Touted as one of the most talented players in the Middle East, the young defender was unable to shine at Olympique Lyonnais and has now returned to Al-Wahda
Football is a q***r game but football talent is even queerer than the game itself. It’s all about promises and the potentials that are rarely realised. So many players crash into the scene show a lot of potential but more than 80% of those players simply
vanish out of thin air without so much as a pop.
However, it is still very rare for a footballer from Asia to make a strong lasting impression in Europe. Although this cannot be said about nations in the Far East, Middle East has not been able to give Europe players who captivate crowd’s imagination.
Last year, Ligue 1 outfit, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Olympique-Lyonnais-c40130 were pretty keen on enlisting the services of UAE international, Hamdan Al-Kamali. The 23-year-old was listed as one of the best 100 young players in the world by Spanish football magazine ‘Don Balon’. So much
was the hype around the player’s talent, that Jean-Michel Aulas himself went to the Middle East to bring the player on a six-month loan on January 28, 2012.
The youngster arrived at the Stade de Gerland with the expectations of a whole nation behind him. Initially, Remi Garde chose to give Al-Kamali a chance to get used to his new surroundings by training with the reserves. In his first few games, the 23-year-old
showed a lot of character to stamp his authority in defence.
However, despite a promising start, the youngster’s progress became static and was thus unable to break into the first-team where the competition for a place in the starting XI was very tough with the season going down the wire.
After the end of the 2011/2012 campaign, Al-Kamali left Rhone to feature for the UAE side that played in the London Olympics. Ahead of the mega-event, Al-Kamali was keen on returning to Lyon in order to play for the first-team.
“I’ll be back after the Olympics with the goal of playing pro at OL, knowing the Ligue 1. The club will follow my matches at the Games, the staff knows me better, and I will return with the pro group next season. I do not know which players will leave or
arrive this summer, but I want my chance,” said the defender last May.
Al-Kamali was very ambitious about shining for Remi Garde’s side. However, things did not work out they way the player had wanted them to. Lyon chose not to exercise the option of buying him permanently and so, Al-Kamali returned to Al-Wahda where he can
afford to smile again despite such a big disappointment.
“To all the fans of OL and players, not to mention the members of the board and the president, I am thankful for their support. I was very proud to be in a prestigious club. I wish you a good season with great success. And I would like you to follow me at
the Olympics with my country, the http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/United-Arab-Emirates-c3033.”
Those statements came out right before the Games had begun. Unable to shine between the Rhone and Saone, the Abu Dhabi-born player has returned home with mix feelings.
Many people argue that the club decided to bring Al-Kamali to Lyon only to strengthen their relationships with Middle Eastern states and attract them to invest in the club. In short, Al-Kamali might have been a publicity stunt. Gossips will never end but
it is clear that Hamdan Al-Kamali was a talent who was unable to shine for Lyon.
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