Brazilian forward Ailton Almeida has said it has been a “strange” but successful season at Al Jazira after joining the Arabian Gulf League champions on the final day of last year’s summer transfer window.
Deadline day
Almeida had a year left on his two-year contract with Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal when a second round of talks was held on the final day of the 2016 summer transfer window. But within a matter of hours, he had signed to join the Abu Dhabi club.
“Jazira had more than a month to sign a new player, but they couldn’t find the right player until the last day of the transfer window,” Almeida said after Wednesday’s 1-0 league win over Al Nasr.
‘Everything changed’
The 32-year-old striker said it all happened so quickly. “It has been a strange season for me,” he said. “I was preparing for my second season at Hilal. Then suddenly everything changed on the final day of the AGL’s transfer market. I had the chance to move to Jazira.”
Playing out of position
If the sudden move was not enough, Almeida was asked by manager Henk ten Cate to play out of position on the wing. To his credit, not only did he accept his new role he also did his bit to help Jazira win only their second league title last week.
“When I arrived at Jazira, I was made to play in a position that I never played before,” he said. “My original position was No 9 striker, but when I came here, the coach wanted me to play on the outside.”
‘A big achievement’
It is a responsibility the Brazilian said he enjoyed.
“This was a big achievement for me. It was a little bit strange at the beginning because I always stayed close to the area looking for chances, but when I played on the sides, it was like using more speed and feeding the ball inside the area,” he said.
‘Very, very happy’
Almeida was philosophical about his first season at Jazira. “Everything that happened had a reason,” he said. “I came here and won the league title. Obviously I’m feeling great and very, very proud of the team, and very, very happy to be the champions in my first season at the club.”
apassela@thenational.ae
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Nutritional yeast
This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.
Seeds
"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."
Umami flavours
"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".
Onions and garlic
"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."
Your grain of choice
Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."
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