Sultan Adel… a wasted Emirati talent

Attention is focused on the young striker Sultan Adel, who has begun to impose his name strongly on the local football scene, after his remarkable brilliance with the national team in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, despite the “White” losing the opportunity to qualify directly and complete the dream through the continental playoff.

Athletes told Emirates Today: “Sultan Adel is considered a wasted Emirati talent, despite his football intelligence and technical and physical abilities that qualify him to be the first spearhead in the national team during the next stage.”

They stressed that “the player has high qualities that qualify him to be a distinguished figure in Emirati football in the coming years, but his limited participation with his club, Shabab Al-Ahly, remains the biggest obstacle to his real launch towards stardom,” calling for “the necessity of him receiving full support from the football system in the Emirates, to preserve his talent for the benefit of the national team.”

An opportunity to play as a starter

Former Al Ain club manager Essam Abdullah believes that Sultan Adel is considered one of the most promising strikers in UAE football, noting that he only needs more playing minutes to gain the confidence and experience required.

Issam Abdullah said: “The player has distinctive physical abilities and a strong build. He is proficient in playing with both feet, and he is also proficient in head kicks. He is distinguished by his ability to open spaces for the parties and those coming from behind, which are rare qualities in local strikers.”

He added: “The injury of Sardar Azmoun and the decline of Moanis Dabour give Sultan the opportunity to participate as a starter with his club, Shabab Al-Ahly, and he must take advantage of it to prove that he is the next striker for Emirates Football.” Issam Abdullah advised the young players to focus on continuous play before thinking about the financial aspects, stressing that technical development is only achieved by participating on the field.

Souza’s confidence

In turn, former Al-Wasl international player Farouk Abdul Rahman confirmed that the emergence of Sultan Adel has restored hope to the fans in the emergence of a high-caliber Emirati striker who can follow in the footsteps of the duo Ahmed Khalil and Ali Mabkhout.

He said: “I see that Sultan is following Mabkhout’s path in particular. He got an early opportunity to play with the national team and proved his worth. He now needs similar confidence with his club, as happened with the duo Khalil and Mabkhout before.”

He added: “If Al-Ahly youth give him full confidence, and give him opportunities to play even in the presence of foreigners, he will be one of the most prominent scorers on the local and international arenas for years to come.”

He pointed out that “the biggest role in developing Sultan Adel’s talent lies with Shabab Al-Ahly coach Paulo Sousa, and the necessity of giving him sufficient confidence and longer periods of playing,” stressing: “If the player obtains this confidence, he will be one of the league’s top scorers for many years.”

The only hope

For his part, former Al-Nasr team manager Khaled Obaid considered that “Sultan Adel currently represents the only hope for the position of outright striker among national players.”

Obaid said: “Although Sultan Adel emerged with the national team two years ago, he did not get his full opportunity with his club, due to the clubs’ preference, in general, for the resident player at the expense of the citizen player, and this is a problem that must be addressed urgently.”

He pointed out that “previous experiences have proven that residents who shined in the league left as soon as they received offers from abroad, as happened with Shabab Al-Ahly striker Igor Khesios, who preferred to play for his country of origin, Brazil, and play professionally in Europe, while the citizen player remains the real bet on continuity and giving within our league.”

He concluded his speech by stressing that giving Sultan the full opportunity at his club would be an investment in the future of Emirati football, and not just support for a promising talent.