When he heads to this year’s FIFA Arab Cup™, alongside boots, shin-pads and other standard items, there’s something else that Mahdi Al Humaidan will pack.
As Bahrain’s star forward explains to FIFA, it’s something that allows him to relax away from the rigours of football.
“I really love to play all kinds of games, cards, board games and especially chess. Chess, especially I really like it, I’m not so good but I really like it so that could be something to help me relax.”
If he struggles to consistently find his way through 16 tightly packed pieces on the chess board, Al Humaidan certainly has far less trouble up against 11 players on a football pitch.
For more than a decade, the 32-year-old has been tormenting opposing defences. Primarily, but not exclusively, as a left winger, cutting in where his explosive pace, dribbling and finishing have led to a glut of goal contributions for both club and country.
Now on the books of one of Iraq’s greatest clubs, the mighty 14-time domestic kings Al Zawraa, Al Humaidan is arguably at the peak of his powers. It’s why failure to qualify for next year’s FIFA World Cup™ cuts especially deep.
After a bright start, with five points from their first four, third round, outings, the wheels fell off as they lost four straight matches to finish bottom of a section containing heavyweights Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia.
“Everyone knows that our group was the strongest one but we started well. Losing points at home though, against Indonesia, China and Saudi Arabia really hurt us. I think we dropped points that we didn’t deserve to and it was really disappointing but this is the fact of football.
“Now it is the end for that dream and for me in terms of future World Cups I don’t know. Of course, I will continue playing but I’m trying to think about the present and focus on my health and fitness.”
There is one event though that is occupying Al Humaidan’s attention and that is the second edition of the Arab Cup, which will be hosted in Qatar from 1-18 December. It’s a tournament that he is desperate to feature in and attempt to ease the disappointment of that early World Cup qualification exit.
“The Arab Cup is a really important competition for us. We saw in the last edition that it was very competitive, very strong. There was a lot of media focus and I think that maybe it’s an even stronger tournament than the Asian Cup, considering that there are teams such as Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia that will feature, really big, big teams.
“It’s good for us to join this competition both because it’s very competitive and also because we didn’t qualify to the World Cup, so it gives us a chance to show what we can do.”
It’s also an opportunity to improve on a disappointing campaign at the previous edition, in Qatar four years ago where Bahrain failed to progress from the group. To do so, they firstly need to overcome Djibouti in a one-off qualification match in November, which will be held in Qatar in November.
The winner of that clash will join either Lebanon or Sudan, the defending champions Algeria and the nation where he plays his domestic football, Iraq.
“In Iraq, everyone is so crazy about football. There is pressure on every match, pressure on the players because the expectations are so high but playing here has given me a real sense of just how strong the league is and that football in Iraq is getting better and better.
“For Bahrain, firstly we must focus on the match against Djibouti because that is the most important challenge but definitely we want to do well at the Arab Cup.
“We have a strong team, we have played together for four or five years with this group and there is no reason why we can’t do really well at the competition. I think we want to show what we can do, I’m not saying we will win the title but we can definitely go to the latter stages for sure.”
As Al Humaidan reflects, for a nation of barely one-and-a-half million people, the fact that Bahrain can consistently punch above their weight is a testament to the character of the people.
“It’s not just in football, but in all spheres of life. We have talents in every industry, in every sport. Our handball team, volleyball team, basketball team, they are all doing well. Because it’s such a small land you can also focus on the talents, I think it is something inside all Bahrainis, a real kind of competitive and ambitious spirit.
“I remember when I was a child and they asked us in school what we wanted to do when we were older. I said I will be a football player and they laughed. Here I am though, more than ten years with the national team and still proud that I get the chance and have the responsibility to represent Bahrain.”
Images courtesy of the Bahrain Football Association
