Al-Jaber - set for third World Cup finals. (Allsport)

By Ian Parkes, PA Sport

Click here for more Saudi Arabia news
Click here for more World Cup news

To Wolves fans the name of Sami Al-Jaber has probably long been forgotten, but to fanatical Saudi Arabia supporters he is just as big a hero to them as Steve Bull was at Molineux.

Al-Jaber endured an inauspicious time in the gold and black of Wolves last season, spending five months on loan with the midlands side, albeit suffering a cruel run of luck with injuries.

It led to the 29-year-old making just five appearances, including four as a sub in league matches, while he started just once in a Worthington Cup second-round first-leg defeat by Grimsby.

A chilly, late September evening at the less-than-salubrious setting of Blundell Park will have seemed a world away from Al-Jaber's homeland, where he returned at the end of last January somewhat disillusioned.

But the Black Country is now nothing but a memory for Al-Jaber as he will spearhead the Saudi bid for glory this summer in Japan and South Korea where he will carve himself a niche in World Cup history.

Striker Al-Jaber is poised to become the first Arab player to participate in three World Cup finals, with Saudi Arabia also qualifying for USA '94 and France '98.

It is a remarkable achievement for a player whose talent was first recognised at an early age, eventually joining Al Hilal at 15, finishing top goalscorer two years later when the club won the youth championship.

Al-Jaber's rapid rise to prominence was complete in 1990 when he made his debut at international level, before hero status was cemented three years on when he scored a hat-trick in a stunning 4-3 win over Iran as Saudi Arabia became the first team from the Persian Gulf to reach the World Cup Finals.

In America, and in front of a global audience, Al-Jaber then scored the only goal in a 1-0 triumph over Morocco, guaranteeing his country a place in the second round, the first Asian team to reach such a stage since North Korea in 1966.

Although scoring again in a 2-2 draw against South Africa in the final group game in France, it was the culmination of what was a turbulent campaign as the Saudi Football Federation had sacked coach Carlos Alberto after opening defeats to Denmark and the hosts.

Nasser Al-Johar was the man who took over from Alberto, as he did again in 2000 for the Asian Cup of Nations following the dismissal of Milan Macala, and for a third time during qualifying for the current World Cup when Slobodan Santrac was shown the door.

Al-Johar steered Saudi Arabia to five wins and a draw from their final six matches, including a decisive 4-1 victory over former Aston Villa star Peter Withe's Thailand, while previous group leaders Iran were being humbled by Bahrain.

Al-Jaber was again on the scoresheet from the penalty spot against the Thais to put him in dreamland as he said: "Everyone was so happy when we qualified.

"Iran had been so lucky in some of their matches. They should have lost several of the games which they eventually drew, but thankfully Bahrain did us a big favour.

"It was hard to explain the feeling when I learned we had qualified. It was a dream come true. After the game I told my team-mates to please wake me up because I thought that maybe I was dreaming.

"To play in three World Cups, it has never happened to an Arab player before."

Al-Jaber reserved significant praise for Al-Johar, who was finally confirmed in December as the man who will lead Saudi Arabia into the finals, adding: "We have many good players.

"They are players who have a lot of quality, but we needed a man who could understand them. When Nasser Al-Johar came in, he was that man."