Dubai: Brazilian striker Grafite is confident he will extend his stay with Al Ahli before the season ends next month.
Former Sao Paulo and Wolfsburg frontman Grafite is 35 and was meant to bring down the curtain on his illustrious football career while with the Dubai club. But, with three trophies already won this season and the prospect of another to follow, Grafite feels he has enough left in him to delay retirement.
“I hope to have a new contract soon. I love this club and I am enjoying my football with this team. I think I can play for another one or two years at the top level,” Grafite told media after scoring the equaliser as Al Ahli beat Al Jazira 2-1 to lift the Arabian Gulf Cup late on Saturday.
“I have so many good friends here. The family likes it as well and I am comfortable with the Al Ahli family. I would like to have a new contract. But I will keep my options open. This is what I want and I don’t know what the club wants.”
Grafite has been crucial in the Al Ahli success story this season. They have already won the Super Cup, the Arabian Gulf League and now the cup, with the President’s Cup final still to go.
The four-times-capped Brazilian signed a two-year deal with Al Ahli in 2011 and has scored 75 goals in 85 appearances since. His pedigree was further cemented when he was named the International Player of the Year during the inaugural Etisalat Pro-League Awards in May last year.
And, on Saturday, Grafite once again came to the rescue of his team with a beauty of a header to peg Al Jazira back. “My job is to score goals and I am happy I could score that goal and keep my team fighting for the cup,” Grafite said.
“It was very important that we got a goal at that juncture of the match [69th minute]. If not, we could have given up. Once we scored we knew we could score again and win the trophy.”
