The world of football is paused due to a global pandemic, but there are a few Middle Eastern players who needed this forced break.
Some of them are using a rest, others face rehabilitation or merely recalculate their career path.
To fix the current 'image' around them in the region, these players will look to rise quickly after this break is over. To save their careers, these footballers will have to shine. Otherwise, they will go down as either those 'who were very good once, but lacked the X factor'; or as 'unfulfilled players', or merely those who couldn't maintain their form for long enough.
Almoez Ali
What happened to the humble yet lethal talent who dazzled Asia in January 2019? Since his ecstatic Asian Cup campaign, and the suspicions over his nationality case, the Qatari forward simply faded into the shadows of the Qatari Stars League. Once he was linked with a move to AC Milan, but nothing came out of it. Even at Al-Duhail, he couldn't reproduce his lightning abilities from Al-Annabi. When the COVID-19 break is over, Almoez will have to score in high numbers, with his good old flashy style, to retain his status as Asia's most promising striker.
Abdulkarim Hassan
Like his countryman above, Abdulkarim 'Kimo' Hassan is one of the cornerstones of the spectacular Qatar national team that has won the Asian Cup. The Asian Player of the Year in 2018 was frequently compared to Roberto Carlos, but has had a 2019 from the nightmares. The 'coolness' that defined him in past years disappeared, and Kimo was playing too harsh in crucial games, including a memorable attack on a referee that gained him a 5-month ban. To retain his spot as the best defender in the Arab world, and Qatar's future captain in World Cup 2022, Kimo will have to get back to his 'smooth' state of mind and help Al-Sadd protect their titles.
Omar Khribin
Omar Khribin was once the best candidate from the region to get a contract in Europe. The 2017 Asian Player of the Year made an epic 2018 World Cup Qualifications campaign, and BabaGol sources know that his name was up there in the notebooks of scouts and agents in Belgium and France. Eventually, the opportunity to play for Al-Hilal, and earn amounts of money that a Middle Eastern player can only dream of, was chosen instead. After a first positive season, Khribin got injured and disappeared. There are no questions about his skills or his work rate, yet the Syrian star must find a place he can play regularly, score goals and carrying teams to gloryץ
Ahmed Khalil
It is hard to believe that Ahmed Khalil is only 28 years old. This player, who was once the Emirati version of Didier Drogba, has lost his direction in recent years. As an indispensable member of the UAE‘s recent golden generation, there were high hopes of Khalil to carry the national team to a second World Cup, but he couldn't. Failed spells at Al-Jazira and Al-Ain did not help, and he came back home to Shabab Al-Ahly Dubai. If he wants to be remembered as one of the greatest footballers of the UAE, he needs to shake off Al-Jazira and lead his club for a title and gain its place back in the top stages of the AFC Champions League. Anything else, and he will forever be labeled as a 'missed career'.
Omar Abdulrahman
Oh, Amoory, Amoory… the love songs that have been written in this site to the talent of the curly Saudi-born Yemenite are endless. The silky touch, the unique and brilliant game vision, the magic that he can produce from his feet, was rare in a global level, not just in the Middle East.
A bad career decision led Omar Abdulrahman to sign for Al-Hilal before trying his talent in a bigger league in Europe. Then he torn his ligaments and was sidelined for a year. His comeback for Al-Jazira was slow and full of caution, and at the moment Amoory is not reminding us of the explosive thin midfielder that used to tear the defences in Asia like he was a hot and sharp knife on butter. Amoory won't fulfil his full potential, and this is a known fact by now. Still, if the biggest star of Gulf football wants to be remembered as someone who did everything he can to succeed, he needs to win the AFC Champions League with Al-Jazira and take the UAE to the 2022 World Cup. Anything else, and he will forever be the talented guy who favoured money on professional excellence and will stay in the shades of Ismail Mattar, as a unique Emirati talent, who was supposed to make it big, but didn't.