Every now and then, an experienced club player retains his value. Mutaz Abdulla is one of them. At the ripe old age of 36, he is still in demand.
The former national team goalkeeper has battled his way back to the top-flight competition following a career-threatening ankle injury he suffered in his first game with Al Wahda, after signing a two-year contract with the future Pro League champions in the summer of 2009.
More bad luck plagued him on the road to recovery.
"It was unfortunate I broke my ankle in the very first match but a medical misadventure prolonged my return," said Abdulla, who was a member of the successful Al Ain team for nearly a decade, winning an Asian Champions League medal in 2003, four league titles, five President's Cups, two FA Cups (a now defunct tournament), a Super Cup and an Etisalat Cup.
"I was lucky to win a fifth league with Wahda after playing only for 75 minutes. But to come back after the injury was my biggest achievement of late, though, because nobody expected me to even start kicking a football."
Abdulla left for Germany for treatment and was advised to undergo surgery on his broken ankle. However, on consultation with the club and the specialists in the country, he was asked not to undergo the operation and was left with a dilemma.
"I was a bit confused with the two opinions, but decided not to do the surgery," he said. "I felt it wasn't getting better after four months and I consulted the hospital in Germany, who said they can still carry out the surgery and gave me an 80 per cent chance of playing. Here, some of the doctors told me I can't play football anymore. I was very disappointed. And after consultation with the club, I decided to travel to Germany for a second opinion. They said I had to spend three months and I decided to take that chance.
"Thank God, I am not only back but fighting for my place in the first-team line-up. I was worried when things didn't shape up well for me. It wasn't the right age, too, for me to undergo surgery and return to the top-flight competition."
Abdulla has six months left of his two-year contract and sees it as an opportunity to push Adel al Hosani as the first-choice goalkeeper in the Wahda side.
"I am not worried about what will happen after six months, but my task is to regain my place as the first choice goalkeeper."
Abdulla has played in three Etisalat Cup matches and 15 minutes in the Pro League when al Hosani was injured against Al Dhafra on December 23.
"My return to full fitness has surprised everyone. For me, the comeback has refreshed me, both physically and mentally. I feel better than ever and my goal is to be in the first-team line-up for the remainder of the season."
Abdulla won his first call-up for the national team in 2000 and was a member of the side that won the Gulf Cup in 2007 when it was hosted in Abu Dhabi. It is the only time the UAE have won the event.
"That was surely one of the high points of my career. My last call-up was in the World Cup qualifier against Iran in 2008."
Abdulla won 45 international caps for the UAE and had huge success with Al Ain in his 10 years.
"I was in the right place at the right time at Al Ain," he said. "It was a golden phase of the club where we won the league four times and the President's Cup five times. And to top them all, we won the Asian Champions League.
"We had a fantastic team and coach, Bruno Metsu, at that time. It will be very hard for me to compare that period, now that I am moving towards the sunset of my career. I haven't really set a target for retirement. I want to see off the six months at Wahda and then take whatever may come."
