Top players vying for Golden Ball Award for Emiratis

dubai — Ten Emirati players are competing for the Golden Ball Award for the best Emirati player in the Arabian Gulf League Awards being organised by the Pro League Committee, with the winners being announced on May 10.

Voting for the various award categories is open through the website www.awards.agleague. ae and continues through to April 22. A three-man shortlist based on the vote results will be announced on April 23.

The nominees for the Golden Ball Award for the Best Emirati Player are: Ali Mabkhout from Al Jazira; Rayan Yaslam, Omar Abdulrahman, Ismail Ahmed and Mohannad Salem from Al Ain; Ahmed Ibrahim, Khalifa Mubarak and Mahmoud Khamis from Al Nasr; Mohammed Marzouq from Shabab Al Ahli and Salem Al Azizi from Al Wasl.

The nominees for this category were selected by the PLC based on statistics provided by its data partner Sportradar.

Technical experts, media and fans will vote on the award, with 50% weight split between coaches and captains with 25% each. Media votes are also weighted at 25%, while fans’ votes through the website count for 10% of the total weight. The remaining 15% is allocated to points calculated based on the players’ stats.

The inaugural Golden Ball award was won by Omar Abdulrahman in the 2012-13 season, and Al Ain playmaker repeated his victory in the fourth edition in 2015-16.

Al Jazira’s Ali Mabkhout won the award in 2014-15 and was also the winner last time out. Ismael Al Hammadi rounds off the list of Golden Ball winners, having been named the Best Emirati Player in 2013-14.