All-conquering Al Ahli swept the boards at the glittering Arabian Gulf League Awards 2013-14 yesterday as their domestic dominance was reflected in the prizes.
Held under the Patronage of Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Pro League Committee hosted the glamorous event at the St Regis Abu Dhabi Corniche to celebrate the stars of the season.
And with the Red Knights claiming the championship by an enormous 16 points, the majority of the 10 trophies presented by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan went to them.
Ahli forward Ismail Al Hammadi beat off strong competition to win the prestigious Emirati Player of the Year title, with striker Grafite named Foreign Player of the Year for the second successive year.
Cosmin Olaroiu was Coach of the Year, in a season where victory in today’s President’s Cup final against Al Ain will complete a historic clean sweep of the domestic titles.
Further accolades went to Ahli when Saif Yousif was adjudged Goalkeeper of the Year, and Majed Hassan the .Fans' Player of the Year.
When asked about his foreign player crown, 19-goal Brazilian Grafite, who edged stars such as Al Ain’s Asamoah Gyan and Al Wahda’s Sebastian Tagliabue, was quick to acknowledge those who had supported him.
He said: “I feel very well, very happy and proud to win this trophy. Last year I won as well, and even though I have several trophies like this, always when you win the feeling is very special.
“This proves my work, about my team, myself and my team-mates. This trophy is for everybody who helped me, and especially my family.
“This season was very great for us. I hope to finish this season like we started it.”
The accolade for Olaroiu caps a memorable season, serving half of a six-month touchline ban in the stands following his controversial summer exit from Al Ain.
Despite that distraction, Ahli have already lifted the Super Cup, Arabian Gulf Cup and the Arabian Gulf League under his control prior to today’s showpiece clash with the Boss.
The stocky Romanian deflected the praise when asked about the award won for his work in the top flight.
“My trophy belongs to the team and my staff,” Olaroiu said. “They led the team for a big part of the season.
“I thank my players, as without them our work is nothing. Also, Al Ahli for making it possible to work in this club.
“It is an appreciation of the work they have done this season. When you work hard, the rewards are
always coming.
“When I came I talked to them about this, and I am glad what I said at the time happened.”
Elsewhere, Al Jazira were named Professional Club of the Year, Sharjah attacker Yousif Saeed Rookie of the Year, Gyan Top Scorer of the Year and Hamad Al Hammadi Fantasy Football Manager of the Year.
The Best XI contained five Ahli players (Yousif, Basheer Saeed, Hassan, Al Hammadi and Grafite), with Al Wahda right-back Eissa Santo, Al Shabab centre-back Walid Abbas, Al Nasr left-back Mahmoud Khamis, Sharjah’s on loan midfielder Kim Jung Woo, plus Al Ain playmaker Omar Abdulrahman and striker Gyan, rounding it off.
Half of the trophies were voted for by the Pro League Technical Committee, industry experts, head coaches, club captains and media representatives.
Top scorer was decided by the AGL statistics, club of the year by Club Licensing rankings, the Best XI by the technical committee, Fantasy Football by the highest-scoring user of the
online Fantasy.AGLeague.ae platform and the fans’ player through thousands of votes submitted via SMS, Facebook, and the official Arabian Gulf League Twitter and Instagram accounts @AGLeague, using the #AGLAwards hashtag.
