Goalkeeper Casteels Shines in Saudi League, Aims for Repeat Performance

Koen Casteels, the Belgium national team goalkeeper, has set his sights on an even better season in the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) after a stellar debut campaign. Last year, Casteels was named the 2024-25 RSL Goalkeeper of the Year, keeping a league-leading 14 clean sheets for his club, Al Qadsiah, who finished fourth upon their return to the top flight.

Casteels, who joined Al Qadsiah from German Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg in 2024, says he felt very welcome in Saudi Arabia and that his family's happiness has allowed him to perform at his best level. The 30-year-old played all but one of Al Qadsiah's 34 RSL matches, totaling 2,970 minutes, the fourth-highest in the league.

Now, with the new season underway, Casteels is focused on building on last year's success. "Let's hope we can do the same this year," he says. "It would be very nice to get the award again because that means the team also is doing very well, is defending well together with me."

However, Casteels and Al Qadsiah have even loftier goals for the 2025-26 season, including qualifying for the prestigious AFC Champions League. "Hopefully we can give the fans a great season again. There is a lot of motivation after one year where we did well but, for example, we didn't qualify for the [AFC] Champions League [Elite]," he explains.