Retro AL Ahli Shirt – The Green Pride of Jeddah

Founded in 1937, AL Ahli Saudi FC are among the oldest clubs in the Kingdom, born in the merchant port city of Jeddah at a time when football was just beginning to take root on the Arabian peninsula. The early decades were spent building a foundation, but it was from the 1970s onwards that the green wave truly began to roll. AL Ahli won their first Saudi Premier League title in 1977 and added a second crown in 1984, establishing themselves as a perennial domestic power alongside great rivals Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr. The club's trophy cabinet is laden with King Cup, Crown Prince Cup and Federation Cup triumphs, while continentally they were crowned Asian Cup Winners' Cup champions in 2002, lifting their first major continental honour. They followed it up with multiple deep runs in the AFC Champions League, most famously reaching the final in 2012 where they were narrowly edged out by Ulsan Hyundai – a heartbreak that still stings supporters. The Jeddah derby against Al-Ittihad is one of the most ferocious meetings in world football, regularly drawing 60,000 fans and producing legendary scenes. The most dramatic chapter came in 2022 when AL Ahli were relegated from the Saudi Pro League for the first time in their history – a national shock. They responded with a single-season promotion campaign, returning in 2023 reinforced by a galaxy of global superstars and immediately re-establishing themselves at the top, lifting the AFC Champions League Elite trophy in 2025.

The list of players who have worn the green of AL Ahli reads like a who's who of Saudi and African football. Mohammed Noor, the silky playmaker known as 'The Magician', remains the spiritual heart of the club, a one-club legend whose vision and dead-ball mastery defined an era. Hussain Sulaimani, Saeed Al-Owairan's contemporary, was another crowd favourite, while Taisir Al-Jassim served the club with distinction as captain and midfield engine. Goalkeeper Yasser Al-Mosailem stood as the last line of defence for over a decade. Foreign stars have always been embraced in Jeddah – Egyptian icon Hossam Hassan, Brazilian forward Victor Simões and Moroccan winger Soufiane Alloudi all left their mark in the 2000s. The post-2023 Saudi Pro League boom transformed the squad once more, with Édouard Mendy, Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino, Franck Kessié and Ivan Toney arriving to spearhead a glittering new chapter under coach Matthias Jaissle. Behind the dugout, managers like Tomislav Ivić, Vítor Pereira and the legendary Egyptian Mahmoud El-Gohary have all shaped the tactical identity of the club, while the appointment of European coaches in the modern era has elevated AL Ahli's continental ambitions to unprecedented heights.

AL Ahli's kits have always centred on their iconic green-and-white identity, with subtle gold trim reflecting the club's regal status. Early retro AL Ahli shirts from the 1980s featured boxy collared designs with simple horizontal striping, often produced by local manufacturers and now incredibly rare. The 1990s brought the Adidas era, with classic three-stripe sleeves and pin-stripe greens that collectors prize highly. By the 2000s, Puma, Nike and Le Coq Sportif had all taken turns producing the kit, each adding their own flourishes – sublimated patterns, gold-and-green Arabic lettering, and the iconic club crest with its globe motif. The 2012 AFC Champions League final shirt, with its chevron design and Mobily sponsorship, is one of the most coveted modern classics. Match-worn shirts featuring numbers from Mohammed Noor or imported foreign stars command serious money among collectors, particularly when paired with King Cup or Champions League patches.