Nicknamed “The Gunner”, Abdelkarim Hassan has been one of the key players for Qatar for over a decade.
The experienced defender has featured for Al Annabi in 130 games but the feeling of representing the national side at the FIFA World Cup is colossal for the 29-year-old.
Hassan was one of the nine defenders named by head coach Felix Sanchez in his 26-man final squad for the prestigious tournament.
“It’s a dream of every player to play the World Cup for his country. Like everyone it was my childhood dream too and I am proud to be a part of Qatar squad in our historic participation,” said Hassan, who made Qatar debut in 2010.
The Al Sadd star, who is Qatar’s third most-capped player, has the ability of stunning the opposition with his long range goals, and his influence will be substantial given his rich experience in major tournaments including Copa America, Gold Cup and the FIFA Arab Cup.
It will not be a surprise if Hassan comes out as one of the outstanding players for the home side, and this is what the seasoned campaigner is aiming at.
“I am looking forward to do a lot at this World Cup, help my team achieve its goals,” he told Qatar Football Association twitter.
Eyeing a Round of 16 spot on their maiden appearance, Qatar went through lengthy preparation for the World Cup during training camps in Spain and Austria; with head coach Felix Sanchez kicking off the final preparations in June, keeping players away from their clubs in the new QNB Stars League season.
Hassan, who also played for Belgian side Eupen, said the team got best preparations in build up for the World Cup during these training camps.
“Our training camps were highly beneficial. The friendly games during these camps gave us good match practice as well. The technical staff deserves the praise as they worked very hard to prepare us for the tournament,” he said.
Asian champions Qatar face Ecuador in the opening match of the tournament on Sunday before they will meet African champions Senegal and Group A favourites Netherlands in their next two matches.
Hassan admitted Al Annabi face a difficult challenge, saying the team will need a special performance to go through a tough group.
“Without any doubt, the task is not easy. It’s a World Cup and all the teams are coming well prepared, so we need to double our effort,” he said before adding the team is confident ahead the opener.
“Everyone is excited and the atmosphere in the team is wonderful. We are eagerly waiting for the referee’s kick off whistle for the Ecuador match. Every member of the squad is looking forward to contribute and play his role for the team. We are targeting a good performance in front of our home fans,” he said.
Hassan, who won the Asian Player of the Year award in 2018, said Qatar’s Asian Cup triumph in 2019 remains the best achievement of his career.
“We are hoping for a performance like that and bring smiles on the faces of our fans at the World Cup,” he said.
After their opening match against Ecuador, Qatar will face Senegal on November 25 before their last group match against Netherlands on November 29.
