The Peninsula
Qatari star Abdelkarim Hassan said winning the AFC Player of the Year Award in 2018 was a great motivation for him, saying winning the accolade which is rare for a defender makes him proud.
During an Instagram Live session on Qatar Olympic Committee’s social media platform, the tall defender cherished his Asian Player of the Year Award winning moment.
In a major honour for Qatar and Qatari club football, Hassan was declared the AFC Player of the Year at the Asian football body’s annual awards gala in Muscat in 2018.
“I received the news and I was surprised because I am a defender. Usually it is difficult for any defender to win such an award. But I am proud of this achievement and It was surely a great motivation for me,” the 6’2” tall Hassan said while recalling his early days as a player.
“I joined Al Sadd junior team in 2002 and in 2006 I entered the academy for both studies and sport, and then graduated in 2011. I joined the first team of Al Sadd Club at the age of 16.”
“I was present in the stands during the final of the AFC Champions League 2011 where Al Sadd went on to clinch the title. I participated with the national team in the Gulf Cup in Riyadh and the Asian Cup in the Emirates, the two most important occasions for which I had the honour to participate,” Hassan said.
Hassan, who had a short stint at Belgian club KAS Eupen in 2017, said the appearance at the European club did little in helping him.
“I had a passion for professionalism. I was hoping to be in a club participating in the Champions League and not a club competing for survival. So the club did not help me in showing my best, and unfortunately I did not benefit from this experience,” he said.
Hassan said he is a fan of his former team-mate and Al Sailiya left back Nadir Belhaj and considers him as his role model.
“Belhadj is my role model. I was always eager to learn from Belhaj who helped me a lot in the beginning of my professional career. He taught me a lot of things."
Hassan said he takes responsibility for Al Sadd’s loss against Al Hilal during last season’s AFC Champion’s League semi-finals. Al Sadd went down fighting to the Saudi Arabian club 1-4 in the first-leg semi-final after making a solid start.
Hassan was shown a red card in the 35th minute and the damage cost Al Sadd dearly. The Wolves won the return leg 4-2 but the eventual champions Al Hilal advanced on goal difference.
“Certainly the atmosphere was tense in that game. I bear responsibility, but we are a team and it does not mean that we lost because Abdelkarim’s expulsion. It is true that I made a mistake and I learned from my mistake. I was saddened from the trend which blamed me for the loss following the match,” he said.
Speaking about the current lot of players, Hassan rated his Al Sadd and Qatar team-mate Saad Al Sheeb as the best goalkeeper in the Qatar Stars League (QSL).
“Saad Al Sheeb is the best. But this season, Fahd Younis and Mahmud Ibrahim Abunad of Al Arabi also performing exceptionally well,” Hassan said.
“(Yacine) Brahimi and Akram Afif are the top players in the QSL right now” he added.
Asked who is the best footballer Qatar has ever produced, Hassan’s answer was Khalfan Ibrahim.
“I think Khalfan Ibrahim is the best because Khalfan was totally dependent on him alone, whether in the national team or the club. He won a number of honours at the highest level. He is also the best player I have played with in the club and in the team and I believe he is one of the best Arab players ever. I think (Manchester City’s Algerian star Riyad) Mehrez is the best Arab player ever. It’s true Mohamed Salah has become a legend with Liverpool, but I still think Mehrez is the best,” Hassan said.
The Qatari star said that he is proud to be volunteering under the current circumstances due to the coronavirus, and he had carried out some sports training for his brothers during in quarantine.
With all football action on halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hassan said he not training at the club these days.
“Currently, I train daily with the national team, not Al Sadd, while adhering to the COVID-19 preventive measures,” Hassan said.