Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Canberra: Widely-tipped to be one of the stars of the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015, the United Arab Emirates playmaker Omar Abdulrahman is determined to use the high expectations placed on his young shoulders to fuel his nation’s campaign in Australia, starting with victory over regional rivals Qatar on Sunday.
At 23 years old, the attacking midfielder is already considered one of Asia's most exciting talents and in 2013 was listed by FIFA as one of the most promising future stars on the continent after being named MVP following UAE’s victorious 2013 Gulf Cup campaign.
Abdulrahman continued his success in 2014 with Emirati club side Al Ain who reached the semi-final of the AFC Champions League, as well as claiming third place in the 2014 Gulf Cup with his country.
And as the creative fulcrum of Mahdi Ali’s young UAE squad, many of whom have played together through the development systems of the national team for six years or more, Abdulrahman is aware that much is expected of him at this edition of the AFC Asian Cup.
“I understand that the fans often look to me to make something happen but I don’t see it as pressure, I see it as challenge and it makes me continually want to raise my level to reach that goal they set for me,” said Abdulrahman, who also represented the UAE at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
“I always look to get even better, I forget about everything I have achieved before and always look to the future. This is the same with all the players in the UAE team, when they play well, I play well.
“If teams in Asia look up to this UAE team or when other players from other teams say that the UAE team is good, then that’s a big challenge for us to show we deserve this praise.
“Our team wants to make something new for Emirati football and in this competition we feel we can do that. We are targeting a semi-final place, but we believe we can win this tournament. But it is very much a step-by-step process; we have to focus on our first game before we think about that.”
Sunday’s opponents at Canberra Stadium, Qatar, are very familiar to Abdulrahman and his teammates, although the midfielder dismisses any significance of their last meeting: a 3-1 victory for the UAE in their opening match of the 2013 Gulf Cup.
“That meeting is the past; this Qatar team is different from the one two years ago. This Qatar team won the Gulf Cup in November in Saudi Arabia and every time we meet a Gulf team it is like a derby match,” he said.
“The Qatar team is the same level as us in terms of ability, so it’s going to be a very important meeting as this is the key for the quarter-final qualification. We are not looking to draw or simply avoid defeat, we are looking to win the game.
“It is a must for us to take one of the two places available from the group to make the knockout stages.”
Much less hype surrounded Abdulrahman’s first outing in the AFC Asian Cup when he was named in the squad for the tournament in Qatar four years ago. Then a teenager, the player made just two brief cameos as a substitute as the UAE crashed out in the group stage for a third consecutive finals.
A fourth such occurrence, though, is not on the cards.
“In 2011 I got very little time, just five minutes against DPR Korea and around 30 minutes against Iran, so I didn’t play well. But there is a huge difference between 2011 and 2015,” added Abdulrahman.
“Now I am one of the key players, not only in the UAE but also in Asia, and our fans often look to me. I and all my team-mates are expected to do well in this tournament.
“There is no single, personal target for me in Australia but I look for the group target: first beat Qatar, then make the quarter-finals, then semis, and then, well, we will see.”