DUBAI // Rashed Hammadi and Nawwaf Hussain are among 32 young footballers from the Emirates jetting to Spain this weekend to play before La Liga scouts.
The teenagers, the only two Emiratis in the group, were selected through the du UAE Schools Cup and UAE Streets Cup.
The trials, which began in -October, featured more than 7,000 players, girls and boys, competing for the chance to perform in front of some of the world’s top scouts.
Rashed and Nawwaf, both 16, come from very different backgrounds, but both will be on the same under-16 team, which over the next two weeks will undergo intensive football academy-style training.
They will also play matches against four youth teams, including Sevilla and Malaga, where the scouts will be on the lookout for players who can perform well under the pressure of competition. Rashed, a self-taught player, made it through the streets league. He said he would “play with his heart”.
Nawwaf, in contrast, has been playing for UAE clubs since he was six years old and is now with the Al Wahda Academy in Abu Dhabi.
Rashed’s eyes light up when it comes to talking about football, a sport he has played for 10 years.
The defender from Sharjah represents the raw talent that scouts were hoping to find through the UAE Streets Cup.
Even though Rashad has travelled only once without his parents – for a school trip six years ago – he said he was not nervous about the camp.
“I will play from my heart. My head is in the game.”
Despite being the far more experienced player at a competitive level, Nawwaf was still keen to learn more. “I’ve only been exposed to UAE football players, so this will be a new experience,” he said.
Rashed called the Spanish style unique and hoped to follow in the footsteps of his idol, Barcelona playmaker Lionel Messi.
For Nawwaf, who at 182 centimetres tall is already well above average height for his age, the stakes are higher. His dream since he was a child was to become a professional player, having played with Al Ahli and Sharjah FC before joining Al Wahda three years ago.
“My training background and being used to playing competitive games will at least help me get over the nerves and pressure,” he said.
The final 32 spent four weeks preparing with coaches from La Liga before the training camp.
Modest and still shocked at having been picked, Rashed, who has only played the beautiful game on the streets or wherever he could find the space around his home, said: “I wasn’t expecting that intensity in the training so it’s better prepared me for the trip”.
Nawwaf said the La Liga coaching was very different from the UAE coaching he was used to.
“There’s a different style among coaches from La Liga and I’m looking forward to getting all the experience I can. Here, it’s not the same as being in a youth academy in Europe, where you get more exposure, so this is my chance to shine,” he said.
Nawwaf’s mother, Maazza Al Magthob, has supported her son’s dream over the years on condition that he stayed committed to his studies.
“He always knew what his dream was and he’s worked really hard for that,” she said.
“When he was as young as six, we had a conversation that he must not let football take away from his education.
“He gave me his promise and he’s kept that until now. His grades are amazing, so I’m really very proud of him.”
The best players will be invited to the La Liga High Performance Centre, which will open later this year in Dubai.
mswan@thenational.ae
