Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Despite their young age, the two friends Qais Lafi and Saeed Abu Ghalioun dream of following in the footsteps of Egyptian star Mohamed Salah, Liverpool’s star and top scorer, who has become a “role model” for Arab children in general, and in Gaza in particular.
After years of Argentine player Lionel Messi and Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo dominating the hearts of football fans around the world, Salah succeeded, as the first Arab player, in competing with the two stars in capturing the hearts and minds of football fans in the Arab world.
Qais (13 years old) dreams of following the same path that Salah took in his football career, and one day playing professionally in one of the major European teams.
But Qais seemed older than his years, and showed great awareness of the difficult reality in Gaza. He said, “The siege kills our dreams as it kills everything in Gaza, but football remains our hope for breaking this siege and showing our abilities and talents to the world.”
Since he realized his love for football, Qais has supported Barcelona and considers Argentine Lionel Messi his role model, but the great success that Salah achieved last season made him his favorite player.
The English club Liverpool did not have fans in Gaza, but Salah’s brilliance in its ranks and winning several individual awards made him very popular in Gaza.
Qais says, "Salah is my role model. He is an excellent player with high morals. I follow all his news daily. He is generous and donates to the poor in his country. I hope to become famous like him in order to help my family, relatives, and the poor in Gaza."
Qais's mother encourages her son to commit to his training at the "Al-Mashtal Sports Club" in Gaza, where he passed his tests and was registered in the records of the Palestinian Football Association.
She hopes that "her son will join Salah and be next to him on the field, achieve what he achieved, and rescue us from this difficult reality."
Here Qais interrupted her and said while laughing: I will buy you and each of my brothers a villa and a car, but the important thing first is that I travel outside Gaza.
While Qais tried traveling once with his family on a summer trip to Egypt, his friend Saeed Abu Ghalioun (12 years old) and his family of seven members never left the Gaza Strip.
Saeed supports Real Madrid, as he continued for years to admire the brilliance of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, but he shows great love for Salah and dreams of becoming a great player like him.
Saeed told Al Jazeera Net, "Salah is polite and religious, and does not cause problems on the field, and I hated (Real Madrid defender Sergio) Ramos when he injured him in the Champions League final last season."
Saeed dreams of traveling outside Gaza and joining one of the clubs that will open the way for him to become professional and demonstrate his football abilities. He concluded his speech with a wish that was repeated by all the children Al Jazeera Net met: “I want to become a famous and rich player and help my family live a good life.”
A member of the Palestinian Football Association, Ismail Matar, said that the success of Arab players in the major European leagues - most notably Salah - has increased children’s love for the game of football, and the football academies that have spread in Gaza over the past years have contributed to increasing the number of children who play this game, in addition to encouraging Parents encourage their children to play football because they want them to see famous players.
Matar confirmed that there are real talents in Gaza, and if the necessary care is found, and if football academies are exploited in the correct way, these talents will become the future of Palestinian football.
Matar explained the great demand from Gaza's children for the first popular game in the world by saying that "they see in it the hope of getting out of the difficult reality and heading towards freedom and the spotlight abroad."
Sports journalist Ashraf Muhammad reveals that “many talents were buried in Gaza, and no one knew about them, due to the siege and occupation measures, but recently there have been professionals from Gaza, especially in the Egyptian League, where they succeeded in sending videos showing their talent, and they were contracted.” The most prominent of them is Mahmoud Al-Salami, nicknamed “Gaza’s Messi,” who plays for Al-Ahly Club, Hamed Hamdan for the Military Production Club, and Mahmoud Wadi and Mohamed Saleh, who play for the Egyptian Club.
Regarding the extent of his observation of the children of Gaza’s attachment to Salah, the sports journalist said, “Salah is humble. He crossed the path to professionalism from the beginning. He is a player from a humble Egyptian family. He is known for his charitable works, so you find him a role model for the children of Gaza.”
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