Qatar, in a discreet 52nd place in the FIFA standings, kept the hopes of being able to shine in 'its' World Cup, later this year, but the recent successes of the Al Sadd club have given new impetus to the enthusiasm of the emirate fans.
With a squad that forms the backbone of the Qatari national team, reinforced by illustrious veterans such as Santi Cazorla or André Ayew, Al Sadd is a winning machine. He has reached 49 straight games without losing in his league, such as Arsenal in the 2003-2004 Premier League.
The 'Wolves' (their usual nickname) have now become known as 'The Invincible', as happened in their day with the London team that Arsène Wenger would say.
“The majority of Al Sadd players are international players and these successes give enthusiasm, courage and motivation to be fully prepared for the World Cup (21 November-18 December),” international defender Tarek Salman, 24, said in an interview with AFP.
With this 'Gold Generation', which has Hassan Al Haydos as one of its figures, Qatar dreams not only of overcoming the group stage of the World Cup, also relying on optimism for its title at the 2019 Asia Cup.
The Qatar league, which Al Sadd has just won for the second consecutive edition, is far from comparable to the Premier League, although the clubs have resources that allow them to attract prestigious figures such as Colombian James Rodriguez (Al Rayyan) or Belgian Toby Alderweireld (Al Duhail).
- Cup Defeat -
Al Sadd lost this week in the Emir Cup in Qatar against Al Duhail, but Spanish coach Javi Gracia, successor to fellow countryman Xavi Hernandez (at FC Barcelona since November), congratulated his players for having “achieved something really special” with the league streak.
The club aspires in the championship to reach and overcome the 58 consecutive games without losing that AC Milan won between 1991 and 1993. Or even the 69 that Celtic Glasgow had in 2016 and 2017. The absolute record is held by Romanian Steaua Bucharest, with an unbeaten streak of 194 matches between 1985 and 1989.
Al Sadd, which is also aiming for a second title in the Asian Champions League this year after 2011, raises jealousy among national rivals and fears that their hegemony will damage the global level of the Qatari championship.
“Every club has resources and everyone has the possibility to buy and sell players,” says defender Tarek Salman.
In his opinion, Al Sadd's superiority is explained by the “intelligence” of the club: “We have good elements, who know how to develop our players and take them to a level that distinguishes them from other teams. This superiority is going to be favorable to us in the World Cup because most internationals play for Al Sadd.”
Muhammad Ghulam Al Balushi, sports director of Al Sadd, estimates that his club “allows players to be prepared” for the 2022 World Cup.
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