Young Ali Saleh is one of the rising stars of football-mad UAE. He has quite a few firsts to his credit and is said to have a bright future in his chosen sport. Here is what we know so far about UAE's rising football star Ali Saleh, who recently won the Golden Ball award for the Best Young Player in the Arabian Gulf League.
He started playing football ever since he can remember and started his connection to the Al Wasl club by age 6 or 7. He cannot remember a time when playing football was not a part of his life. At age 13 he was benched for two years and wanted to give up on the sport he is so passionate about. However, his father convinced him not to give up and supported him throughout, in his quest to become a football player.
He was just 15 when he broke into the Al Wasl SC team at a time when the second youngest player was at least two years his senior. But he was not deterred by the fact that the other players seemed to tower over him at the time. And now Al Wasl’s youngest player has won the Golden Ball for Best Young Player in the Arabian Gulf League. For Ali Saleh, even a nomination for such an award is an honour; winning it gives him the motivation to continue to work hard and to keep striving to do better.
The success that has come his way at such a young age has been due to his family he says. The fact that his award resulted in a three-year contract with the Nike brand and for the young footballer, he hopes that this is the start of an even greater future. His success in the field of football has meant that he is himself more financially secure and is able to do things for his family that he could not do earlier.
Though Ali Saleh admits that this is not the best season for this club team, he hopes for a better future for the UAE national team. He feels that there is a good chance of the national team qualifying for the football world cup. He feels that this is all very much within reach and that this will become a reality if the national team develops the self-belief over the next three years leading up to the big event.
Do you have something interesting you would like to share? Write to us at [email protected]
