| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Khalifa Ayil Salim Al-Naufli | ||
| Date of birth | 1 March 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Oman | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Al-Raed | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2000–2004 | Oman Club | ? | (?) |
| 2004–2005 | Al-Riyadh | ? | (?) |
| 2005–2009 | Al-Sadd | ? | (20) |
| 2009 | Al-Ittifaq | ? | (?) |
| 2009–2010 | Al-Ahly | ? | (?) |
| 2010–2011 | Al-Kuwait | 3 | (1) |
| 2011– | Al-Raed | ||
| National team‡ | |||
| 2002– | Oman | 54 | (6) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15 July 2009. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Khalifa Ayil Salim Al-Naufli (Arabic: خليفه عايل سالم النافلي), (born 1 March 1984) is a Omani footballer who is a midfielder for Al-Raed . He is a member of the Oman national football team.
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Ayil began his career at Oman Club when he was a youngster he quickly proved to be a first team player for the club after some fantastic showings he moved to new club Al-Riyadh he continued to make some impressive appearances and was quickly sought out by Qatari club Al Sadd penning a deal a promising deal at the club.
After his impressive appearances for Al Sadd, Europe soon came calling for the Oman international at first he was wanted by Arsenal FC but Al Sadd refused to deal with the club. He then went on trial to Celta de Vigo where a potential loan deal could be sorted out.[1] Ayil fell out with the Al Sadd management and board of directors by failing to give him his dream. It was mooted around that Celta wanted to take Ayil first on loan with a view to playing him in the reserves and then consider a permanent transfer if the player was then eligible for a transfer to the Spanish club. However Ayil left Celta in August 2008 with his future very much up in the air.
On New Year's Day 2009 Ayil was arrested after partying in the early morning hours in Saudi Arabia and was under the influence of many units of alcoholic beverages before his arrest. Ayil was later cautioned and was enforced to do community service in the state.
In the summer of 2009 Khalifa Ayil joined top Saudi Arabian football team Al-Ittifaq. Ayil pushed for the move after a year previously Al Sadd refused to sell him to top European clubs. Ayil has a 'get out' clause in this contract.
Ayil is naturally a central midfielder, although he is versatile and can play as defensive cover. He is a hard working and aggressive player. Due to his agresivnes he has had a few disciplinary problems in his career. Ayil is known for his spectacular long range shooting skills which he has demonstrated for both club and country on a regular basis.
Khalifa Ayil's full name is Khalifa Ayil Salim Al-Naufli. Although his tribe name being Al-Naufli, he (like many other people in the Arab World) refer to themselves with their father's name (in Khalifa's case, it'd be Ayil) as the name that will follow their first name. Many people in the Western World are not familiar with the naming system in the Arab/Muslim World, and at times it can cause much confusion, resulting in many aliases being used.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1, 2004 | Manama, Bahrain | Latvia | 3-1 | Won | Friendly | |
| December 10, 2004 | Doha, Qatar | Iraq | 3-1 | Won | 2004 Gulf Cup of Nations | |
| February 13, 2006 | Muscat, Oman | Iraq | 1-0 | Won | Friendly | |
| November 21, 2008 | Muscat, Oman | Kenya | 2-2 | Draw | Friendly | |
| January 30, 2008 | Muscat, Oman | Kuwait | 1-1 | Draw | Friendly | |
| November 15, 2009 | Muscat, Oman | Australia | 1-2 | Loss | 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
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