‘Happier than I can describe’: Saudi footballer Nadeen Kaaki sets sights on national team and Premier League return

ALKHOBAR: When Nadeen Kaaki learned in 2020 that girls could play organized football in Saudi Arabia, she did not need much convincing to be one of them.

The Saudi footballer, now 21, joined a small academy called Tigers and began a journey that would take her from youth football to a national team call-up and her first professional contract.

“I still can’t describe how happy I was when I found out there was football for girls in Saudi Arabia,” Kaaki told Arab News. “For me, the news was huge.”

What kept her playing through the years that followed was passion.

“Every time I thought about stopping, I would remember the whole journey I had been through, all the hard work, patience and effort I had put in, and I would tell myself it would be a shame for all of this to go to waste,” she said.

Her progression came alongside the rapid development of women’s football in the Kingdom.

In the 2022-2023 season, Kaaki and her first club, Fakhr Jeddah (Jeddah Pride), finished first in the Jeddah region and third overall in the First Division. That season, she was also named best player in the inaugural edition of the regional training centers in Jeddah.

Then came the moment she considers one of the most important of her career.

During the 2023-2024 season, Kaaki was called up to Saudi Arabia’s U-20 women’s national team and attended two training camps in Riyadh.

“My first national team call-up was one of those moments I will never forget,” she said. “I was going through a slightly difficult period at the time, and when I received the news, I was happier than I can describe. Even now, whenever I remember it, I feel the same way.”

Seeing her family celebrate with her made the moment more significant.

“It meant a lot to me