Three footballers battle for Golden Ball award
dubai — Competition for the Golden Ball Award for the Best Emirati Player has reached its peak as Al Ain duo Omar Abdulrahman and Rayan Yaslam and Al Jazira ace Ali Mabkhout battle it out in the final stage. Mabkhout had won the award in 2016-17 and Abdulrahman was the recipient of the 2015-16 award, meanwhile, Yaslam is on the shortlist for the first time in his career.
Omar Abdulrahman
Al Ain and the UAE national team captain Omar Abdulrahman needs no introduction. The playmaker has been strutting his stuff in Arabian Gulf League pitches for ten season, during which he was an unrivalled influence on the performances of Al Ain club as they collected four Arabian Gulf League titles, allowing them to retain the shield permanently.
The 2017-18 season was no exception for Abdulrahman, who despite a raft of injuries, was crucial to his side’s success, finding the back of the net against rivals Al Wahda, Al Jazira and Al Wasl.
The Al Ain talisman made 17 appearances this season out of a possible 22, starting 13 and coming on as a sub on four occasions. During that period, he netted five goals and provided four assists. Abdulrahman collected four yellow cards and no red cards. Rayan Yaslam Young Rayan Yaslam made his stamp on this season’s Arabian Gulf League, registering 16 starts for Al Ain as well as four appearances off the bench, missing only two fixtures. Yaslam played a total of 1443 minutes in the league.
The midfielder’s style is characterised with a high level of discipline, evident by the fact he did not receive a single card all season despite the combative nature of his position. The youngster was also influential in attack, scoring four times and assisting three goals. His high performance levels earned him the trust of the national team boss Alberto Zaccheroni. Yaslam is certainly one of the future, aged just 24.
Ali Mabkhout
The reigning Golden Ball holder for Emirati Player of the Year had led his side to the league title in 2016-17 scoring 33 goals. This time around, Al Jazira drifted away from the title race, but Mabkhout remained among the competition’s top scorers, netting 13 goals and creating further two, to top the list of Emirati scorers.
The Al Jazira man is one of just three players who have scored a 100 goals in the professional era which started in 2008-09. Mabkhout also holds the record for most goals scored in a single season with 33.