If Omar Abdulrahman’s career had evolved as had once appeared destined, he would today be plying his trade in a major league in Europe.
Long viewed as the region’s standout star, the playmaker was expected to serve more specifically as a trailblazer for UAE football, the one to finally break from its borders, the shining light in what many considered the Emirati game’s gilded group.
Instead, Abdulrahman finds himself currently without a club, released last week by employers from his contract, some way through another recovery from yet another lengthy injury.
On Monday, Al Jazira announced Abdulrahman had left the club by mutual consent. Aged 29 and out of action since October, the UAE’s most lucrative talent survives now as a free agent, seeking to continue wherever he sees fit, or at whichever club deems him still an attractive catch.
In theory, such is his reputation, Abdulrahman should have no shortage of suitors, although his salary and injury record will presumably provide sizeable obstacles to navigate. Already, former club Al Ain, Al Nasr and Shabab Al Ahli have ruled out his acquisition. Links to Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli have re-emerged.
Still some way from his 30th birthday, Abdulrahman should be in his prime, a generational talent who wowed at the 2012 Olympics, the 2013 Gulf Cup and, most prominently, the 2015 Asian Cup. At each juncture, the then-Al Ain midfielder was coveted by Europe's established: he trialled at Manchester City, received genuine interest from Arsenal, Valencia and Hamburg. Apparently, he once rejected an offer from Benfica.
In 2017, while reigning as Asia's player of the year, Abdulrahman was subject of a concrete loan bid from Nice. It gave rise to "Amoory should play in Europe", a hashtag in Arabic, trending on Twitter. The clamour was considerable; just as it did at various points previously, the time felt right.
The reasons any move never materialised are well worn. Work-permit issues. The prospective financials of a transfer. His own reticence, or his club’s reluctance to let go a footballer that had propelled them to sustained domestic success and to the brink of continental glory. In 2016, Al Ain finished runners-up in the Asian Champions League; Abdulrahman was their captain and their centrepiece.
Since then, the path has been flush with frustration. Abdulrahman missed two crucial penalties for the UAE in the 2017 Gulf Cup final. His return to Al Hilal, the regional heavyweights and the club with whom he spent his formative years, was wrecked by injury not long after debut. The problem, which prompted a third significant knee surgery, kept him out of the 2019 Asian Cup on home soil.
Abdulrahman's rehabilitation continued once he signed for Jazira, and until the pandemic struck, he seemed to be recovering his better form. His Arabian Gulf League figures for goals (three) and assists (two) masked an increasing influence: Abdulrahman ranked high in a succession of stats that confirmed his ability to control proceedings remained.
Then football was cancelled and his momentum checked. In October, just as the league settled into its new season, Abdulrahman fell to the turf against Al Dhafra and departed on a stretcher. The campaign was two matches old. Tracing the past three and a half seasons, he has made 39 league appearances.
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Omar Abdulrahman inspires UAE to 2013 Gulf Cup triumph
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Now Abdulrahman sits at another crossroads in a career that once felt on a clear and consistent upward trajectory. Where does he go from here? Most probably, it will require substantial investment, both in money and in time. Yet the sense lingers that peak Abdulrahman has already passed, that the attacking midfielder’s best days are well behind him.
It’s up to Abdulrahman, then, to display the grit and the gumption to fight his way back, body permitting. He must display the motivation to show he is not simply a markedly faded force. If so, his next club would undoubtedly prosper.
His country, too: the UAE national team gathered on Saturday to continue preparations towards resurrecting their 2022 World Cup campaign, which resumes next month. Once more, they did so without their prize asset.
At 29, Abdulrahman should have so much more to offer, even as he pushes back again from injury. The next few weeks, in finding a new home and recovering full fitness, will be pivotal in his pursuit of proving that.
The hope, no longer looking to Europe, is that he has plenty yet to give.
