For a man who speaks two languages fluently, it is perplexing to hear that Eisa Ahmed al Marzouqi has been cast into the international wilderness because of a communication issue.
The Al Wahda defender appeared on the cusp of establishing himself in the UAE national team in 2008 when he was called up by Bruno Metsu for a friendly tournament in Ghana in 2008.
But just a few months later he failed to make the national Under 20 team after missing a summer camp in the capital because of an apparent miscommunication.
"I was requested to join the youth national team's training but there was no formal word from my club," al Marzouqi said. "Later I read a news article in the Arabic dailies that I was dropped for not attending the training. I wasn't considered for the national team thereafter."
Basheer Saeed, the central defender who plays alongside al Marzouqi at Wahda, feels Srecko Katanec, the national team coach, would be well-advised to consider ending the defender's exile.
"He is dynamic player full of energy," Saeed said. "He has skills and agility, and this season he has sealed his place in the first XI. Playing by his side, I know I have a teammate I can always rely on for support because of his abilities as well as the commitment."
Saeed knows a thing or two about defending, having played more than 150 times for Wahda and having pulled on the national jersey 56 times. He believes al Marzouqi, 24, and Hamdan al Kamali, the 21-year-old centre-back, could form the backbone of the defence for club and country for years.
"They are already established as the regulars in the club's new 4-4-2 format and are the best two young defenders to come out from the age-group level," Saeed said.
If al Marzouqi's family had not moved to the capital when he was 13, he could still be playing for Al Nasr, now under the leadership of Walter Zenga, the former Italy goalkeeper.
"I spent around three years at Al Nasr," al Marzouqi said. "My father took me to Al Wahda. I made it to the club's Under 16 team and made a few trips abroad. My father was the manager of that team. He was also my mentor and coach."
Al Marzouqi is referred to around the training ground and dressing room as "Eisa Santo" as a tribute to his father, Santo, who is a former Wahda stalwart.
"Eisa is one of the popular persons in the team, a guy who can bring a lot of fun and laughter," Mutaz Abdulla, the goalkeeper, said. "He is also a 100 per cent team man on the pitch and a strong player to have in the defence. He is also one of the fittest guys in the team and that gives me, as a goalkeeper, a lot of confidence that he will fall back to cover."
Wahda clearly have faith in their Dubai-born defender, handing him a contract until 2015 after he played almost every game in his debut season in 2006/07. He played nearly every game the following season before a serious knee injury ruled him out for more than six months.
During that dark period, he drew strength from his close-knit family. He is the third of seven boys. Talal and Marwan, his older brothers, gave up football for jobs, as did two of his younger brothers, Abdulaziz and Abdullah. However, Mohammed, 12, and Rashid, 11, are showing signs of following in Eisa's footsteps; they are part of the Wahda academy.
"My brothers have ventured out for jobs but my ambition is to be a successful businessman," al Marzouqi said. "But right now all my attention is to play for my club and hopefully represent the country in the game that I love and a game that has given me so much in return."
Should he carve out a prolonged career as a footballer, al Marzouqi will have his father to thank.
"My father's influence has been great," he said. "He has helped as a mentor and a coach when I got more serious in pursuing a career in football at Al Wahda."
Al Marzouqi also paid tribute to the likes of team manager, Abdulla Saleh, and players Ismail Matar, Haider Ali, Abdulraheem Jumaa, Saeed and Fahed Masoud for his development at Wahda.
"Everyone treats me as an equal," he said. "Everyone in the team is my best friends and they have all helped me to improve my game."
Wahda have needed to draw on their inner strength during what has been a frustrating season. They provided a limp defence of their title, failed to win a trophy and are now struggling to finish in the top three in the Pro League.
Al Marzouqi said Wahda's participation as the host team in the Club World Cup (CWC) in December was "a huge distraction".
"We got our priorities mixed up with so many competitions to play," he said. "We didn't really focus on one single tournament. The CWC was a huge distraction. Our focus from the time we won the league was on the CWC.
"We were made to believe we were representing the UAE. We have a strong team on paper and all our fans ask this question why we haven't done well this season.
"It is quite frustrating when our own fans ask us to explain the reason for the poor record we have had this season."
apassela@thenational.ae
Bharatanatyam
A ancient classical dance from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Intricate footwork and expressions are used to denote spiritual stories and ideas.
THREE
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Calls
Directed by: Fede Alvarez
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Karen Gillian, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
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'Midnights'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EArtist%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Taylor%20Swift%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELabel%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Republic%20Records%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
Civil%20War
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Saturday's results
Women's third round
- 14-Garbine Muguruza Blanco (Spain) beat Sorana Cirstea (Romania) 6-2, 6-2
- Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 6-2, 6-1
- 7-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Polona Hercog (Slovenia) 6-4. 6-0
- Coco Vandeweghe (USA) beat Alison Riske (USA) 6-2, 6-4
- 9-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat 19-Timea Bacsinszky (Switzerland) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
- Petra Martic (Croatia) beat Zarina Diyas (Kazakhstan) 7-6, 6-1
- Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 6-2, 6-1
- 7-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Polona Hercog (Slovenia) 6-4, 6-0
Men's third round
- 13-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) beat Dudi Sela (Israel) 6-1, 6-1 -- retired
- Sam Queery (United States) beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
- 6-Milos Raonic (Canada) beat 25-Albert Ramos (Spain) 7-6, 6-4, 7-5
- 10-Alexander Zverev (Germany) beat Sebastian Ofner (Austria) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
- 11-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat David Ferrer (Spain) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
- Adrian Mannarino (France) beat 15-Gael Monfils (France) 7-6, 4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
Company%20profile
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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RESULTS
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: AF Senad, Nathan Crosse (jockey), Kareem Ramadan (trainer)
2.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Ashjaan, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
3pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Amirah, Conner Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Jap Al Yaasoob, Szczepan Mazur, Irfan Ellahi.
4pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Cup Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Jawaal, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri.
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Manhunter, Ryan Curatolo, Mujeeb Rahman.
The view from The National
Red Sparrow
Dir: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Egerton, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons
Three stars
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
