The Arab Dream Team

Here’s a question guaranteed to spark debate: who would be picked for Arab dream football team? Middle East football writer James Montague selected the Arab world’s leading eleven, Check the selected players, and let us know what you think…

Ali Al-Habsi, Oman, Bolton Wanderers Arguably the first world-class goalkeeper the Middle East has ever produced, Ali Al-Habsi is light years ahead of any other Arab shot-stopper. The Omani was first choice at Bolton Wanderers by the end of the season, and played a major role in helping the English club survive relegation from the Premier League.
Amr Zaki, Egypt, Al-Zamalek A versatile player, accomplished passer and prolific marksman, Zaki is being courted by several English clubs.
Khalfan Ibrahim, Qatar, Al-Sadd The former Asian Footballer of the Year would be a shoo-in for the first 11, but hasn’t yet fully recovered from a serious injury that ruled the striker out of most of last season.
Salman Isa, Bahrain, Al-Arabi Isa has been instrumental in Bahrain’s impressive run in World Cup qualifying that has seen them beat Japan, Oman and Thailand.
Tarik Sektioui, Morocco, FC Porto This nippy winger scored a spectacular goal for Porto against Marseille last year and has played European football at the highest level.
Radhi Jaïdi, Tunisia, Birmingham After two fantastic seasons as the rock at the heart of Bolton’s defense, Jaïdi moved to Birmingham City in 2006 for £2 million, but couldn’t save them from relegation last season. Despite being 32 and a little on the slow side, the towering centre-back continues to captain the Tunisian national team, and possesses a brilliant sense of positional play as well as unrivalled heading ability.
Hamad Al-Montashari, Saudi Arabia, Al-Ittihad Football in Saudi Arabia has been influenced by an influx of coaches from Brazil. As a consequence, the reverence reserved for attacking players is rarely meted out to defenders. Yet Hamad Al-Montashari, a quick, young and cultured player, won the 2005 Asian Footballer of the Year award. He is equally adept playing in the centre or on the right-hand side of a three-man defence.
Wael Gomaa, Egypt, Al-Silliya While the likes of Zidan and Aboutreika were hogging the limelight in Ghana during the African Cup of Nations, Wael Gomaa was quietly marshalling a defence that only leaked five goals, despite playing the likes of Cameroon (twice) and the Ivory Coast. The imposing defender may be a little old to make the move into European football, but there is no better centre-back in the Arab world.
Mohamed Aboutreika, Egypt, Al-Ahly For years Aboutreika, a visionary attacking midfielder, has been the beating heart of Cairo’s El-Ahly, for whom he has scored almost 100 goals. But it was only after he scored Egypt’s winner against Cameroon in the final of the African Cup of Nations this year that the world took notice of his prodigious talents. Only his age – he turns 30 later this year – seems to stand between the man fondly known as “the Smiling Assassin” and a big-money move to one of Europe’s top clubs.
Mohamed Zidan, Egypt, Hamburg He may not have the same sublime touch as his French namesake (who does?), but Mohamed Zidan is still a special talent adored by fans of the Pharaohs. It wasn’t always like that. Before his stunning display at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, where he outshone the likes of Didier Drogba, he was thrown out of the Egypt squad by the coach and caused an outcry by choosing to stay at his club rather than risking injury playing for the national team. These days, his is the first name on the team sheet.
Nashat Akram, Iraq, Al-Gharafa Iraqi midfielder created a stir when he was sent off against China in a World Cup qualifier earlier this year. The fact that the Lions of Mesopotamia went three games without a win in his absence indicates his importance to the Asian champions. He would be playing for Manchester City by now if it weren’t for the British government’s unfortunate decision not to issue a work permit on the grounds that the Iraqi team “wasn’t good enough”.
Ismail Matar, UAE, Al-Wahda Matar, a quick, technically brilliant striker who is equally at home on either wing, first burst on to the scene when he won the Player of the Tournament award at the World Youth Championships in 2003, but cemented his status as the Gulf’s finest player after almost single-handedly winning the UAE its first international honor, the 2007 Gulf Cup. His reward for his heroics? A sports car? A mansion in Jumeirah? Nope. Two prized camels were named after him.
Mido, Egypt, Middlesbrough Mido has fallen out with virtually every coach he’s worked with. But his ability on the pitch is indisputable. An injury-hit season saw him struggle at Middlesbrough, but a fully fit, amenable Mido, who has shed 10 kilograms over the summer, could grace almost any team in the world.
Yasser Al-Qahtani, Saudi Arabia, Al-Hilal The current Asian Footballer of the Year turned down a lucrative move to Manchester City after a trial at the English club, although there’s more to that story than meets the eye. “Richard Dunne smacked the Saudi with an old-fashioned ‘welcome’ tackle,” recalls ex goal keeper John Bridge. “He started rolling around squealing and had to be carried off the field. Then he started crying.” With 44 goals in 54 games for his country, we’ll overlook his cry-baby tendencies.
Younis Mahmoud, Iraq, Al-Gharafa How Mahmoud didn’t win the Asian Player of the Year award is a mystery. Top scorer in the Qatari League, he was already being courted by European clubs before he captained the Iraqi national team to victory in the Asian Cup, scoring in the final to boot.