Cristiano Ronaldo broke another record on Thursday when he became the most-capped player in men’s international football.
Ronaldo, who scored twice in his 197th appearance for Portugal, is a household name and one of the world’s biggest sporting stars.
But the record he beat was from a far less well-known player — Kuwait’s Bader Ahmed Al Mutawa, who has 196 international appearances.
Here is everything you need to know about the Kuwaiti veteran.
Qadsia club legend
Al Mutawa was born in Kuwait in 1985.
He joined the most successful football club in Kuwait’s history, Al Qadsia Sporting Club, as a youth player in 1994.
He graduated to the senior team in 2002, and made his debut aged 17, playing as a striker.
Al Mutawa went on to play more than 250 games for Qadsia, and reportedly scored more than 150 goals.
During his career with the club, he helped them win eight Kuwait Premier League titles, six Kuwait Emir Cups, and various other domestic trophies.
Qadsia also won the regional GCC Champions League for just the second time in its history in 2005, finishing one point ahead of the UAE’s Al Wasl.
Al Mutawa spent two brief periods on loan during his career with Qadsia. In the 2006-2007 season he reportedly played one league game for Qatar SC in Doha, before returning to Qadsia.
In 2010-11, Al Mutawa was loaned out to Al Nassr — the Riyadh club currently captained by Ronaldo. He scored three goals in nine league appearances for the club, which had a difficult season and finished fifth.
In 2012, Al Mutawa had a brief trial at English club Nottingham Forest. Manager Sean O’Driscoll was reportedly impressed by Al Mutawa during his month of training with the club, and he played in a friendly against West Brom, in which Nottingham Forest News said he “looked lively".
However, issues with work permits prevented the club from signing Al Mutawa, and he returned to Qadsia.
He has played in every season since, including 14 appearances in the current season.
Al Mutawa was nominated for the 2006 and 2010 Asian Footballer of the Year award but lost out on both occasions.
International career
Al Mutawa made his debut for Kuwait in 2003. He scored in his first game and quickly impressed Brazilian coach Paulo Cesar Carpegiani, becoming a regular starter.
He played in the Arabian Gulf Cup that year, which was hosted by Kuwait, and scored in his team’s only victory in the tournament.
The striker led Kuwait to victory in the 2010 Arabian Gulf Cup, finishing as joint top scorer with three goals, including one in the semi-final against Iraq. It was Kuwait’s first Arabian Gulf Cup title since 1998.
The national team has not qualified for the Fifa World Cup during Al Mutawa’s playing career, but he has scored 12 goals in World Cup qualifiers. He also represented Kuwait in qualifiers for the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games.
In total, Al Mutawa has scored 56 goals and is the country’s third top scorer, behind Bashar Abdullah with 76 and Jassem Al Houwaidi with 63.
In 2021, aged 36, he became the most capped international player in the world, overtaking Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan with his 185th appearance.
His achievements were recognised by Fifa and he was granted an award by the head of the Kuwaiti Football Federation.
His most recent appearance for Kuwait was in June in a 3-0 loss against Jordan. This was his 196th appearance — now one less than Ronaldo’s 197.
Other Arab players with record appearances
Arab players are a notable presence in the list of male footballers with the most international appearances.
Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan is currently the fourth most-capped player, with 184 appearances for his country between 1995 and 2012.
One appearance behind him is Oman’s Ahmed Mubarak, who played 183 games between 2003 and 2019.
Saudi Arabia’s Mohamed Al Deayea has 178 caps for his country, while Jordan’s Amer Shafi has 173 — the same number as Lionel Messi for Argentina.
Qatar’s Hassan Al Haydos (171 appearances) and Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Al Khilaiwai (163 appearances) are also both in the top 20.
The UAE’s most-capped player is Adnan Al Talyani, with 161 appearances, placing him equal 23rd in the list globally.
Al Talyani played as striker and scored 52 goals for the UAE between 1982 and 1997.
Napoleon
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FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
MATCH INFO
First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs
Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets
Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13
Living in...
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- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
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What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
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Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
