Omar Abdul Rahman: He may be the baby of the team, but 20-year-old Omar Abdul Rahman displayed what UAE football is all about with his silky skills during the course of their two Group A matches of the 2012 London Olympics.

Born on September 20, 1991, Omar Abdul Rahman, or fondly called ‘Amoory’ and ‘Noodles’ for his curly hair style, is equally adept in his position as attacking midfielder or striker.

Born in Riyadh to a family of Yemeni descent and growing up in a poor environment, Omar Abdul Rahman caught the attention of several clubs in Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal coming closest to signing the talented player. However, he rejected the offer after Al Hilal offered Saudi nationality only to him and not his entire family.

Retired footballer Sami Al Jaber, who was Al Ain’s scout in Saudi Arabia, intervened and Al Ain Club agreed to grant citizenship to the entire family. Omar joined the club’s youth football academy along with two of his brothers.

It was German coach Winfried Schaefer who noticed Omar Abdul Rahman’s talent and pulled him into the senior side in 2009 as a tender 17-year-old. The same year, he received an offer from Spanish outfit Espanyol, but the deal fell through.

That in fact was the turning point of his career as he cemented his position in the Al Ain set up while also becoming such a dominant influence with his clever movement and classy defence-splitting passes with the national sides.

Much of these skills have been on display at the ongoing Olympics and Omar Abdul Rahman is sure to once again attract attention from European clubs.

 

Ahmad Khalil: Born on June 8, 1991 in Sharjah, Ahmad Khalil has taken the route to stardom in the UAE and possibly in Asia as well since making his debut with the UAE Under-17 team in 2004. He scored on six occasions to be the topscorer at the U-17 Gulf Championship that the UAE won in 2006.

Between 2006 and 2010, the star striker was given a role in the under-20 squad and he did not fail as he scored a dozen times in his 15 appearances in the team. In 2008, when the UAE won the AFC U-19 Championship held in Saudi Arabia, Ahmad Khalil had the distinction of being crowned the Most Valuable Player of the competition. This paved the way for him to be voted the ‘Asian Young Footballer of the Year 2008.’

From then onwards it has been an upward curve for the Al Ahli player as he became the vital scoring cog for the Under-23 and senior sides. Though he has gone without a goal at the 2012 London Olympics so far, he has still managed to score 14 goals in as many matches for the UAE Olympic team. Along with older brother Faisal Khalil, the 5.10 ft striker remains the UAE senior team’s dual strike-power, scoring four times in the 19 appearances with the team so far.

 

Amer Abdul Rahman: Born in Abu Dhabi on July 3, 1989, Amer Abdul Rahman has the work rate of a horse, be it with his club Bani Yas or the UAE national team. The silent performer that he is, Amer Abdul Rahman is seen as one the golden generation of UAE footballers.

Following a brief spell with the UAE Under-20 side in the title winning AFC U-19 Championship in 2008, Amer was called up by coach Mehdi Ali to be a part of his plans at the 2009 Fifa U-20 World Cup in Egypt where the UAE made it to the quarter-finals before losing by an odd goal in three to Costa Rica.

But this was the competition that put him in the limelight as Amer Abdul Rahman was chosen a member of the ‘Dream Team’ of the competition for his sheer presence on the field and hard work ethics.

He was first called to the senior national side at the end of 2009 in the UAE’s friendly match against Manchester United, and since then has gone on to cement his place in the team.

Though there may not be as much eloquence about his exploits, his contribution on the field still remains a vital part of the UAE team’s showing in London.

 

Hamdan Al Kamali: Born on May 2, 1989 in Abu Dhabi, Hamdan Al Kamali is the man responsible for marshalling the UAE team defence. He began his career as a seven-year-old with Al Wahda when he was spotted by a physical education teacher in his school. Al Kamali was introduced to Abdul Fattah, then youth coach at Al Wahda at the start of the 2006 season and since then there has been looking back for the tallest member and central defender of the UAE side.

His talent in the heart of the defence and after being listed as one of the best 100 young players in the world by respected Spanish football magazine ‘Don Balon’, Al Kamali attracted the attention of French side FC Lyon and the deal nearly fell through.

However, after being officially introduced to Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas at the beginning of this year, Al Kamali set off for France on a six-month loan with the option of a permanent switch that did not happen as he is much sought after in the UAE itself.

But much bigger than that has been the role the lanky 6 foot defender has played in captaining the UAE for their first-ever appearance in an Olympic Games. Subsequently, the captain’s arm band was handed over to l Wahda team-mate Esmail Mattar during London 2012.