Al Ain midfielder, international Yahya Nader, confirmed that although his career with the team began during reaching the final of the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup against Real Madrid, last season, in which he won the AFC Champions League with “Al Zaeem”, was the best for him, because the title had its own flavour.
“Last season was the best ever for me with Al Ain Club, and although it was my first appearance with the team, I reached the Club World Cup final, but winning the AFC Champions League title has a special flavour,” Nader said in press statements published by Al Ain Club on its YouTube account, commenting on a question about his best season since joining Al Ain.
The international player explained that the reason why the Asian title is special is that “it has been absent from the team’s coffers for about 21 years, and the first and last versions of it are now registered in Al Ain’s name for history. Given these factors, I believe it is the best season, in addition to the excitement of the competition in which we beat the strongest teams on the continent. This championship also led us to compete in two international competitions, in addition to the AFC Champions League for the elite, as we are champions of the (Asian).”
Regarding the experience of the 2018 Club World Cup and returning to it again in 2025, he said: “Reality confirms that the 2025 World Cup is different from 2018, and we are capable of reaching advanced stages in this competition, because Al Ain is one of the best clubs in the Asian continent.”
Regarding Al Ain’s appearance with two faces last season during its local participation and the Asian Championship, he said: “The competition situation forced us to focus on a specific goal, especially since the team last season started with a different training school than the current one, and the decline in our local results was due to the focus on the (Asian) championship, because the incentives were not at the level of the continental championship. We achieved the league championship a lot, but the Champions League is different, and we are happy that we were successful in winning the title.”
Commenting on the most important scenes that remained in his memory in the AFC Champions League competition that Al Ain achieved, he said: “The scenes that will remain in the memory are the two second leg matches against Al Nassr and Al Hilal in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In the first match, the scenario of the match was abnormal. We took the lead and then fell behind, and the referee awarded a penalty kick before the match went to extra time and we resorted to penalty kicks. It was a match of nerves in every sense of the word. As for the match against Al Hilal in the Kingdom, I felt at the time that the tournament was Al Ain’s due to the team spirit and the players’ desire to continue playing despite the injuries. These two matches and the reactions that accompanied them before, during and after their end will remain in the memory.”
Rabat camp
The Al Ain midfielder confirmed that the atmosphere of the Rabat camp is ideal and positive, stating: “This is the first time that we have performed the preparation phase that precedes the start of the football season in an Arab country, and we are truly fortunate to live this experience in one of the best training complexes in the world: the Mohammed VI Football Complex, which is equipped with all the arrangements for performing intensive training doses in two periods, morning and evening.”
Crespo effect
He explained that the influence of the Argentine coach Hernan Crespo is very great, noting that he is one of the coaches who instills enthusiasm in the players. He said: “He motivates the players in extraordinary ways, which we experience during training sessions and meetings. When he took over the task of coaching the team, he reminded us of the finals we lost last season, and he stressed to everyone that we are a great team and that we are required to make up for it with a bigger championship, which helped us overcome the finals we lost in a row before reaching the AFC Champions League final.”
I miss the most expensive cups
Yahya Nader expressed his hope to win the President’s Cup with Al Ain, as it is the only title he has not won with “Al Zaeem”. He said: “Al Ain’s goal every season is to compete for all titles, and on a personal level I hope to win all titles, but I am eager to win the President’s Cup title, as it is the only title I have not won.”
Yahya Nader:
• Crespo had a great impact on Al Ain players and on the team’s victory in the AFC Champions League.
• “Al-Zaeem” is capable of reaching advanced stages in the Club World Cup.
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