Tariq Al Sadi
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Tariq Khalifa Al Sadi[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 27 July 2006[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Oman | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Leyton Orient | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2014–2016 | Muscat Football Academy | ||
| 2016–2017 | Birmingham City | ||
| 2017–2018 | Aston Villa | ||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | |||
| Langley | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023 | Langley | 13 | (3) |
| 2023–2024 | Southall | 5 | (0) |
| 2024– | Leyton Orient | 0 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:04, 24 October 2022 (UTC) | |||
Tariq Khalifa Al Sadi (Arabic: طارق بن خليفة السعدي; born 27 June 2006) is an Omani footballer currently playing as a forward for Leyton Orient.
Club career
[edit]Early life
[edit]Al Sadi first took an interest in football at the age of three, and at the age of six, his father moved him from Suwayq to Oman's capital, Muscat to pursue a career in the sport.[2] He played for a number of academies, before settling at the Muscat Football Academy, where he stayed for two years, competing in international tournaments and winning individual awards for his performances.[2][3] These performances reportedly attracted the attention of Emirati side Al-Wasl.[3]
Move to England
[edit]Early career
[edit]At the age of nine, Al Sadi travelled to England, going on trial with professional sides Birmingham City and Fulham.[2] After impressing at both, he returned for a second trial with Birmingham City in January 2016, and in July of the same year, his family moved to England, and he began formally training with the West Midlands side.[2] His father states that he sold "everything he owned" to move to England two years after his son.[2]
After six months training with Birmingham City, the club informed Al Sadi's family that the FA refused to register him due to his young age and status as a non-British citizen.[2] He continued to train with the youth sides, but after the club's appeals to the FA were unsuccessful, he went to Manchester City, who were reportedly ready to sign him without taking him on trial, until the FA stepped in and issued the club a warning.[2]
In June 2017, he competed in Chelsea's "Asian Star" initiative, winning a special award in the under-11 category.[4] In December of the same year, Al Sadi signed for Aston Villa on a three-year deal.[2][3][5] During his time with Aston Villa, he was invited to join French club Lens and Belgian side Anderlecht.[2]
After only a year with Aston Villa, his family asked to cancel the contract prematurely, with the aim of moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers.[2] While at Wolverhampton Wanderers, he applied to register with the FA, having resided in England for five years.[2]
Langley
[edit]In October 2022, while playing for Langley, he went on trial with Chelsea, featuring on the bench for the club's under-18 side.[6] Having returned to Langley, he would make his senior debut in the Combined Counties Football League Division One on 28 January 2023, coming on as a substitute for Celeany Filho in a 5–1 win against Bagshot.
Leyton Orient
[edit]The following season, he was playing for Southall in the Isthmian League.[7] In early 2024, he joined Leyton Orient, being assigned to their academy.[8]
Style of play
[edit]Muscat Football Academy founder, Chuck Martini - a Moroccan former goalkeeper, described Al Sadi as a "little Messi", noted for his tricks and skills, as well as his goalscoring ability.[3]
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]- As of match played 13 May 2024
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Langley | 2022–23 | CCFL Division One | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4[a] | 1 | 17 | 4 |
| 2023–24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 4 | ||
| Southall | 2023–24 | Isthmian League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Leyton Orient | 2023–24 | EFL League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career total | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 23 | 4 | ||
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Tariq Khalifa Al Sadi". langley-fc.com. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "طارق السعدي .. موهبة عُمانية تضع بصمتها الكروية في الملاعب الإنجليزية" [Tariq Al Sadi... an Omani talent that makes its mark in English stadiums]. omandaily.om (in Arabic). 4 July 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Omani Messi? MFA player Tariq signs for Aston Villa". timesofoman.com. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ Trehan, Dev (4 June 2017). "Chelsea legend Tore Andre-Flo hopes South Asian player makes Premier League breakthrough". skysports.com. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ "مدرّبه السابق يروي حكايته السعدي.. موهوب عُماني يقتحم الملاعب الإنجليزية" [His former coach tells Al-Saadi's story.. Omani talent storms English stadiums]. shabiba.com (in Arabic). 7 December 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ "West Bromwich Albion U18 1–2 Chelsea U18". soccerway.com. 29 October 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ "Southall — Appearances — Tariq al-sadi". footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ "U18's Match Report: Stevenage 2–4 Leyton Orient". leytonorient.com. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.