Saudi striker al-Muwallad in intensive care after falling off balcony

Saudi international striker Fahad al-Muwallad has been placed in intensive care after plummeting off the balcony of his residence in Dubai, Saudi and Emirati authorities said Sunday.

The 30-year-old, who played in the 2018 World Cup but was withdrawn from the 2022 squad due to a doping ban, fell from his second-storey flat while on holiday in the emirate according to the Dubai government media office

It added Muwallad as a result was “in intensive care at a hospital in Dubai”.

The Saudi consulate in Dubai confirmed in a statement on X early Sunday it was informed of an “accident at (Muwallad’s) private residence… on Thursday”.

The consulate “is following the investigations conducted with the police” in Dubai, it said in a statement posted on X.

Muwallad plays for Saudi side Al-Shabab, whose captain travelled to Dubai to check on Muwallad’s condition, the club said.

Saudi newspaper Al-Madina meanwhile pointed to “criminal suspicions”, citing “informed sources”.

Before joining Al-Shabab, the striker played for Jeddah’s Al-Ittihad and enjoyed a successful international career, scoring 17 goals in 74 international matches.

He has, though, also had a chequered career in terms of doping, serving two bans.

The first in May 2019 and the latest between March 2022 and September 2023, after testing positive for furosemide, a diuretic that masks the presence of anabolic steroids and is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Osimhen loan move not entirely football related – Hamsik

Former Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik has suggested that Victor Osimhen’s loan move from the club to Galatasaray is not an entirely football-related transfer, adding that he feels sorry the Nigeria international left Diego Armando Maradona Stadium,.

Osimhen joined Galatasaray on a season-long loan after failed moves to Chelsea and Saudi giants Al Ahli on transfer deadline day.

The loan deal is without an option to buy, while the 25-year-old is also said to have signed a contract extension with Napoli until 2027.

The 25-year-old was frozen out of Napoli’s squad after his failed transfer, with the Galatasaray move offering him a route back to first-team football.

In place of Osimhen, Napoli secured the services of Romelo Lukaku, and Hamsik believes the club’s transfer dealings have been convincing.

“I’m sorry Osimhen left, but it’s probably not entirely related to football,” he said.

“I am not involved in this, and Napoli signed a valuable replacement. Lukaku is a top striker and can easily score 20 goals.”

Osimhen signed a contract extension with the Italian club last December through 2026 with a reported release clause of €130m.

Osimhen was the subject of considerable transfer interest from around Europe this summer, but Chelsea’s and Paris Saint-Germain’s attempts to sign the forward fell through.

The player was also heavily linked with Al Ahli, with sources telling ESPN that Napoli had accepted an €80m offer from the Saudi Pro League side, but Osimhen expressed doubts about leaving European football.

Napoli also requested an additional €5m, which infuriated the Saudi Arabians.

*Beyond The Glitters: Primate Ayodele’s Prophetic Advice To Victor Osimhen In 2023

Nigerian super footballer, Victor Osimhen has no doubt had a very successful career so far, he has been regarded as the king of football especially at his club in Napoli.

Osimhen’s career has continued to grow bigger, with notable awards like African Footballer of the Year, confirming his status as one of Nigeria’s greatest football exports.

2023 marked the biggest year of Victor Osimhen’s career in Napoli and Africa but in the midst of the glitters that came in the form of international awards and trophies, there was Primate Ayodele’s prophecy foretelling an unpleasant moment for the player of the moment in 2023.

It didn’t make so much sense that someone with such success in his career would come across any challenge regarding his football career anytime soon but Primate Ayodele spoke about him facing challenges and revealing that the challenges he would face will make him leave his club, Napoli.

He warned that there will be ups and downs for Victor Osimhen if he remains in Napoli.

These were his words,

‘’Osimhen will leave his club because he will face several challenges and he must pray that he can still have the ability to score, he must look at it properly. I will tell Osimhen to leave Napoli to the next place so that things can change for him. If he still stays in Napoli, there will be ups and down.’’

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMrENBmX9/

One year after Osimhen’s glittering career in Napoli, he suddenly went from a hero status to becoming unwanted at his club not because of his performances but for some management issues.

The last two weeks have been frustrating for Victor Osimhen; He had offers to move to Chelsea FC but was required to take a pay cut. Fortunately, Al Ahli FC in Saudi Arabia offered to sign him for a huge amount of money but somehow, his club reneged on their agreement and the deal was off. It would have been a massive turnaround for Osimhen’s career but the deal was frustrated. At the time the Al Ahli’s deal got closed, Chelsea FC had already decided not to proceed with their deal too.

The major embarrassing thing was that Osimhen had already been left out from Napoli’s squad, with his shirt number reportedly given to another player, He will have to wait till January before stepping on the field again if he remained at Napoli.

In the end, He had to settle for a loan deal with Galatasaray S.K till January when he will be able to move to his desired club again.

No doubt, Osimhen’s travails in the last few days are exactly a representation of Primate Ayodele’s prophetic warnings.