DUBAI, (Pakistan Point News - 04th Oct, 2020) When the Portuguese football icon, Ronaldo, scored his two international goals against Sweden during the UAEFA Nations League championship, becoming the second striker in the world to score 100 goals, no one expected the international media and FIFA to mention Emirati striker Ali Mabkhout and highlight the fact that he is one of the international strikers capable of reaching and exceeding this number of goals.
According to international news outlets and the FIFA website, Mabkhout is ranked third after Indian football player Sunil Chhetri who has scored 72 goals, and Lionel Messi who has scored 70 goals.
Mabkhout was born on 5th October, 1990. Tomorrow, on Monday, he will celebrate his 30th birthday. On this occasion, we remember Mabkhout’s numerous achievements with the UAE National Team at Gulf Cooperation Council, GCC, and Asian levels.
Mabkhout has achieved many records, including being in the Guinness Book of Records for scoring the fastest goal in Asia in 2015. The year 2017 marked an unforgettable milestone in Mabkhout’s career, when he participated in the FIFA Club World Cup with Al Jazeera FC and scored the winning goal against Urawa Red Diamonds, to book a spot in the semi-finals against Real Madrid.
During the match, Mabkout posed a serious threat to the Real Madrid defence, and although he did not score any goals, he was praised by Zinedine Zidane, the French manager of Real Madrid, who said, "They have exceptional players, Mabkhout and Romarinho."
At an international level, 2015 was the year when Mabkhout made significant achievements during the AFC Champions League, when he scored two goals that enabled the UAE to win the first match against Qatar with a score of 4-1. In the second match, he scored a goal after only 14 seconds, helping to secure victory against Bahrain with a score of 2-1.
In one of the quarter-final matches, he scored a goal that helped the country to qualify for the semi-finals. During the match to determine the third and the fourth places, Mabkhout scored a goal to become the tournament’s top scorer with five goals.
In 2019, Mabkhout became the leading scorer in the world with the national team, scoring 16 goals in 13 matches, topping players such as Ronaldo and Messi. Mabkhout is looking to break a new record and become the leading scorer in the UAE Pro League.
"The UAE is a nation of tolerance, peace and humanity and deserves the sacrifices of its citizens, to raise its flag high on all occasions. My fellow players and I, are determined to achieve the ambitions of football fans, and we will exert all possible efforts to achieve this," Mabkhout said.
"I do not care about personal achievements and records as much as I am keen to achieve victories and titles with my country’s team and the club that I represent. There is a message I would like to direct to the Emirati public on this occasion, which trusts us and stand by us as we will need your support in the coming period, we still have a chance to qualify; we will not give-up easily." he added.
