Al Ahli captain Grafite is hoping to cap a remarkable season with the club by signing a new one-year deal at the Rashid Stadium.
The Brazilian – whose current contract runs out in July – scored an impressive equaliser as the Red Knights recovered from a goal down at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Saturday night to beat Al Jazira 2-1 in the Arabian Gulf Cup final.
It was the 28th strike of another productive campaign for Grafite in Dubai that has yielded not only a second league cup winner’s medal but also Arabian Gulf League and Super Cup glory.
Ahli’s season could yet end with back-to-back President’s Cup titles and a place in the AFC Champions League latter stages, and Grafite is clearly hungry for more.
“We have already started the conversation, my agent is here in Dubai,” the former Wolfsburg striker, who arrived at the Rashid Stadium in 2011, said.
“I think we will have a great [President’s Cup] final and maybe we will renew one year more.”
Asked if he thought he would still be at Ahli next season, Grafite added: “I hope. I love this club, I love these guys.
“I am happy here, I know the league, I know the players and to make a change now would not be so easy. I don’t know, but the way is working for me to make a new contract.
“Something can still happen, but I think next year I will be here.”
Grafite has scored 82 goals since arriving at the Rashid Stadium from Germany three years ago but admitted feeling more than a little emotional after heading past AliKhaseif in Al Ain.
“It is not every day you play in a final and you score a goal to equalise,” he said. “When I scored that goal I was sure we would win the game because our team were back on our game.”
The important games keep coming for the Red Knights and tomorrow night they face Al Sadd in Qatar needing at least a point to be sure of their place in the next round of Asian football’s premier club competition for the first time.
Midfielder Hugo Viana insists winning aids recovery and has urged his team-mates to find that extra ounce of energy over the next month to end their season on an unprecedented high.
“We are hungry to win everything this season,” he said.
“We want to make history in the UAE, so that’s our target now.
“If we win the President’s Cup we will be the first team to win everything in one season, and also for Al Ahli club if we win at Al Sadd it will be the first time they go through in the Champions League.
“So we want to do this and we want to do everything to do that.”
