When Ahmed Alaaeldin finished as top scorer with six goals at the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship, there were hopes that he could be the next big thing for Qatar.

Unfortunately for him, and for Qatar, that has not quite materialised as expected. Regardless, he has persevered at club level and remained in contention whenever a national team coach started to think of options in attack. An industrious player who can be used across the offensive line, Ahmed’s best years came at Al-Gharafa over the past decade.

The summer of 2025 saw him return to his childhood club Al-Rayyan, and went on to help the club break their title drought with victories in the QSL Cup and the AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League.

While Ahmed missed the decisive playoffs on the road to the 2026 World Cup, he has featured in the preparations since then, and scored Qatar’s lone goal in the dismal Arab Cup campaign at home.