Dubai: Hamed Al Kamali made history on Tuesday when he became the first Emirati to play in the Uefa Champions League.
The 21-year-old defender, who is on a year’s loan to Maltese champions Valletta from Al Wahda, came on as an 85th-minute substitute against Azerbaijan’s Qarabag in Baku in the second leg of the Champions League second qualifying round.
Nine-man Valletta were already 4-0 down when Al Kamali came on and they lost 5-0 on aggregate following last week’s 1-0 defeat in Malta. However, Al Kamali made his presence felt immediately by clearing a certain sixth goal off the line with a header.
Hamed’s older brother and agent Faisal told Gulf News it was a historic day for UAE football.
“He’s entered history,” he said. “This is a big achievement for the UAE, for Al Wahda and for the player. The coach [Gilbert Agius] was very happy with him, he played a great 10 minutes and saved the ball off the line despite being 4-0 down and down to nine men.”
Faisal added that Hamed’s Champions League appearance could lead the way for more UAE players to play abroad.
“UAE players should think for the future, I know they get paid well in the UAE, but a real professional should always be looking outside the country to play in strong leagues,” he said.
“Players will probably get half the salary if they move abroad and UAE clubs aren’t allowing them to go anyway. But if players have the ambition and UAE clubs retain a 20-30 per cent share of the player, there’s no reason why more UAE players can’t go abroad.
“Hamed’s loan will give us the experience of how to deal in the future and, if other clubs and players see he’s doing well, they will follow. Now, Hamed will start playing in the league and, in the next few months, he will be a better player for his experience.”
Hamed is the younger brother of UAE and Al Wahda defender Hamdan, who spent six months on loan at French Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais in 2012 without making a first-team appearance.
UAE midfielders Omar and Amer Abdul Rahman are the only other Emirati players to have attempted a European switch. Omar had a two-week trial at English Premier League champions Manchester City in 2012 and last year Amer spent a fortnight on trial at English Championship side Blackburn Rovers. However, neither player made their moves permanent.
With this appearance, it is believed Al Kamali is not only the first Emirati to play in the Champions League, but also the first Emirati to have played first-team football at a professional level in Europe.
