The finest football talents in the UAE touched down in Malaga Wednesday seeking to make an impact against some of the best LaLiga academies around.
The du LaLiga High Performance Centre is a ground-breaking project that has seen Spain’s top tier set up a base in the Emirates to help the finest youngsters in the country achieve their potential with year-round training.
And months of hard work will be put to the test over the next 18 days, as the centre’s Under-18 and Under-16 squads – which were whittled down from 7,000 hopefuls earlier in the year – aim to catch the eye of Spanish scouts.
Several players have received interest from La Liga academies already and HPC head coach Rafa Gil has backed his charges to flourish under the spotlight.
“The annual du LaLiga HPC trip to Spain is an amazing opportunity for our athletes to showcase their talents and be discovered by La Liga scouts,” said Gil, who has coached Malaga CF.
“We have worked intensively with our team over the past year and believe our U18 and U16 teams are developed to a stage where they will attract the attention of Spanish clubs. We are confident that we have amazing talents whom we have discovered in the UAE and this is their time to shine and flourish.”
Sport360° will be covering the first week of the trip, and below are just some of the young hopefuls to keep an eye out for…
Nationality: Jordanian
Position: Striker
Age: 17
Mohammed Rajeh Al Qasem has been a poster child of what the UAE Streets Cup stands for. Having discovered his love of football at the age of five, he joined the duFC platform as part of the Streets Cup team ‘El Classico’, who were a team with no prior formal training.
This talent took them to the finals where they won and became 2015/16 champions. During the course of the tournament Rajeh was selected by LaLiga scouts and made it through to join the du LaLiga HPC.
The coaching has seen him go from strength to strength, moulding his natural talent into a formidable striker with a strong promise of going all the way.
Nationality: French
Position: Midfield
Age: 17
Mohammad Bouherrafa has been a stand out player since he was first scouted by Gil in Season 1 of the duFC.
He has stood out for his well-roundedness on the pitch and ability to hold a team together with constant communication; maintain focus when they are winning and raising morale when the team concedes a goal.
He is a natural-born leader and stepped into the role of team captain with ease and with full support of the team. He has an innate ability to motivate the team and direct the play on the pitch.
Nationality: Iranian
Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 17
Mahan Javaheri is a long-standing success story of the UAE Schools Cup, making his debut in 2013/2014 as the goalkeeper of the International School of Choueifat Dubai,
and then in 2015/2016 when the scouting arm of the tournament was installed.
His team clinched victory that year and he was promptly drafted into du LaLiga HPC.
His skills have since blossomed and he has become a symbol of determination and commitment for the whole team.
His life is about football and his relentless drive makes him a force to be reckoned with in the goal.
Nationality: Jordanian
Position: Winger
Age: 17
Ahmad Salam joined the HPC after his team (EFF) made a dominant first appearance in the duFC’s first season.
He immediately caught the eyes of the La Liga scouts for his ability to judge the movements of his team-mates, receive the ball and power ahead of the opponents to both set up and score goals, making him a vital player.
Like many other players in the squad, Salam is excelling in his studies – but extraordinarily he is also a year ahead of his peers at school, whilst travelling from Abu Dhabi four times per week to train at the du LaLiga HPC in Dubai.
