It couldn't have been a better start to the season for Khalid Al Ghannam.
The exciting winger returns to Al Etifaq after spending last season on loan at Al Hilal and has been one of the standout performers in the opening rounds of the 2025-26 Shat Roshan League season.
Incidentally, the 2023-24 champions happen to face Al Ettifaq this weekend, which will undoubtedly give Al Ghannam even more motivation to perform.
His three goals and two assists so far take him joint-second in RSL goal contributions behind Al Nasr duo Joao Felix and Kingsley Coman (who both have six goals).
However, Al Ghanem ranks ahead of superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Alexandre Lacazette and even his compatriot Salem Al-Dawsari, who is now reigning AFC Asian Player of the Year again.
If need be, it serves as proof of what a new beginning can offer. Al-Etifaq does not necessarily represent a fresh start, as Al-Ghanam signed for the club in January 2024 and will spend the second half of the 2023-24 season under Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.
However, after a loan spell at Al Hilal where he made 11 appearances in the RSL, all as a substitute, with essentially no results, his return to Daman could not have come at a better time.
Born in the Eastern Province, the 24-year-old is actually a product of the “other side” of the city: he grew up in Al Qadsiah's youth academy from the age of 13, eventually making his professional debut at the age of 18.
Al Ghannam's impressive performances earned Al Nassr a big-money move, with the youngster signing a five-year contract in January 2020. Just like now at Al Ettifaq, he has made an impressive start to life in the capital, scoring four goals in his first full season.
In fact, his first two full seasons with Al Nassr (2020-21 and 2021-22) were the most consistent of his career to date: Al Ghannam made 49 appearances in the RSL, two-thirds of which were starts. In the process, he scored seven goals.
Due to Al Ghanem's outstanding performance, he received a call-up to the Saudi Arabian national team and came on as a substitute in a key FIFA World Cup qualifier against Japan at Saitama Stadium in February 2022.
Although Al-Ghanam failed to make the 23-man roster for the Qatar Global Finals, he is a rising star.
But unfortunately, that's as good as it gets. Over the next three seasons, Al Ghannam played just 23 RSL games for Al Nassr, mostly as a substitute, and also served well during a brief loan spell at Al Fateh.
He then moved to Al Ettifaq in January 2024, making six substitute appearances by the end of the campaign – a story that was repeated at Al Hilal last season.
It must be frustrating for a player with Al Garnham's talent to not be able to impact his club the way he wants. But his return to Al Ettifaq changed everything, especially working again with the coach he was familiar with in Saad Al Shehri.
Al Ghannam plays for Al Shehri for Saudi Arabia's Under-23s and has twice competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, so there is clearly a mutual understanding between the pair. This clearly proves to be beneficial.
Al Garnham primarily plays as a left winger, and the most revealing thing about his first four games is his output efficiency.
He tops Al Ettifaq's statistics in terms of passing or touching the ball, but ranks first in goals scored (3), assists (2) and big chances created (4). Additionally, he ranks second in total chances created (also known as “shot assists”) with four.
This is all due to less playing time and fewer touches compared to Spanish playmaker Alvaro Medran and captain Georginio Wijnaldum.
The numbers prove that Al Ganem doesn’t need too many balls to make an impact. Whether it's the timing of his runs or his ability to be in the right place at the right time, he reads the game so well that he impacts the game whenever he gets the chance.
This sums up his career so far: When he was trusted and offered the chance to start, Al Garnham jumped at the opportunity. Four game weeks into the 2025-26 season, that's exactly what he's doing again, just in time for former employer Al Hilal to come to town on Saturday.