Khalid Essa, the Al Ain captain, believes his side will raise their game when facing internationally renowned stars at the Club World Cup.
The club from the Garden City have the chance to fly the flag for the UAE in the United States, having won the AFC Champions League in 2024.
During their run to that title they beat some star-studded sides. Their quarter-final success came against the Al Nassr of Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane.
In the next game, they downed an Al Hilal side who were on a record-breaking run of success at the time, led by the likes of Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
The final triumph came against a Yokohama F Marinos side coach by Harry Kewell, who had been a Uefa Champions League winner in his playing days.
That was all achieved amid inconsistent form in the league. They finished third in the UAE Pro League in the season they won the Champions League.
Al Ain's patchy results persisted the following season, when an early exit from the defence of their Asian title was paired with a fifth-place finish in the league.
Despite an off-key build up to the Club World Cup, Essa is confident his side can make positive memories when they face Juventus, Manchester City and Wydad.
“I believe they’re going to be some of the best matches that will go down in history and live long in our memories for decades to come,” Essa, Al Ain’s goalkeeper, said.
“I’ll be able to tell stories about these matches to my family and everyone I know. In the dressing room, I always tell my teammates that it's games like these that show who you are as a player and as a person.
“They show your character when you are up against an opponent who is superior to you on so many levels. It shows your mettle as a man and as a player until all your abilities and energy are brought to bear in those 90 minutes.
“It’s an unforgettable moment and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that’s handed to you and you need to make the best of it.”
Essa, who is now aged 35, remains a central figure for both club and country. He flew to the US for the Club World Cup straight from national team duty in Kyrgyzstan, where he sat on the bench in the final match of UAE’s latest round of World Cup qualifiers.
He is hoping for a return trip to North America with the UAE next year. For now, he is focused on raising the country’s profile in football via his club side.
“All these clubs are champions,” Essa said. “They’re all used to playing in these major tournaments, playing difficult matches which, for me, are a bit daunting. They’re all big teams and all the matches are difficult.
“I don’t think there is any team that’ll be easy to face in this tournament. Like I said, we need to go there and give everything we have and more.
“Sometimes 100 per cent isn’t enough, and we need to give 200 per cent to keep raising the club’s profile on the world stage.”
While he suggested the matches might be “daunting”, Essa says their Asian success can be a template for them at the Club World Cup.
“The last AFC Champions League was like a series for me and each step we took was harder than the one before,” he said.
“Sometimes you say that the steps or stages get easier as you progress, but in the AFC Champions League, that wasn’t the case for us.
“The steps we took got tougher and tougher as we progressed. We had to support each other in this tournament, at certain stages or in the latter stages of the tournament when we were struggling. It showed the true mettle of our boys.
“In all honesty, their solidarity showed the true character of the management, the coaching and medical staff.
“Everyone stuck together, especially at a time when the team was suffering from injuries, or even just suffering at certain moments on the pitch. It was the championship that still means a lot to me.
“Every detail, from the group stage to playing Yokohama in the final, means a lot to me. I ask God for these moments to be repeated, and for us all to celebrate together.”
The fact Al Ain struggled to match the success of 2024 led to a variety of personnel changes last season. Hernan Crespo, the manager who oversaw the Champions League win, was dismissed shortly after the start of the following campaign.
His replacement, Leonardo Jardim, did not last the season, either. Now the club have Vladimir Ivic at the helm, a Serbian whose coaching career took him to Greece, the UK, Israel and Russia before he arrived in the UAE.
His profile might be some way short of his counterparts, like Igor Tudor for Juventus and Pep Guardiola for Manchester City, but Ivic is hopeful he and his side can make a name for themselves.
“These teams are huge teams, the biggest teams, the best teams in the world,” Ivic said.
“If we speak about Juventus, about Manchester City, they are teams that we don’t need words to describe their quality, their history.
“Of course, it will be interesting for us to play against these teams to see where we are, how we can compete against them, and to be competitive in these games. Time will tell.
“We will prepare ourselves, we will give our best and we will see what will happen.”
Al Hashemi excited to face top European sides
Meanwhile, defender Khalid Al Hashemi said the rare chance to face leading European opposition would provide a true measure of Al Ain's quality.
Speaking as the Garden City club confirmed two major new partnerships – XRG are to sponsor Al Ain's training kit during the Club World Cup and new season, while Adnoc will be their shirt sponsor for the 2025/26 domestic campaign – Al Hashemi also said that he hoped their participation in the tournament would inspire young players back home.
“Preparations are going well here in the US with the coach and the technical staff,” said the 28-year-old UAE international centre-back.
“The opportunity to play against Juve and against City in particular is a big opportunity to learn and see how our levels are now, and if we can reach their levels and compete. We will do our best in our training sessions before the games and hopefully we can get good results.
“Our hopes are really high. We all know that we have pressure, but we want to represent Al Ain and the UAE in the best way possible. We want to get results and show that Al Ain are not just here [to make up the numbers] – we want to compete, we want to fight for the badge, for the flag and the country.”
Al Hashemi added: “I imagine that when we play in the Fifa Club World Cup, the young generation will see this and say ‘one day I want to play in this competition, the biggest competition in the world’. Imagine how that will impact the young generation and give them hope and inspiration to play for a club and the national team. Hopefully, as a group and individually, we inspire the young generation to come back here to this tournament.”
