Europe or Home Turf? Saud Abdulhamid weighs a potential Saudi return against staying in Europe
23 October 2025
Crossroads for a Saudi Defender
Saud Abdulhamid, the right-back on loan at RC Lens from AS Roma, is weighing whether to return to the Saudi Pro League in the upcoming winter window.
According to the Saudi outlet Al-Riyadiya, the player is considering staying in Europe to continue his career in France with Lens, rather than heading back to Saudi Arabia for now.
Four Saudi clubs, namely Al Hilal, Al Ittihad, Al Nassr and Neom, are reported to be tracking his situation as they eye a marquee addition.
European Path and Milestones
Abdulhamid began his professional journey with Al Ittihad in 2018, then moved to Al Hilal where he collected several titles, including the Roshen League and the King Cup twice, and even featured at the Club World Cup in Morocco in 2021.
He joined Roma and, last season, made 18 official appearances before being loaned to Lens. He became the first Saudi to score in a European competition, striking against Braga in the Europa League, and he later provided the assist in Roma's 4-1 victory over Lecce.
His impact extended to Roma's campaign, with further contributions like a decisive pass in the 4-1 win over Lecce and multiple appearances in Serie A, underscoring his growing presence in Europe.
Additionally, he featured for Roma in European competition after joining Lens on loan, marking a historic milestone for Saudi players in Europe.
National Team and Position Experiments
Saudi coach Renard briefly left Saud Abdul Hamid out of a September camp ahead of two critical Asian playoff matches for the 2026 World Cup, before reintegrating him as preparations continued.
Since his international debut in 2019 under Renard, Saud has rarely missed a camp for technical reasons, with occasional absences in 2023 and 2024 when Roma did not release him during official windows.
In the 2025 Gold Cup in the United States, the 26-year-old defender played four matches, lining up in several roles beyond his traditional right-back position.
Renard's experimentation saw Saud deployed at center midfield, left-back, and wing in different games, highlighting his versatility while keeping the focus on a solid right-back role as a core of his national team plans for the 2026 World Cup playoffs and qualifiers.
Ultimately, the coach’s decisions culminated in Saud being included in the playoff squad and appearing as a substitute versus Indonesia before playing the full match against Iraq, helping Saudi secure a spot at the 2026 World Cup.
And yes, even with all these positional detours, Saud's passport seems to have more stamps than a travel influencer—he could still end up with a winter switch or a summer encore somewhere in Europe, because apparently, his lockers are more well-traveled than my life plan.
