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Grafite: I will miss out on playing in a huge game

As we prepare to raise the curtain on the 2013/2014 football season in spectacular fashion with the Arabian Gulf Super Cup match between Al Ain and Al Ahli on Friday, everyone is eager to see who will take the first trophy of the campaign. We caught up with Al Ahli Club captain Grafite at the pre-season training base in Seefeld, Austria to preview the match he wishes he didn’t have to watch from the stands…

Graffa, how has pre-season been for you?
Pre-season has been good and very strong. Cosmin has been working us very hard, both with physical training and technique and I think we’re all prepared to have a good season ahead, especially starting with the Super Cup game against Al Ain on Friday.

Which, unfortunately, you’re suspended for…
Yes, oh my goodness, again! I’m so upset to miss out on this huge game. But I trust in my partners, my teammates, and we have new players too now like Ciel and Hugo Viana and I think our team is very strong and we can win this game. I trust in their abilities even though I won’t be on the pitch to help them.

But you’ll be there to watch, of course?
For sure I’ll be there. To be honest I don’t like to be in the stadium watching the game because I want to be on the pitch playing! But I need to be there because my presence as the Club Captain might help to give some extra power and motivation to the players. I must be there to support my partners, my teammates, and of course I will be there for all of them even though it will be hard for me not to be involved on the field. I made a mistake in the final of the President’s Cup and now I must pay for it… This is football, and this is life.

It’s even more of a shame that you’ll miss out on what is set to be such a huge game…
Yes, especially because it is against Al Ain! Because last year I scored five times against them and our rivalry between our teams keeps getting bigger and stronger. I really wish I could play in this game; when Al Ahli and Al Ain meet it is the most talked-about match in the UAE these days, but hopefully next time I will be able to play.

You mentioned a couple of the new signings already – how have they been settling in, and are you looking forward to see them make their debuts in the Arabian Gulf Super Cup?
They’ve all been doing really well. Hugo Viana is a very good player who has played many years in the European leagues and he brings great quality to our midfield, and Humaid Abbas, who we signed from Al Nasr, also adds experience of the UAE league to our midfield. In Ciel we add another very strong player to our attack, and someone who has good experience of this league already, so to bring him in alongside Ahmed Khalil, Ismaeel Al Hammadi and I think I can include myself in this list also…it makes our front line very powerful. I think we had a strong base from last year already but to add two or three strong new players will just make us even better. Of course I hope to see all my teammates – new and old – do well in the game on Friday.

Who do you think is the main threat for Al Ain?
Well they have Asamoah Gyan; for the last two years I’ve been behind him on the top scorers list and he is an amazing striker. I like him a lot as a player; I like his style and the way he makes it look so easy to score, even though it is really not easy, for him it just looks natural. He’s a really great striker but I hope he will not score on Friday, and I hope I can try my best to compete against Gyan in the League to get the golden boot at the end of the season too!

What are your personal targets for the season ahead?
Obviously I want my team to win as much as we can, starting with the Arabian Gulf Super Cup. We will be fighting for the Arabian Gulf League, for the League Cup and also in the AFC Champions League, which for me will be the first time – I played in the UEFA Champions League in Europe but never in Asia before. For me, every year I want to improve on what I achieved the year before. I have a target in my head this year to score more goals to help my team this season, and of course personally I would love to win top scorer too but my main objective is to help my team. I’m also starting the season carrying the title of the League’s International Player of the Year, which adds one more responsibility for me. When you win a title like this you have to carry the responsibility and defend the status by displaying good performances on the pitch and good behaviour on and off the field. I’m very happy to carry this title but again, my main objective is to help my team to succeed.

Any final words before Friday’s big match?
I hope it will be a good game and I hope for once I will enjoy watching my team win from the stands!

 

If you would like to watch the Arabian Gulf Super Cup from the stands at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium like Graffa, a limited number of tickets are still available for purchase from Al Jazira Club. Kick-off 7:25pm, Friday 30th August 2013.