Former national team player, Rashid Abdul Rahman, who contributed to winning the “Gulf 18” title in 2007, confirmed that “Al-Abyad” is capable of winning the “Gulf 26” tournament title currently being held in Kuwait, due to the distinguished names it has, despite the absence of… Two stars in stature: striker Ali Mabkhout and playmaker Ali Saleh.
He told “Emirates Today”: “The current team’s chances are strong because of the quality of distinguished players, although it will miss the services of a specialized playmaker and an outspoken striker, because Ali Mabkhout and Ali Saleh were not called up, who are two distinguished stars and whom the team needs, but despite that we hope that the rest of the players will be able to “From creating solutions that pave the way for victory,” hoping that the current team will be able to capitalize on the available opportunities and win the championship.
He added: “Winning in (Gulf 18) means a lot to me as a player in the champion team, and it was a bright point in my football career, and it can be described as being the first birth of Emirati football at the regional and continental levels, after qualifying for the 1990 World Cup finals.”
He added: “The Gulf Championship 18 witnessed the stardom of Ismail Matar, while the 21st edition witnessed the stardom of Omar Abdul Rahman and other players, and I hope that the best players in the current tournament will be from the Emirati White.”
Rashid Abdul Rahman described the previous Gulf tournaments as “they relied a lot on team performance, so they presented many stars, and they were not limited to one player or another, which contributed to the development of football in the Arabian Gulf, in contrast to the present time in which individual performance has become the norm.” The prevailing situation is that teams rely on one or two stars to decide the result, and I do not forget that the goal scored by Ismail Matar against Oman in the (Gulf 18) final was contributed by seven to eight players.
Regarding his personal wishes that were not fulfilled when he was a player, Rashid Abdul Rahman said: “I founded and played with Al-Shaab Club, and I aspired to represent the Al-Wasl team, but that did not come true before I moved to represent the Al-Jazira team, as Al-Wasl is a big team, and it was and still is a goal for all players.” . He explained: “I also wished to play for the Egyptian Al-Ahly team, but the opportunity did not materialize. I also hope that the players of the current generation will get this opportunity.”
He concluded that he is still communicating with the players of the team that won the “Gulf 18”, including Sabit Khater, Fahd Masoud, Abdul Rahim Jumaa, Muhammad Sorour, Faisal Khalil, Bashir Saeed, and others, and meets with them to play football in small stadiums.
. I aspired to wear the Al Wasl shirt, but that did not happen.
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