Secret's Out: FIFA World Cup rivals Spain are onto baller Al Juwayr | OneFootball

If Musab Al Juwayr was Saudi Arabia’s best kept secret… well, that secret is out.

Given the eyeballs now on the Roshn Saudi League, and the way in which he performed for Al Qadsiah this season, with six goals and 11 assists, it was always going to be hard to keep the 23-year-old under wraps for much longer.

Not after Brendan Rodgers consistently waxed lyrical about Al Juwayr during the campaign. “Brilliant” was one superlative; “technically strong” another take.

Musab Al Juwayr makes FIFA World Cup debut in Saudi Arabia's opening draw v Uruguay

But ahead of Saudi Arabia’s monster showdown with Spain on Sunday in the second round of Group H action at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Spanish newspaper Marca declared Al Juwayr as the one to watch for the Green Falcons.

“Quien es Musab Al Juwayr y como juega en Arabia Saudi,” read the headline, which translates to: ‘Who is Musab Al Juwayr and how does he play in Saudi Arabia.’

“Todos los detalles sobre uno de los futbolistas que puede ser la revelacion de Arabia Saudi en los partidos del Mundial 2026,” it continued.

Translation again: “All the details about one of the footballers who could be the revelation of Saudi Arabia in the 2026 World Cup.”

Al Qadsiah playmaker Musab Al Juwayr is our 2025-26 SPL Saudi Player of the Season

The outside world, it seems, has cottoned on to what watchers of the RSL have known for a while: Al Juwayr, Young Player of the Season in 2024-25 and then Best Saudi this time around, is a special talent.

Just ask Georginio Wijnaldum, who waxed lyrical about Al Juwayr during the former Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain’s time as Al Ettifaq captain.

Or Al Kholood midfielder Josh Buckley, who told the Saudi Pro League earlier this season that Al Juwayr represented the standout Saudi in the division.

How far Al Juwayr takes his career is almost up to him now. Upon walking through the doors at Al Qadsiah in December, Rodgers immediately identified the attacking midfielder as a playmaker of prodigious potential.

However, the former Liverpool and Celtic manager knew Al Juwayr needed to add strings to his bow to be able to perform perfectly as part of Rodgers’ attack-heavy style.

“He’s such a big, big talent,” the Northern Irishman said. “Technically, he is so strong; he can receive the ball in any area of the field.

“Tactically, we want to help with his positioning on the field, and physically in the games when I’m asking my teams to press and be aggressive, he has been able to do that.”

It took time, but by season’s end you could see the improvement. Clearly, Al Juwayr's future with Rodgers is particularly tantalising.

But it’s the here and now that matters most, with a crunch clash against Spain next up for Saudi Arabia in Atlanta after they opened their World Cup account with a morale-boosting point against Uruguay.

What’s for sure, following their own surprise draw with debutants Cape Verde, the Spanish should be wary of the threat posed by Al Juwayr.

Saying that, it will be a different role he is required to play for the Green Falcons compared to that at which he performs at club level.

At Al Qadsiah, Rodgers likes his team to press and dominate, both possession and territory. They were, from the time Rodgers arrived, the highest-scoring team in the RSL.

It was a style that suited Al Juwayr well. It allowed him plenty of the ball, the emergent talent proving throughout the season how dangerous he could be when asked to open opposition defences.

At 85 chances, he created the third-most of any player in the league, behind only Konstantinos Fortounis and Joao Felix, the Al Nassr title-winning forward and 2025-26 SPL Player of the Season.

With the national team, though, the philosophy is slightly different.

As they did against Uruguay, Georgios Donis’s side will most probably have less of the ball when facing pass-masters Spain. In Miami last week, Saudi Arabia enjoyed only 27 percent of the ball, largely playing a counter-attacking game rather than the pressing, front-foot approach of Al Qadsiah.

Naturally, that means that Al Juwayr will not dictate for country as he does for club. Yet, given his quality, it’s what he does with the ball in those moments that’s going to matter most. As Saudi Arabia look to the new generation to take this team forward, Al Juwayr stands at the front of that line.

Musab Al Juwayr is Al Qadsiah's chief creator - with much more expected next season

He is no longer just a prospect for the future; he is for the here and now. Surely, there can be no better occasion to announce your arrival on the international stage than an encounter against one of football’s true heavyweights. Spain, remember, were world champions in 2010 and currently rank third in the FIFA standings.

Just as Salem Al Dawsari did against Argentina in Qatar four years ago, the stage is set for Al Juwayr - he turned 23 on Saturday - to declare himself as not just a bona-fide star, but the main man of this Saudi side going forward.

That’s the talent that Rodgers sees week-in, week-out. It’s the repertoire that has piqued Marca’s attention. Now it’s time to let the rest of the world in on our not-so-little secret.