Equally fascinating and frustrating: Ahmed Khalil has sparked Al Ahli’s run to President’s Cup final

The striker may be only 23 years old but he has gone from local rising star to Asia’s hottest prospect and then became his national team’s most dependable goalscorer, writes John McAuley.

Ahmed Khalil, right, of Al Ahli in action during their Asian Champions League football match against Al Ain at Rashid Stadium in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Ahmed Khalil is UAE football’s great enigma – infuriating one minute, inspired the next.

The Al Ahli striker may be only 23 years old, but he has already squeezed what seems a lifetime of experiences into his career, from local rising star to Asia’s hottest prospect, to his national team’s most dependable goalscorer.

Most of his highlights coexist with high points for the country; through prolific stints at various age-group tournaments, Khalil has long established his reputation on the international stage.

For club he typically sports two distinctly different guises: at times capable of bulldozing brilliance, all too often culpable for bouts of bewildering impotence.

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In 24 league matches for Ahli this season, Khalil scored five goals and attracted the ire of the Rashid Stadium crowd.

Yet he has also spurred his club, supplying Ahli’s greatest moments of 2015. His sense of timing, just like when representing the national team, has been a key feature to his recent rude health.

Ahli would not be on course for a record ninth cup crown had he not pulled his teammates back from the precipice when they were on the way out early in the competition – 3-2 down to Dubai club – when Khalil headed home with three minutes to spare. They won 5-3 in extra time.

Perhaps Khalil’s club career is beginning to mirror those earlier feats with the national team. A perennial protagonist for Mahdi Ali, he is now a constant contributor for Cosmin Olaroiu, too. Subsequently, the Romanian recently promoted Khalil to team captain.

Not just for this, but Khalil is an anomaly in the Arabian Gulf League. Be it by circumstance or strength of fortitude, he is surviving, even thriving, in an environment that does not promote its own. Ali Mabkhout aside, Emirati strikers are not usually permitted the time or the patience to flourish.

But Khalil is not a typical local forward: robust and resolute, his success is built on physique, rather than technique. His play relies on brute force; unfortunately, it habitually highlights his limitations, as well.

So which Khalil will turn up for the President’s Cup final? It is nearly impossible to ­predict.

He could again prove the man for the grand occasion, or he could just as easily flounder and frustrate. Ahli are certain to target a top-class centre-forward in the summer, but Khalil can stake his claim: he can be a partner, not merely a predecessor.

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