In 2005, Al-Qahtani moved to
Al-Hilal from
Al-Qadisiyah for a reported £2.5 million transfer fee. After leading Saudi Arabia to the finals of the
2007 AFC Asian Cup as one of the tournament's top scorers, Al-Qahtani won the
Asian Footballer of the Year award. He went on trial at
Manchester City in December. In 2011, struggling for form following injuries and having lost his place in the Al-Hilal starting lineup, Al-Qahtani joined
United Arab Emirates club
Al Ain on a season-long loan. There he contributed to the club's first league title since 2004, scoring 7 goals in 15 league appearances, and 12 goals in a total of 26 games across all competitions. Having regained his form, he returned to Al-Hilal after the loan spell ended. Coached by
Sami Al-Jaber and
Laurențiu Reghecampf, Al-Qahtani reached the finals of the
2014 AFC Champions League with Al-Hilal where his team finished runners up losing to
Western Sydney Wanderers in the final 1–0 on aggregate. ==International career==