U17 World Cup: 5 things to know about Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi, the breakout star of the opening day

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Foot Africa

·6. November 2025

U17 World Cup: 5 things to know about Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi, the breakout star of the opening day

Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi, the revelation of the opening day at the U17 World Cup

Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi/@AFC

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Saudi Arabia’s goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi is leading the pack in the rankings of the best players of the U17 World Cup after the opening day.

Delivering a phenomenal performance against Austria in the Group L clash, the "Young Greens" last line of defense was awarded a perfect 10 out of 10 by the specialist site sofascore.

He outshone the two Tunisian starlets Wassim Slama (9.8 out of 10) and Fedi Tayechi (9.7 out of 10).

Here are 5 things to know about the Saudi sensation, Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi:

At 17 years old, he plays with the U19 and U21 squads of Saudi football giant Al-Nassr.
He is expected to join the professional squad starting from the winter break.

In 10 matches played with the U17 national team, he has conceded 19 goals, averaging nearly two goals per game.
He made 8 saves in Saudi Arabia’s narrow defeat to Austria.

🇸🇦 Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi has been named Best Goalkeeper of the Lafarge Foot Avenir U18 Tournament in Limoges, France 🧤✨ A standout performance from the young Saudi keeper on the international stage 🌍💚
– Mittwoch, 10. September 2025