Ali Al-Habsi

Ali Abdullah Harib Al-Habsi (), born December 30, 1981 in Muscat) is an Omani professional association football player<!-- information about descent MUST be reliably sourced -->. He currently plays in the Premier League as a goalkeeper for Wigan Athletic, having played previously for Bolton Wanderers and Lyn Oslo.

Club career

Early years

Al-Habsi began his career at Al-Midhaibi, based in his hometown of Al-Midhaibi. After staying several years at the second-division club, Al-Habsi transferred to Omani based team, Al-Nasr, a stay which lasted only one year. During his short time with Al-Nasr, Ali helped his team win the Sultan Qaboos Cup in a final against rivals, Dhofar which ended in a 2-1 victory.

Norway

After playing a season at Al-Nasr, Ali Al-Habsi signed to Lyn Oslo, and played three seasons for the Norwegian club. Following his signing with the club, he became the first Omani to play international football in Europe. He was also voted "Norwegian Goalkeeper of the Year" in 2004.

Bolton Wanderers

His transfer from Lyn Oslo to Bolton in January 2006 was a transfer highlighted in the Stevens inquiry report, in June 2007. The report expressed concerns because of the apparent conflict of interest between agent Craig Allardyce, his...
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