Five Arab footballers who have made a difference

On the occasion of the Middle East Leadership Academy’s (MELA) 10-day executive leadership workshop for 40 accomplished Arab professionals which started last week, we take a look at five Arab footballers who have led from the front to inspire their teammates to incredible results.Younis Mahmoud, IraqThe Iraqi captain masterminded the triumphant 2007 Asian Cup campaign – uniting a country in conflict.  Mahmoud — who played for various Qatari clubs between 2004 and 2013 — top scored in the tournament with four goals, including the winner in the final, as Jorvan Viera’s side defeated neighbours Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the summit clash in Jakarta. On the road to the title, Iraq defeated continental heavyweights South Korea in the semi-final on penalties. However, their biggest moment came in the group stages when they defeated Australia 3-1. Iraq’s Group A rivals had in their ranks English Premier League stars such as Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka, Tim Cahill, Brett Emerton and Lucas Neill.Mahmoud scored 57 goals for his country in 145 appearances and led his country to the semi-finals of the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia.  Rabah Madjer, AlgeriaThe prolific striker is most remembered for his role in arguably the “mother of all victories” by an Arab nation – the 2-1 group win in the 1982 FIFA World Cup against the then two-time World Cup winners West Germany. Madjer scored his country’s opener on the memorable night in Gijon. The Germans went on to reach the final in Spain and Mexico four years later before winning their third World Cup title in Italy in 1990.Algeria also defeated Chile 3-2 in their final group game after losing to Austria. But Rachid Mekhlofi’s side still could not qualify for the second group stage because West Germany and Austria played out a mutually convenient result in their last group game in Gijon – a 1-0 win for the Germans.Madjer, who scored 28 goals in 87 international appearances, also figured in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. The skilful striker won the African Nations Cup in 1990, when Algeria hosted the elite continental competition, and was named the player of the tournament. Any mention of Madjer would be incomplete without taking into account the highlight of his club career – he famously scored in FC’s Porto’s European Cup win against Bayern Munich in 1986-87. Sami al-Jaber, Saudi ArabiaThe prolific Saudi Arabian forward appeared in four FIFA World Cup editions (1994, 98, 2002 and 2006). However, a young al-Jaber was still finding his feet in the 1994 World Cup in the USA – Saudi Arabia’s best ever to date when they qualified for the round of 16 after a memorable win against Belgium, who had European heavyweights Enzo Scifo, Marc Wilmots, Marc Degryse and Michel Preud’homme in their ranks. Though Saudi Arabian goalkeeper Mohamed al-Deayea and playmaker Saeed al-Owairan were the heroes of that historic triumph in Washington, the 22-year-old al-Jaber slotted in a penalty in his country’s group win against Morocco. Saudi Arabia were eliminated in the round of 16 by Sweden but came home winning American hearts for their quick-passing style and some breathtaking moments fashioned by individual skills. Al-Jaber, who scored 46 goals in 156 international caps, won the Asian Cup in 1996 when his country defeated host nation UAE in the final on penalties. Mubarak Mustafa, QatarThe ace forward is credited with making Qatari football a force to reckon with in the 1990’s. He played a prominent role in the country’s triumph in the Gulf Cup of Nations in 1992 and the Arab Nations Cup in 1998. Mustafa was also part of the Qatar side that reached the quarter-finals of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, where he scored the decisive goal for his country in a 1-0 win over Egypt, securing that historic last eight place. Statisticians put Qatar as the sixth best football team in the world at that Olympic tournament, keeping in mind goal difference. Later the same year, Mustafa was the top scorer as Qatar won the 1992 Gulf Cup for the first time ever. Having made a name for himself as one of the best strikers ever to have played for Qatar, the national team captain who is second on the all-time goal-scoring list behind Mansour also received the World Fair Play Trophy in 2005.Mohamed Aboutrika, EgyptThough the forward never featured in a FIFA World Cup, he scored the match winner in the 2008 African Cup of Nations final in Ghana which his country won 1-0, defeating the Samuel Eto’o-led Cameroon in the final. Aboutrika scored four goals in the tournament including one in the semi-final.Aboutrika also starred in the Egyptian team which won the previous edition of the continental competition (2006) at home. He calmly slotted in a penalty in the final against the star-studded Ivory Coast boasting the likes of Didier Drogba, Kolo Toure and Emanuel Eboue, helping his nation win their fourth continental title.The Egyptian hero proved he is more than capable of brushing shoulders against the world’s best in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa. Teammate Mohamed Zidan scored twice against the Brazilians, with Aboutrika assisting on both occasions. However, the five-time world champions prevailed 4-3. He also provided the assist in Egypt’s 1-0 win against Italy. Aboutrika, who has 38 goals in 100 international caps, also has a glittering trophy cabinet in club football – he was part of Al Ahly’s five CAF Champions League title wins in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2013.