Tariq Al-Sadi

Tariq Al-Sadi
Al-Sadi in 2026
Personal information
Full name Tariq Khalifa Salim Al-Sadi[1]
Date of birth (2006-07-27) 27 July 2006[2]
Place of birth Oman
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 Leyton Orient
Number 35
Youth career
2014–2016 Muscat Football Academy
2016–2017 Birmingham City
2017–2018 Aston Villa
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Langley
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023 Langley 13 (3)
2023–2024 Southall 5 (0)
2024 Leyton Orient 0 (0)
2024–2025 Sant Andreu 0 (0)
2026– Leyton Orient 0 (0)
International career‡
2025– Oman 2 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:04, 7 August 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 12:47, 7 August 2026 (UTC)

Tariq Khalifa Salim Al-Sadi (Arabic: طارق بن خليفة السعدي; born 27 June 2006) is an Omani footballer who plays as a forward for EFL League One club Leyton Orient.

Club career

Early life

Al-Sadi first took an interest in football at the age of three, and at the age of six, his father moved him from Suwayq to Oman's capital, Muscat to pursue a career in the sport.[3] He played for a number of academies, before settling at the Muscat Football Academy, where he stayed for two years, competing in international tournaments and winning individual awards for his performances.[3][4] These performances reportedly attracted the attention of Emirati side Al-Wasl.[4]

Early career

At the age of nine, Al-Sadi travelled to England, going on trial with professional sides Birmingham City and Fulham.[3] After impressing at both, he returned for a second trial with Birmingham City in January 2016, and in July of the same year, his family moved to England, and he began formally training with the West Midlands side.[3] His father states that he sold "everything he owned" to move to England two years after his son.[3]

After six months training with Birmingham City, the club informed Al-Sadi's family that the FA refused to register him due to his young age and status as a non-British citizen.[3] He continued to train with the youth sides, but after the club's appeals to the FA were unsuccessful, he went to Manchester City, who were reportedly ready to sign him without taking him on trial, until the FA stepped in and issued the club a warning.[3]

In June 2017, he competed in Chelsea's "Asian Star" initiative, winning a special award in the under-11 category.[5] In December of the same year, Al-Sadi signed for Aston Villa on a three-year deal.[3][4][6] During his time with Aston Villa, he was invited to join French club Lens and Belgian side Anderlecht.[3]

After only a year with Aston Villa, his family asked to cancel the contract prematurely, with the aim of moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers.[3] While at Wolverhampton Wanderers, he applied to register with the FA, having resided in England for five years.[3]

Langley and Southall

In October 2022, while playing for Langley, he went on trial with Chelsea, featuring on the bench for the club's under-18 side.[7] Having returned to Langley, he would make his senior debut in the Combined Counties Football League Division One on 28 January 2023, coming on as a substitute for Celeany Filho in a 5–1 win against Bagshot. The following season, he was playing for Southall in the Isthmian League.[8]

Leyton Orient

Al-Sadi joined the academy of League One club Leyton Orient at the age of seventeen in January 2024.[9] Despite the club offering him a professional contract once he turned eighteen, The Football Association's regulations on work permits for foreign players prevented him from being registered.[9] As a result, he spent the 2024–25 season with Spanish club Sant Andreu, where he featured for their academy in the Liga Nacional – Spain's second division for youth clubs.[1][9]

He returned to England, and was involved in Leyton Orient's pre-season preparation; notching an assist in the club's 4–1 win against Enfield Town on 10 July 2026.[10] The next day, he was included in the travelling squad to Leyton Orient's training camp in Spain.[11] He scored the first goal in Leyton Orient's 2–0 win against Lincoln City on 18 July.[12] On 2 August 2026, after successfully applying for a work permit, Leyton Orient announced that Al-Sadi had signed for the club on a short-term contract until February 2027.[12][13]

International career

Called up to the Oman squad for the first time in May 2025, Al-Sadi marked his senior international debut with a goal against Niger; after cutting in from the right, he was tripped by a Niger defender inside the box, and went on to score the resulting penalty kick.[14]

Style of play

Muscat Football Academy founder, Chuck Martini - a Moroccan former goalkeeper, described Al-Sadi as a "little Messi", noted for his tricks and skills, as well as his goalscoring ability.[4]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 13 May 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Langley 2022–23 CCFL Division One 133004[a]1174
2023–24 00001[b]010
Total 1330051184
Southall 2023–24 Isthmian League South Central 50000050
Leyton Orient 2023–24 EFL League One 00000000
Career total 1830051234
  1. ↑ Two appearances and one goal in the CCFL Division One playoffs, two appearances in the CCFL Division One Challenge Cup
  2. ↑ Appearances in the FA Vase

International

As of matches played 7 August 2026[15]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Oman 202521
Total21

International goals

Scores and results list Oman’s goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Al-Sadi goal.
List of international goals scored by Tariq Al-Sadi
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
120 May 2025Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat, Oman Niger1–04–1Friendly

References

  1. 1 2 Tariq Al-Sadi at LaPreferente.com (in Spanish)
  2. ↑ "Tariq Khalifa Al-Sadi". langley-fc.com. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "طارق السعدي .. موهبة عُمانية تضع بصمتها الكروية في الملاعب الإنجليزية" [Tariq Al-Sadi... an Omani talent that makes its mark in English stadiums]. omandaily.om (in Arabic). 4 July 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Omani Messi? MFA player Tariq signs for Aston Villa". timesofoman.com. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  5. ↑ Trehan, Dev (4 June 2017). "Chelsea legend Tore Andre-Flo hopes South Asian player makes Premier League breakthrough". skysports.com. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  6. ↑ "مدرّبه السابق يروي حكايته السعدي.. موهوب عُماني يقتحم الملاعب الإنجليزية" [His former coach tells Al-Saadi's story.. Omani talent storms English stadiums]. shabiba.com (in Arabic). 7 December 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  7. ↑ "West Bromwich Albion U18 1–2 Chelsea U18". soccerway.com. 29 October 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  8. ↑ "Southall — Appearances — Tariq al-sadi". footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  9. 1 2 3 "طارق السعدي.. رحلة صبر قادته إلى إنجلترا من جديد عبر بوابة ليتون أورينت" [Tariq Al-Sadi... A journey of patience that led him back to England through the Leyton Orient gateway]. Oman Daily (in Arabic). 7 August 2026. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Match Report: Enfield Town 1-4 Leyton Orient". www.leytonorient.com. 10 July 2026. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "O's squad jet out to Spain for pre-season tour". www.leytonorient.com. 11 July 2026. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
  12. 1 2 "Orient welcome Tariq Al Sadi". www.leytonorient.com. 2 August 2026. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  13. ↑ "Tariq Al Sadi signs for Leyton Orient on a short-term contract". BBC Sport. 3 August 2026. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "نجوم منتخب عُمان: هذه شروط الفوز على الأردن" [Omani national team stars: These are the conditions for victory over Jordan]. winwin.com (in Arabic). 21 May 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  15. ↑ Tariq Al-Sadi at National-Football-Teams.com
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