Farida Hanafi

Farida Hanafi
Personal information
Full name Farida Ashraf Mohamed Hanafi
Date of birth (2005-12-07) 7 December 2005[1]
Place of birth Egypt[1]
Height 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)
Position(s)
Team information
Current team
Al-Ahli
Number 14
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2023 Al-Shabab 9 (1)
2023– Al-Ahli 37 (3)
International career
2025– Saudi Arabia 8 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals
‡ National team caps and goals as of 2 December 2025

Farida Ashraf Mohamed Hanafi (Arabic: فريدة أشرف محمد حنفي; born 7 December 2005) is an Egyptian naturalized Saudi professional footballer who plays as a defender for Saudi Women's Premier League side Al-Ahli and the Saudi Arabia national football team.

Early life

Hanafi was born into a football-loving family and was first inspired to play the sport by her older brother.[2] Supported by both parents, she trained regularly despite the absence of organized women's football in Saudi Arabia at the time. At the age of 13, she began individual training and later joined a girls' football academy, which included a development trip to Valencia, Spain.[2]

Club career

Following the establishment of the Saudi Women's Premier League, Hanafi joined the Riyadh-based club Al-Shabab.[2] The 16-year-old defender made her debut in a 2–1 victory against Al-Ahli on 19 November 2022 and scored her first and only goal for the club in a 19–0 win over Sama on 11 February 2023.

Ahead of the 2023–24 season, she moved to Al-Ahli and made her debut on 14 October 2023 in the season opener against her former club Al-Shabab. She scored her first goal for Al-Ahli on 26 January 2024 in a 5–1 victory over Al-Hilal.[3][4] On 2 September 2025, she renewed her contract until 2026.[5]

International career

After completing her naturalization and obtaining Saudi citizenship, she received her first call-up from head coach Lluís Cortés for the April training camp in Khobar. She made her senior international debut on 8 April 2025, starting in a 1–2 friendly defeat to Hong Kong.[6]

Career statistics

Club

As of 13 September 2025[1]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League SAFF Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Al Shabab 2022–23 SWPL 9 1 9 1
Al-Ahli 2023–24 SWPL 12 1 3 0 15 1
2024–25 SWPL 16 1 4 0 20 1
2025–26 SWPL 1 0 2[a] 0 3 0
Career total 38 3 7 0 1 0 47 3
Notes
  1. ^ Appearance(s) in Saudi Women's Super Cup

References

  1. ^ a b c Farida Hanafi at Soccerway. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b c al-Jidani, Riyan (27 June 2025). "Dreams Without Limits: An Interview with Farida Hanafi and Her Message to Every Saudi Girl". goal.com (in Arabic). INDIVISA. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  3. ^ "Farida Hanafi Scores Spectacular Goal for Al-Ahli Against Al-Hilal". dawrinews.com. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  4. ^ Al-Mohaimeed, Sadeem (26 January 2024). "Women's Clasico: Al-Ahli Sweep Al-Hilal with a Five-Goal Victory". arriyadiyah.com (in Arabic). Riyadh. Retrieved 18 September 2025. Al-Ahli's goals came from Farida Hanafi...
  5. ^ Al-Ahli [@ALAHLISC_LADIES] (September 2, 2025). "✍️ فريدة حنفي.. أهلاوية حتى 2026 💚" (Tweet) (in Arabic). Retrieved 18 September 2025 – via Twitter.
  6. ^ "Farida Hanafi: A New Defensive Force for Saudi Arabia Ahead of the Asian Qualifiers". kooora.com (in Arabic). 8 April 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.