Night of a lifetime for Khalifa Mubarak

• Khalifa Mubarak earns initial Al Jazira start opposite Real Madrid
• 19-year-old was a youngest actor on a representation opposite Los Blancos
• Al Jazira to face Pachuca in compare for third place

The night of Wednesday 13 Dec 2017 was no typical one for immature Al Jazira midfielder Khalifa Mubarak. When a 19-year-old ran on to a Zayed Sports City representation to take on Spanish giants and two-time FIFA Club World Cup winners’ Real Madrid, he was enjoying his initial start for a UAE joining champions.

Facing a champions of Europe for a final dual seasons would be a tough assignment for any player, let alone one still purebred with a UAE Football Association as an amateur, and in a Club World Cup semi-final.

And while Al Jazira’s dream of reaching a final was eventually dashed, Mubarak was intensely happy during a finish of a game, when he spoke to FIFA.com about his strenuous feelings after personification opposite his favourite general team. “I can’t report how we felt when we found out I’d be personification in that game, generally meaningful that I’d be a youngest actor on a pitch, confronting Europe’s megastars. That was a outrageous boost to my confidence.”

The actor who faced Luka Modric, a leader of a Alibaba Cloud Match Award, in a midfield added: “I prepared for this diversion like for any other, and my team-mates gave me some additional assurances. We faced a fortifying universe champions, though we weren’t underneath any pressure, as a manager reminded us. This helped me play with effect and perform well.”

Asked how he felt confronting so many of a general stars he saw as his purpose models, Mubarak, who played for 60 mins before being transposed by Eissa Mohamed, another 19-year old, said: “It was my dream to play opposite Europe’s stars. When we took to a representation and saw them all around me, we couldn’t trust it. It felt like a dream.”

Henk 10 Cate: “The teams are flattering equal. We play in a opposite competition. We play with schoolboys, we have 5 players who go to school. The propagandize were kind adequate to give them a integrate of days off.” pic.twitter.com/SpTtw6xxyt

— نادي الجزيرة الفخر العالمي (@AlJazira_uae) December 5, 2017

At a press discussion after a game, Al Jazira Dutch manager Henk 10 Cate discussed his preference to utilize immature players. “I told them, ‘Just have fun. It is a singular event that we competence not get again, so only suffer yourselves and do your best’.”

Back to school
Mubarak never illusory his side would go so distant during UAE 2017, carrying creatively only taken a few days off from his university. As it turns out, he will need to stay until a contest concludes this Saturday, when Al Jazira go adult opposite Mexico’s Pachuca for third place.

“My university gave me a accede to play with my bar in this tournament,” pronounced a teenager, who, along with a series of his team-mates, came by a Al Jazira Academy. “Now we still have a diversion to play. we wish we can give another good opening and sign third place.”

As he prepared to leave a Zayed Sports City Stadium final night, Mubarak pronounced with a laugh: “When a contest ends, I’ll lapse to university for another unrelenting exam – my exams.”

However formidable they competence be, they will certainly not be any harder than a one acted by Real Madrid on an memorable Wednesday night in Abu Dhabi.

Article source: http://www.fifa.com/clubworldcup/news/y=2017/m=12/news=night-of-a-lifetime-for-khalifa-mubarak-2924844.html