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Omar Abdulrahman: A Humble Hero

Following his starring role in the UAE’s recent Gulf Cup triumph, and continuing to turn out consistently excellent performances for his club, Al Ain, it is little wonder that Omar Abdulrahman has caught the attention of some of the big boys on the world football stage. The 21-year-old has earned plaudits for his glittering talent from far and wide, but fans of Al Ain and the Etisalat Pro League need not worry for now, as the player affectionately known as ‘3amoory’ is firmly focused on his current club. Speaking at a press conference held at Al Ain, Omar Abdulrahman revealed that he turned down the opportunity of a loan move to Portuguese giants Benfica in January.

“Yes, I’ve had an offer of a one-year contract [at Benfica] but the priority remains with Al Ain because we are determined to win every championship we are taking part in,” Abdulrahman told the assembled media. “I’m happy because Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed Bin Khaled, Chairman of Al Ain FC's Board of Directors, trusts me fully that I can lead Al Ain to trophies. I am still young. I still have a future and later in the future I will see if I can get other offers but for now I am thinking only about making Al Ain fans, the people of Al Ain and making the nation proud.” Benfica’s offer is not the only European interest to have been expressed in the skilful playmaker, as both Hamburg of the German Bundesliga and Manchester City of the English Premier League have had the UAE star on their radars for a while now, with Abdulrahman spending two weeks on trial with the reigning Premier League champions during the summer; an opportunity he expressed his gratitude for.

“I thank Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain Club President, Sheikha Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Al Ain Club First Deputy President, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, for giving me the chance to train with Manchester City. This is an honour for any player in the world - not only for me - to train with this team, the Champions of the Premier League,” Abdulrahman enthused. “It was hard to train with the players who won the English title. It was a dream to train with them but I came through it and I made so much of that short period, not only on the field but off it; of the whole experience.” Unfortunately for Abdulrahman, but fortunately for his UAE-based fans, strict UK work permit regulations did not enable the young talent to make a permanent switch to the Premier League on this occasion, however he remains hopeful that this stumbling block will be overcome in future. “I didn’t have the chance to continue in Manchester because the rules of the Premier League didn’t allow a player from the UAE to sign, but I will do the best with the UAE national team to elevate the ranking of UAE football and one day be able to join one of these teams,” he explained.

Despite all the attention and the accolades, Omar Abdulrahman has kept a level head on his very young shoulders, and his modesty is evident for all to see. Having recently been voted the Best Player in Asia by ESPN, the precociously talented playmaker humbly denies that he is even the best player in the country. “It honours me that I am one of the best players in the UAE - not the best - one of,” he said. “I will do my best to serve the development of UAE football with national team and Al Ain, and this gives me more responsibility for the future.” He also insists that he has not stolen the limelight from UAE hero Ismail Matar, and that the player he has idolised can still offer a great deal to the nation. “Ismail is a unique player in UAE football,” he explained. “For me, I have not taken over or snatched the light from Ismail because Ismail is an excellent player. I wished to play with him and I did at the Olympics and Gulf Cup. It’s true Ismail didn’t play all the matches [in Bahrain], but he was instructing the players with coach Mahdi.” Matar has been a big influence and source of inspiration for Abdulrahman, with his words of advice motivating the starlet to achieve further successes. “After the Gulf Cup experience, Ismail spoke with me and said this is not the end here, think about the future. So I carry these words with a big value, and I find myself on this path because of the assistance of Allah, my family’s wishes and Ismail’s directions,” he said.

Turning his attention to another tournament, this time for club and not country, Abdulrahman looked ahead to Al Ain’s Group D opener in the AFC Champions League on Wednesday night, as they welcome Saudi giants Al Hilal to the Tahnon Bin Mohamed Stadium. “There is no doubt that it will be a difficult and important match for both sides,” he anticipated. “We will do our best to get a positive outcome and leave the Al Ain and UAE football fans happy. We are at the peak of our technical and physical readiness for the game.” Commenting on Al Ain Head Coach Cosmin Olaroiu’s admission that he may rotate the squad for the AFC Champions League match with a view to the top-of-the-table clash against Al Jazira in the Etisalat Pro League at the weekend, Abdulrahman insisted that the quality of the team will not be affected by any changes in personnel. “All players at Al Ain are essential to the squad and have the confidence of the Coach, so none can be called ‘understudies’ because of the level of technical ability they all possess.” He also insists that the players are not distracted by the massive League game against Al Jazira in Round 18, and are focusing on each match one at a time.

The AFC Champions League tie with Al Hilal will see Abdulrahman come up against an old friend in the form of former Al Ain striker Yasser Al-Qahtani, but the UAE man says there will be no love lost between the pair. “He is a dear friend but our relationship pauses the minute we enter the field of play against one another, until returning back to normal after the final whistle,” he explained. And Abdulrahman is confident that the current crop of Al Ain stars have what it takes to go all the way in the competition, as the previous generation did in 2003. “I don’t see that there is a difference between the two generations, as both have achieved a number of accomplishments for Al Ain Club” he said. Abdulrahman will hope that his side can get off to winning ways on Wednesday, as he looks to add more silverware to his already decorated trophy cabinet.