Dubai: Man of the match Everton Ribeiro has still a lot to prove to his critics as the Red Knights prepare for a season-ending double onslaught.
Linked with moves to Manchester United, AC Milan and AS Monca, the 26-year-old attacking midfielder chose Al Ahli during the winter transfer window for a reported fee of 15 million euros (Dh62 million). However, the Al Ahli faithful saw very little in the former under-20 Brazilian international.
But in Wednesday’s home match of the AFC Champions League against Al Ain, Ribeiro was at his best while dominating defence of The Boss.
“When I arrived here I was not ready 100 per cent and I had to put in extra work to get to a certain standard. By then people had started talking. I really don’t care about these critics and I will let my football do the talking,” Ribeiro told media at the post-match conference.
“I know what I am capable of and I am willing to put in the hard work as we prepare for the rest of the season. We have the President’s Cup next [against Dubai Club] followed by the away leg of the Champions League. We need to play with a little bit more attention and I think the goals will come,” he added.
