Al-Hilal and Saudi Arabia striker Sami Al-Jaber has announced on Friday his retirement from professional football at the age of 35. "I decided to hang up my boots after Al-Hilal board accepted my decision although they were initially reluctant to agree on my retirement," Al-Jaber said on his official website. Al-Jaber made a huge contribution to Saudi Arabia's regular appearance in the World Cup finals. He played in the 1994 tournament in the United States and helped the country make history by reaching the second round. Al-Jaber also took part in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups before announcing his retirement from international football. However, he made a U-turn on his decision and participated in the 2006 finals. On the club level, Al-Jaber was one of very few Saudi players to play abroad as he had a brief spell with English club Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 2000/2001 season. He spent his club career in Saudi Arabia with Al-Hilal and led them to more than 28 titles and scored 280 goals.
