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Sami, who played for Al-Hilal SFC between 1989 and 2007 and representing his home country in four consecutive World Cups, is ready for his next challenge – studying a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Sunderland’s London campus.

The educational move comes after Sami retired from football following 156 international appearances for the Saudi Arabia, scoring 46 goals. He also had a brief loan spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2000.

Sami, who is an ambassador for Adidas, FIFA and Saudi Pro Football, has also presented on beIN SPORTS alongside the likes of Jose Mourinho, Cristiano Ronaldo and Alan Shearer.

Sami Al-Jaber at the University of Sunderland in London.

Sami said: “I would like to express my appreciation. The University of Sunderland is just amazing in all aspects that I have seen so far, and they are really supporting me to achieve my future goals and vision. I’m excited to complete my education journey there.”

The footballer is also a board member at Qobolak Study Abroad, a Saudi-based company which places thousands of international students in top universities.

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Ian Moody, Deputy Director of International at the University of Sunderland, added: “It was great to welcome Sami to our campus in London and I’m sure he will benefit greatly from studying our MBA.

(L-R) Kholoud Bakir (Marketing Manager at the University of Sunderland in London), Lucie Allen (International Development Officer at the University of Sunderland) Ian Moody (Deputy Director of International at the University of Sunderland), Sami Al-Jaber, Mostafa Saeed (Chief Executive of Qobolak) and Abubaker Alqahtani (Co-Founder & Deputy Chief Executive of Qobolak).

“Sami is already a very successful businessman and I’m sure he can add a lot of context and real-life case studies to his theoretical studies.

“Qobolak is a key partner of ours based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We are exploring various collaborations including Transnational Education, short course delivery and student recruitment from the Kingdom to both our campuses in Sunderland and London.

“We have for several years had a demand across areas of health sciences, but we are now seeing demand from Saudi Arabia in arts, tourism and hospitality.”

Mostafa Saeed, Chief Executive of Qobolak, added: “We proudly have a strong and great partnership with University of Sunderland.

“We really appreciate all the great efforts that Sunderland has done for all our students, including Sami Al-Jaber.”

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Saudi football legend Sami Al-Jaber signs up for Sunderland - as a university student

Support your Echo and become a subscriber today.

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