Salman Isa

Salman Isa
Personal information
Full name Salman Isa Ghuloom
Date of birth July 12, 1977
Place of birth Bahrain
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position Wingback
Club information
Current club Al-Arabi
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–1998 Madinat Isa
1998–2004 Al Riffa
2005– Al-Arabi 67 (9)
National team
2001– Bahrain 105 (15)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17/10/2011.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17/10/2011

Salman Isa Ghuloom, known to many as just Salman Isa, is a Bahraini footballer that plays as a winger or a wingback. He is currently contracted by Al Arabi of Qatar. It is most probable that he will return to Bahrain with his former Club Al Riffa.

Contents

World Cup Qualifiers

Salman is most famous for scoring for Bahrain in the Asia-Concacaf playoff qualifier for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany against Trinidad and Tobago. In doing so he gave Bahrain the lead, playing away at Port of Spain in the first leg. That gave Bahrain the advantage to qualify for the World Cup, but Trinidad's Chris Birchall equalized to end the match. In the 2nd Leg in Bahrain Dennis Lawrence scored to give Trinidad and Tobago the win and help them qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, for the first time in their history.

Club career

Ghuloom has played for a number of clubs during his footballing career. At 28 he is a very experienced footballer. Ghuloom started his career at small first division (the 2nd tier of Bahraini football) club Isa Town or Madinat Isa. This club produced former Bahrain national team captain, and Ghuloom's teammate, Talal Yousif. Ghuloom's excellent performance for the club prompted one of the three big Bahraini clubs, Al Riffa to sign him along with Isa Town teammate Talal Yousef. After signing for Al Riffa he made a huge impact helping them to the Bahraini Premiership title in 2002-2003. During his time at Al Riffa he played under Bahraini Manager Riyadh Al Thawadi who would go on to manage the Bahrain national team for one match against Kuwait. Salman Isa plays his trade for Al-Arabi of Qatar currently and is one of the most consistent players at the club.

Asian Cup 2004

In 2004 Bahrain qualified for the 2004 AFC Asian Cup in China. Although Salman missed the many games of the tournament due to injury, he still managed to play a few matches in Bahrain's run to the Semi Finals. After the Asian Cup, most of the members of the national team were signed by big Qatari clubs such as Al Gharafa, Al Arabi, and Al Rayyan. Team players such as Mohamed Ahmed Salmeen and Alaa Hubail moved on to Qatar. While others like Talal Yousif for instance decided to move to Kuwait. After this The Bahraini Premiership appeared to have lost some of its most important players. Although the loss of many national team members meant the rise of Salman.

Glory Days

Ghuloom is known for his hardworking and tireless displays on the wing, but as Talal Yousif who was deployed as a more offensive player for Al Riffa left for Kuwait SC, Riyadh Al Thawadi decided to push Ghuloom upfield and play him as a Forward. This decision proved to be vital as Ghuloom scored 15 goals leaving him as the league top scorer. Ghuloom's amazing form also helped Al Riffa to the 2004-2005 league championship and the Crown Prince Cup. In which Ghuloom scored in the final. Ghuloom's best for the national team came in the 2004 Gulf Arabian Cup in Qatar. Ghuloom scored and amazing goal in the historic 3-0 win over Bahrain's fierce rivals and neighbors the more famous Saudi Arabia. Ghuloom's hardworking ethics paid off as Bahrain again qualified for the semi finals although they were sadly knocked out by Oman. Nevertheless, Bahrain still finished in third place. After the 2004-2005 season Ghuloom's amazing displays prompted Al Arabi of Qatar, where fellow national team player and captain Mohamed Salmeen plays, to sign Ghuloom from then Bahraini champions Al Riffa. At Al Riffa Ghuloom was a cult hero and fans referred to him as "AL JANAH AL TAER" which means the flying wing, for his speady runs through the wings. At Al Arabi, Ghuloom continued to display good form although there he was being used mostly as a defender or wing back. Till today Salman Isa is defending the colors of Al-Arabi and is the captain of the club.

National team career statistics

Goals for Senior National Team

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
December 17, 2004 Doha, Qatar  Saudi Arabia 3-0 Won 2004 Gulf Cup of Nations
August 17, 2005 Manama, Bahrain  North Korea 2-3 Lost 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
November 15, 2006 Manama, Bahrain  Kuwait 2-1 Won 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification
July 15, 2007 Jakarta, Indonesia  South Korea 2-1 Won 2007 AFC Asian Cup Group Stage
October 16, 2007 Al Muharraq, Bahrain  Libya 2-0 Won Friendly
October 16, 2007 Al Muharraq, Bahrain  Libya 2-0 Won Friendly
March 4, 2008 Doha, Qatar  Qatar 2-1 Won Friendly
June 2, 2008 Bangkok, Thailand  Thailand 3-2 Won 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
June 7, 2008 Manama, Bahrain  Thailand 1-1 Draw 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
August 20, 2008 Manama, Bahrain  Burkina Faso 3-1 Won Friendly
September 6, 2008 Manama, Bahrain  Japan 2-3 Lost 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification
December 29, 2008 Manama, Bahrain  Syria 2-2 Draw Friendly
January 21, 2009 Hong Kong, Hong Kong  Hong Kong 3-1 Won 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification
January 28, 2009 Manama, Bahrain  Japan 1-0 Won 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification
August 31, 2009 Manama, Bahrain  Iran 4-2 Won Friendly
October 8, 2010 Kuwait City, Kuwait  Kuwait 3-1 Won Friendly
December 25, 2010 Dubai, UAE  Uzbekistan 1-1 Draw Friendly