Omar hopes to remain at Al Ain for a lifetime

Al Ain — Omar Abdulrahman, dubbed the ‘Arabian Messi,’ has shunned a move to Europe and will most likely see out his career at Al Ain after agreeing to a contract extension with ‘The Boss’ until 2018.

The Garden City club and Omar agreed to an extension which will see him remain on these shores for the next three years at least. The contract is reportedly worth Dh14 million a year. The deal was made official at a press conference at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain on Sunday night and Omar said that he hoped to remain here for a lifetime. His previous four-year contract was set to expire this summer.

Nicknamed ‘Amoory,’ speculation has always tagged along with Omar regarding a switch to Europe. But the 23-year-old has poured water over that by first announcing on his twitter account that he is set to remain with the club.  “I’m happy because I’m a son of the club. Money has never been a factor. I have been with them for a long time and I’m very happy here. That is the most important thing. This is better for both the club and me. The contract is for three years but I hope it will be for a lifetime,” said Omar.

“I want to continue serving Al Ain and win many trophies with the club. That is my main objective,” he added.

Omar has been linked with various European clubs for a long time and his stocks rose after his stellar showing at the AFC Asian Cup in Australia in January. The UAE ended up finishing third after going down to hosts Australia in the semifinals. Omar has always been top notch in the domestic league but it was at the London Olympics in 2012 that the world sat up and took notice of this precious talent.

He also underwent a trail at EPL champions Manchester City.

A host of clubs like Liverpool, Benfica, and few Spanish clubs were said to watching with keen interest. But Omar is set to remain at Al Ain.

The star playmaker is currently on the sidelines with an hamstring injury picked up earlier this month during the Arabian Gulf League fixture against Al Shabab. Omar ran during training on Saturday though there still some doubt whether he will feature in Al Ain’s opening Group B game against Saudi Arabia’s Al Shabab in AFC Champions League on Tuesday.

Omar though hoped that he will be fit to play and help Al Ain.

james@khaleejtimes.com