Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
All good things come to those who wait, or so goes the proverb. One footballer who is familiar with this maxim is Ali Mabkhout. The 26-year-old forward has gradually developed into one of most prolific goalscorers in the United Arab Emirates and in Asia, where he finished top goalscorer at last year.
Mabkhout was born in Abu Dhabi in 1990, four months after UAE took part in the FIFA World Cup™ for the first and only time. At the age of 19, he made his UAE pro league debut with Al Jazira, in 2009. He rapidly established himself in the side and was subsequently called up to represent his country at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009.
After reaching the quarter-finals of that competition, Mabkhout continued his international apprenticeship, competing in the 2012 Men’s Olympic Football Tournament in London, prior to earning a call-up to the senior national team later that year.
“It’s such a great honour to be asked to play for the senior side,” the Emirati striker told FIFA.com. “It’s also a big responsibility, and you have to prove that you’re worthy.”
Since 2012, Mabkhout has participated in the 2013 Gulf Cup of Nations, where he scored two goals, the 2014 Gulf Cup of Nations, where he topped the scoring charts with five goals, and the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, where he again finished as top goalscorer as UAE claimed a creditable third place.
“We achieved that success with God’s help,” he said. “Every player has to set himself an objective and do everything he can to reach it. This method has helped me to make great progress over the past few years.”
At Australia 2015, Mabkhout managed to score the fastest goal in the history of the Asian Cup, just 14 seconds into UAE’s group-stage win over Bahrain. The accomplishment even saw him earn a spot in the Guinness Book of Records.