The criticism of Al Ain fans in the Club World Cup motivated me to shine

Al Ain Club player, Rami Rabia, expressed that his contribution to winning the Professional Football League title came after a season full of challenges on the technical and mental levels, stressing that the criticism he faced at the beginning of his career with the team after participating in the Club World Cup did not shake his self-confidence, but rather increased his determination to prove his abilities on the field and contribute to achieving the team’s collective goals.

Rami Rabia told Emirates Today that he was not angry at the criticism he received from Al Ain fans, especially after the two major losses to Manchester City and Juventus in the Club World Cup held in the United States of America, explaining that the beginning was certainly difficult, but facing teams of this size represents a great challenge for any player in the world, noting that any team would have suffered in such confrontations due to technical differences and great experience.

He explained: “I knew the amount of pressure that I would face by moving to Al Ain Club, because the atmosphere here is no different from the Egyptian Al Ahly Club, which plays to win all the championships, so I completely understood the reason for the criticism from the Al Ain fans at the beginning of my career with the team.”

He added: “Criticism is a natural part of football, especially when a player is under pressure from big results or participation. I accept criticism as long as it is within a sporting context, but I always focus on working on the field, because the real response is through performance and not through words, and this thought helped me get through the difficult beginning period.”

He continued: “Joining Al Ain Club represented an important step for me in my career, because it is a club that always competes for championships and has great ambitions, which made me feel from the beginning that pressure is a natural part of this environment, and I realized that playing in a team with this mentality forces any player to give his best in every training and match.”

He added: “We started the season with clear goals that were agreed upon between the players and the technical staff, which is to compete for all possible tournaments. This agreement created a state of collective focus from the first day, and everyone was aware of the extent of the responsibility placed on him, whether on or off the field.”

He continued: “I see that the team spirit within the team was one of the most important factors for success during the season. There was no difference between a main player or a substitute. Rather, we were all working in one direction. This contributed to raising the level of harmony within the group, and made the team able to deal with various circumstances during the season.”

He continued: “I see that winning the league title came as a result of long work and not a coincidence, because we went through different stages of pressure and challenges, but we had a strong personality that helped us come back in difficult moments, and persistence was the common factor among all the players until reaching the final goal.”

Rabia continued: “The support of the club’s board of directors and the technical staff played a major role throughout the season, as they provided us with a stable environment that helped us fully concentrate on the field, and this stability had a direct impact on the development of performance and the gradual achievement of positive results.”

He concluded his statements by saying: “The next stage requires more work and focus in order to maintain the championships and continue competing, as our next goal is to win the President’s Cup title, because Al Ain Club’s ambitions do not stop at one championship, but rather always extend to continuing to achieve achievements and making the fans happy who support the team in all circumstances.”