Two young Manchester City fans saw their dreams turn into reality when they met their football heroes in Abu Dhabi this week.
Emirati Hamad Alhousani, 17, who has Type 1 diabetes, and Syrian Bashar Alkaisi, 15, who suffers from Thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder, were selected by the Make-A-Wish foundation to have their dearest wishes granted.
Players from the English Premier League team were in the capital for mid-season warm-weather training, where Hamad and Bashar met club captain Vincent Kompany, Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho, Serbian star Aleksandar Kolarov and Mancunian player Tosin Adarabioyo.
Apart from taking pictures and receiving signed shirts, the youngsters watched a training session.
“To attend the Manchester City training session here at Emirates Palace was an incredible experience,” Hamad said.
“In fact, I hope this will happen again for me. I’d also like to thank the Make-A-Wish Foundation for this experience,” he added.
For Bashar, the experience was nothing short of a dream come true.
“It was really amazing to meet the players from Manchester City, and I would like to thank them all for signing the shirts,” he said.
“I would also like to thank the Make-A Wish Foundation for this opportunity. It is an experience I will never forget.
Kompany was inspired by the bravery shown by the two teenagers.
“It was a pleasure to meet Hamad and Bashar. They have both shown a great amount of courage and determination recently and we were delighted to invite them to watch one of our training sessions in Abu Dhabi,” the Belgian internationlist said.
“I’d like to thank Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, Manchester City and Emirates Palace for affording us the opportunity to bring two kids such as Bashar and Hamad down to meet the players like this,” Hani Al Zubaidi, chief executive of the Make-A-Wish Foundation UAE said.
“I know this is something that they will remember for a long, long time, and it was great to see their smiling faces as they got to meet the players.”
mmannan@thenational.ae
