JNT: 0pts Confed cup, 1pt FWC, 2nd round exit 2015AC. U20: Didn't qualify for WC U17: Didn't qualify for WC All that's left is for the U23's to not qualify and that's a wrap.
It's not a bad thing per se at all, a Japanese player who makes it in Europe takes his game to the next level and plays with more confidence in the national team, everybody benefits from it. The problem is, those who don't make it manage to lose their ENTIRE football in the process. They regress technically and they cant climb up mentally. It's a real problem.
Then you should scout the net better He's spoken about a move abroad tons of times, but Al Ain always said that they won't accept a loan, only a direct offer to buy, so far still has not happened. I'm not sure why you're assuming that since he's from UAE he doesn't know that football in his country is not serious and lives in some sort of acceptance mode. Also, best clubs? Maybe a decade ago. They've finally made it past the AFC group stage last year, come on. That definitely remains to be seen. He's really good with his feet but his work rate is often laughable. I like him as a player but he's achieved nothing yet. Honda has easily been the best player for Japan in the competition.
Let's be real, Abdulrahman is a special talent. He has a technique that matches his outstanding vision. Work rate may not be his forte but he's so unique that any coach would build his team to balance his weaknesses.
lol "any coach", that's why he's still in Al Ain right I can assure you that any player walking on the pitch as he does wouldn't make it in Europe. He's definitely good but you can see the arrogance in the way he plays. I knew that he was going to make that kind of penalty (a minus to Eiji for not expecting something like that). And just to be clear, the problem isn't arrogance, Cristiano Ronaldo is pretty arrogant too, but he doesn't do what he does in UAE and a few international matches. Right now there is nothing that makes me think that he would succeed in Europe "if he wanted". I hope he finds a way to move so that we can see him in a decent league and discuss it again.
I don't care whether he'd make it in Europe or not, get out of your euro-snubbery. I hated his guts, viscerally, when he scored that Panenka on us. But I have to admit he's just a wonderful talent and if you like football, you like Omar Abdulrahman. He played against European players at the Olympics and was excellent as well.
Infact I like him a lot, but I don't feel the need to follow the hype that much. It's not snubbery by any means, it's the cold truth unfortunately. Let me see him doing the same things in the Bundesliga, or heck even in Eredivisie and we can have a talk about whether his limits are bigger than some of you are assuming or not. If UAE had a shot at the World Cup then I would just wait for that, bad luck. You would have to be in denial to assume that european clubs ignore real talents around the world and he's not unknown. I love Shibasaki too, but I won't jump on him until he can replicate himself where it matters. He's just started. Btw he played against U23 players at the Olympics, that's a big difference.
Being the by far most succesful club in one of Asia's top 6-7 leagues, having won the ACL ( how many teams have won that really?), having the financial muscles to lure pretty much any player in Asia to their club if they want etc makes them in my eyes one of the biggest clubs in Asia, yes=) I never saw any interview where he said that, but it would be nice to see him abroad ( perhaps in J.League?), so we can hope that some club make a solid offer for him one day. Obviously he would never be a box-to-box player, and given his tiny frame, nor anyone who would excel in defensive strength, but if he those type of players around him who can clear the way for him, his lack of work-rate defensively shouldnt be a problem.
It's snubbery when you consider you can't be a great player if you don't play in Europe. Endo never went, yet he's one of the all time great in Japan, and outperformed the former Manchester United player at 35. I'm not in any kind of denial or hype, I just call what I see from my own eyes : a playmaker with a unique style that makes you stand up when he plays. Those players are rare.
That's why I specifically said that the problem is UAE's lack of international stage. Endo has proved himself, and spent plenty of time in the NT in big competitions anyway which also probably makes you less interested into a move to Europe. I think that Omar has proved himself in this Asian Cup but he hasn't exactly been decisive overall. Look, I understand what you're saying. He's rightfully the star of his country. I think wearing #10 for Urawa would be a dream for many players, but not if we're talking about a global stage. That's not usually the dream of someone who aspires to top football. It's the same for Brazil, or Argentina, it's not an inferiory complex. Thai Farmers Bank, Jubilo, JEF... http://www.thenational.ae/sport/football/omar-abdulrahman-still-has-dreams-of-playing-in-europe He takes it pretty professionally, as he should, but I think it's pretty clear what he'd like to do. Even the JLeague would be pretty cool but I suspect he earns a pretty big check in Al Ain so I don't think it'll happen, and it doesn't seem like Al Ain would let him go to the JLeague, or actually any team in Asia. I seem to remember Benfica had made an offer for him years ago but it was a loan with no guaranteed first team so they refused. I think after the olympics he also had a trial in City and other trial offers but nothing happened. Still hope to see him on a better spotlight
I'll tell him to not worry about his ambitions as he'll always have a place in your heart anyway, then.
It was so weird to see Kawashima guess the direction of every single kick correctly 4 years ago, only to see him guess wrong on every single one this time around... Such is the nature of Penalty shootouts I guess...
I meant ACL, not the previous editions of it, which quite frankly, wasnt considered to be all that good