players who are able to make the difference and compete with international teams.
What teams are you nominating to compete for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?
The priority in nomination is always placed on the teams that won the World Cup, who are good at playing in major tournaments and competing for the title, and it is difficult to identify a specific name to win the title, but I hope the Arab teams compete for the title, and two Arab teams reach the final, as well as the World Cup exit in a wonderful way, It reflects the distinctive image of the Gulf region and the Arabs as a whole.