Faisal's tips came handy: Ahmad

Abu Dhabi: Ahmad Khalil was the cynosure of all eyes at the Asian Youth Championship, winning both titles of the Most Valuable Player and top scorer after warming the substitutes' bench for his club Al Ahli so far in the season.

Khalil, the younger brother of Faisal, the UAE and Al Ahli striker and last season's top scorer, scored four goals in five matches he played in the tournament and displayed rare talent - which earned him both titles while helping his team to win the title.

"I am more happy with winning the Asian Youth Cup for my country than by winning the MVP or top scorer titles for myself. Yes, I am happy to win both titles but my joy at winning the Asian Championship is greater." Khalil told Gulf News yesterday.

Deserving winners

"We deserved to win the championship. We were simply the best team - winning all our six matches in the competition and performing consistently. My colleagues deserve a lot of credit because it was their untiring efforts that resulted in winning the Asian Youth Championship as also my two individual titles," Khalil added.

Regarding his future after being selected as the best player and Under-19 striker in the whole continent, Khalil said: " I hope this will open up new avenues for me. My first priority is to become a regular selection with my club, Al Ahli, the second is to be selected for my country's senior national team and the third is to play as a professional outside the UAE - preferably in Europe."

Khalil credited his elder brother Faisal for the transformation from a raw talent to the seasoned striker he is now.

"Faisal has always been available to help me offer valuable tips on how to polish my talent. I am also grateful to our head coach in the UAE team, Mehdi Ali who made us believe in our capabilities and was successful in bringing out the best of the players." Khalil concluded.

Coach Ali, meanwhile, gushed about his boys' achievements. "This team is simply the future of the game in the UAE. The players are very talented, organised and fight like tigers. I am really lucky to coach such a team."

Ali was appointed as head coach only 10 days before the kick-off of the championship following the sacking of Tunisian Khalid Bin Yahya.

While many have expressed their worries about the timing of the appointment, his years as an assistant coach of the team came to his benefit and he found the most successful combination that the other strong opponents failed to beat.