External links
- Mukhtar Ali at WorldFootball.net
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mukhtar Abdullah Ali | ||
| Date of birth | 30 October 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Al-Ittihad | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2008 | Leyton Orient | ||
| 2008–2017 | Chelsea | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017 | Chelsea | 0 | (0) |
| 2017 | → Vitesse (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2017 | → Jong Vitesse (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2017–2019 | Vitesse | 9 | (1) |
| 2019–2025 | Al-Nassr | 33 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Al-Tai (loan) | 11 | (2) |
| 2022–2023 | → Al-Tai (loan) | 27 | (2) |
| 2023–2024 | → Al-Fateh (loan) | 27 | (0) |
| 2025–2026 | Al-Ettifaq | 35 | (1) |
| 2026– | Al-Ittihad | 6 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012 | England U16 | 2 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | England U17 | 4 | (0) |
| 2017–2021 | Saudi Arabia U23 | 1 | (0) |
| 2017– | Saudi Arabia | 17 | (0) |
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10 October 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 3 October 2026 | |||
Mukhtar Abdullah Ali (Arabic: مختار عبد الله علي; born 30 October 1997) is a Saudi Arabian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Al-Ittihad and the Saudi Arabia national team.
In 2008, Ali joined Chelsea at under-11 level from Leyton Orient and progressed through the club's academy system. He was part of the Chelsea youth side which recorded back to back triumphs in the FA Youth Cup in 2015 and 2016. With 42 appearances in all competitions he was the second-leading appearance maker in the academy and was also nominated for International Somali Sportsman of the Year.
On 29 January 2017, Ali joined Vitesse on loan for the remainder of the 2016–17 campaign. On 19 February 2017, Ali made his Vitesse debut in their 1–0 home defeat against Ajax, replacing Marvelous Nakamba in the 84th minute. On 4 February 2017, he played his first match for Jong Vitesse against SV Spakenburg. Ali went onto appear in five more league games during his loan spell.
On 17 July 2017, Vitesse permanently signed Ali on a three-year deal.
On 31 August 2019, Al-Nassr signed Mukhtar Ali on a one-year deal from Vitesse. On 29 January 2022, he renewed his contract with Al-Nassr until 2025 and was loaned out to Al-Tai. On 29 August 2022, Mukhtar Ali rejoined Al-Tai on a one-year loan. On 7 September 2023, Mukhtar Ali joined Al-Fateh on a one-year loan.
On 29 January 2025, Ali joined Al-Ettifaq on a four-and-a-half year deal.
Ali represented England at both under-16 and under-17 level and was also eligible to represent Somalia, the country of his parents. However, he pledged his allegiance to the Saudi Arabia national team, and made his senior debut on 7 October 2017 against Jamaica. This was possibly based on the player's assertion that he was instead born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vitesse (loan) | 2016–17 | Eredivisie | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| Vitesse | 2017–18 | Eredivisie | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2018–19 | Eredivisie | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | ||
| Al-Nassr | 2019–20 | Saudi Pro League | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | 29 | 1 | |
| 2020–21 | Saudi Pro League | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Saudi Pro League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Saudi Pro League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 1 | ||
| Al-Tai (loan) | 2021–22 | Saudi Pro League | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | Saudi Pro League | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 2 | |||
| Total | 38 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 4 | ||||
| Al-Fateh (loan) | 2023–24 | Saudi Pro League | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 108 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 129 | 6 | ||
Chelsea Reserves
Vitesse
Al-Nassr
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