Dubai: He's tall, has a candid demeanour and harbours no intentions of leaving Dubai despite coming to the end of his two-year contract with his club as a professional volleyball player.
"I have won the President's Cup for Al Shabab, so why I should I be thinking of leaving this club?," said Daniel Antonio Desiderio after helping his club to a straight set 25-19, 25-17, 34-32 win against arch-rivals Ajman Club in the season-ending finale at the Al Ahli Club's indoor hall late on Thursday.
Desiderio was all over the court for Al Shabab as they weathered off a late fightback from Ajman Club to clinch a historic President's Cup Volleyball. "This has never happened in the history of this club, so I have all the more reason to smile and be happy," Desiderio said. "I have worked hard and well and all credit goes to the rest of the players who were dedicated in their approach to this tournament. We deserve to win this one," he added.
Hard work
Going into the final of this prestigious event, Al Shabab were never the favourites, moreso after their dismal 0-2 record against Ajman in the UAE Volleyball League earlier this season. "So there were not many believers who thought we could go all the way, and therein lay the secret. These people were not aware of the hard work our boys had put in to iron out our weaknesses as a team," Desiderio said.
Ajman Club carried the favourites' tag solely on their formidable line-up that includes Pakistan international Nasir Mohammad. After going neck and neck till 15-15 in the opening set, Al Shabab broke away at this stage to win it 25-19 with Desiderio's presence at the net making a huge difference.
In the second set, things got worse for the Ajman boys as Al Shabab raced away to 19-11 at one stage to ultimately win the set 25-17. The third was make or break for Ajman and they held out to lead 16-13 with all promises of pulling one back. But Al Shabab dug in deep and eventually won the set 34-32.
"I knew I was up against one of the best players in the UAE [Nasir Mohammad], and honestly, it is always a competition between the foreign players. But I think I played better than he did and we won," Desiderio beamed. "Now is the time to celebrate our victory. I have done well at this club and I am happy in Dubai. I don't see any reason why I should not be given a fresh contract," the former Italian international added.
