One of the most prominent Saudi footballers, Mohamed Al-Khilaiwi, a defender, spent 11 years (1990-2001) on the national team and earned 142 caps making him, as of 2013, the third most-capped Saudi international. Along the way he made appearances at two World Cups (1994 and 1998), four Confederations Cups (1992, 1995, 1997, and 1999) and the 1996 Summer Olympics, where Saudi Arabia lost all three of its matches in the preliminary round and was eliminated from the tournament. Domestically he spent most of his career, from 1989 through 2003, with Ittihad FC of Jeddah, winning the Saudi Premier League five times (1997, 1999-2001, and 2003), the Saudi Crown Prince Cup thrice (1991, 1997, and 2001), the Saudi Federation Cup twice (1997 and 1999), and the Asian Cup Winners' Cup and the GCC Champions League in 1999. In 2003 he moved to Al-Ahli SC of Jeddah and remained there until 2006, when he was sent to Uhud in the Saudi second league. He retired in 2009 and worked as a sports administrator at The Higher Institute for Power and Water Technologies in Rabigh until his death from a heart attack in June 2013, at the age of 42. |
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