Abdullah Hlehel becomes second Arab-Israeli footballer to join UAE’s Al-Nasr

LONDON: There were plenty of headlines about politics when Dia Saba joined Al-Nasr SC last year to become the first Israeli player in the Arabian Gulf League, but the fact that the Dubai club has returned to sign a second shows that sport takes precedence. 

It also means that Abdullah Hlehel has a tough act to follow.

Just a week or so before the start of the new season, Al-Nasr has signed Hlehel, their second Israeli player: “We are delighted to welcome the young striker,” Al-Nasr said on social media. “He will wear our colors until 2023.”

The 20-year-old Arab Muslim striker of Palestinian origin arrives from Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona and is expected to add firepower as Al-Nasr look to improve on last season’s fifth place and mount a genuine challenge for a first league title since 1986. 

If he is as successful as Saba has been, then the likes of Al Jazira, Baniyas and Shabab Al Ahli may be worried.

It will not be easy, though. Saba signed in September, a month after the UAE and Israel normalized relations in 2020. The midfielder soon showed why he was valued at around $5 million. 

Al-Nasr said in a statement at the time: “Attracting the player came from a purely artistic perspective and was chosen due to his talent and individual capabilities that would constitute a strong addition to the ranks of the Al-Nasr team, and also out of its keenness to attract sports talents from all over the world without any other considerations in order to enrich local competitions.” 

In other words, it was a football deal, and that the club have returned to Israel to sign a second player is proof of Saba’s successful transition to playing in Dubai. 

Last season the midfielder missed just two league games and scored seven goals in total, in what was a reasonable campaign despite ending in a 2-1 defeat to Shabab Al Ahli in the final of the President’s Cup. Since 2012, when Al-Nasr finished second, they have never finished lower than eighth or higher than fourth. The club will hope Hlehel, just 20, who has represented Israel at youth level, can make the difference. 

Still raw, he scored five league goals last season as Hapoel finished sixth out of 14 teams, earning praise for making life difficult for defenders and working hard for the team. Not an automatic starter in Israel, he is hoping for some more game time in the UAE, and having Saba already established and capable of making goals for teammates should help him settle. It may well be the case, though, that he needs more time than the 28-year-old Saba, who was named by the prestigious World Soccer magazine as one of its “People of the Year.”

Fans may get a look at Hlehel when Al-Nasr kick off the new campaign against Ajman on Aug. 19, but it may be too soon to expect a second Dia Saba.