Saudi Arabia end 23-year Gulf Cup wait as current stars’ ages reveal changing generation

Saudi Arabia returned to the top of the Arab Gulf Cup after a 23-year absence, beating United Arab Emirates 2-0 in the final of Gulf Cup 27 on Tuesday.

The final was played at Alinma Stadium in Jeddah, with the victory giving Saudi Arabia its first title since winning the same competition in 2003.

The triumph highlighted the contrast between the squad that lifted the trophy 23 years ago and the players who secured the latest success. A report by Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiyah examined how old the current squad members were when Saudi Arabia last won the tournament.

Mohammed Al-Owais was the oldest member of the present squad at the time, watching Saudi Arabia’s 2003 triumph as an 11-year-old.

However, Gulf Cup 27 player of the tournament Hamam Al-Hamami had not yet been born when Saudi Arabia won the title. The same was true of goalkeeper Hamed Al-Shanqiti.

Twins Saleh Abu Al-Shamat and Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat were both one year old in 2003. Mohammed Mahzari, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Rayan Hamed and Ziyad Al-Juhani were also in their first year of life.

Muteb Al-Harbi and Jihad Dhakri were two at the time, while Firas Al-Buraikan was three.

Nasser Al-Dawsari, Hassan Tambakti, Abdullah Al-Hamdan and Nawaf Boushal were four years old. Mukhtar Ali was five, while Abdulelah Al-Amri and Abdulqudus Attiah were six.

Abdullah Al-Khaibari was seven when Saudi Arabia claimed the previous title. Sultan Mandash was eight, Mohammed Kanno was nine and Abdullah Al-Salem was 10.

The latest victory therefore marked more than the end of a long wait for another Gulf Cup. It also underlined the generational change within Saudi Arabia’s squad, with some of its key players not yet born when the country last lifted the trophy in 2003.