| |
Owairan's goal turned him into the Middle East's first soccer superstar. Allsport Hulton/Archive |
Owairan shot to fame by scoring one of the greatest individual goals ever seen in a World Cup tournament and firing Saudi Arabia into the last 16 on its first ever appearance at the finals in 1994.
Few expected the Saudis to make any impression on their World Cup debut, and even after a 2-1 win over Morocco nobody gave them a chance against Belgium in their final group game.
But with just five minutes gone Owairan picked up the ball deep in his own half. Cutting through the midfield, he seemed to have run into a dead end as defenders swarmed around him but somehow Owairan emerged with the ball inside the penalty area and slotted it into the Belgian net.
Saudi Arabia held out for the remaining 85 minutes to earn a famous victory. Sweden proved too strong in the second round but Owairan's goal turned him into the Middle East's first soccer superstar.
But Owairan's celebrity got the better of him in 1996 when he was photographed in a Cairo nightclub during a trip to Egypt with club side Al-Shabab. Banned from playing for six months, it took Owairan a year to regain his place in the national side.
Although he featured at the 1998 finals, Owairan was a shadow of the player who had stunned the world in 1994, and the Saudis slipped out quietly in the first round.
