We all know that Premier League is where many of the best teams and players play. Thousands of football players are desperate to join the league but only a lucky few are given the chance. While most are English, Brazilian or French, there are a growing number of Arab players who’ve been bested with the honor of playing in the Premier League. As great things are going for the Arab nations at present, we look at some of the Arab players who currently play in the Premiership.
Marouane Chamakh
Chamakh is a Moroccan National Football hero. Although he was born in France, he chose to play with Moroccan national Football team and help his country grab the runner-up place at the African Cup of nations in 2004 and became the captain in August 2010. He signed his first professional contract for Bordeaux in 2002 and helped the French outfit become Ligue 1 Champion in 1999, scoring 13 goals in 34 appearances.
He was then given his big chance when he moved to the Premier League in May 2010 when he signed for Arsenal. While his time in north London hasn’t been an easy one, Chamakh did manage to break the record to become the first player to score in six consecutive matches during the 2010 UEFA Champion League. He is currently on loan with fellow London club West Ham but is due to return to the Emirates Stadium in the summer.
Demba Ba
While not a traditional ‘Arab’, Demba Ba is a practicing Muslim who currently plays for European champions Chelsea and is a key member of the Senegal national team. He joined the French team Rouen where he debuted as professional Football player in 2005 and then moved to a German Team Hoffenheim in 2007 where he made his name scoring 37 goals in 97 games.
His form earned him a move to the Premier League when West Ham United snapped him up in January 2011 and he went on to score 7 goals in just 12 games. With the Hammers dropping down to the Championship that season, Ba moved to Newcastle United before being sold to Chelsea after an impressive 18 months at St James’ Park. Ba was proud to be the first Senegalese player to join Chelsea and was an instant his at Stamford Bridge scoring 3 goals in his first two games.
Ali Al-Habsi
Is the goalkeeper for Wigan Athletic and is the only Omani football player in the Premier league. He started his football career in his hometown of Al-Midhaibi where he played at the third division club before being transferred to Al-Nasr. He played a pivotal role in helping the team win the Sultan Qaboos Cup before moving to Norway in 2003 when he signed for Lyn Oslo. After three impressive yearsin Norway, that saw him named goalkeeper of the year in 2004, Al Habsi was signed by Premier League side Bolton Wanderes in 2006.
He cemented a reputation as an excellent shot-stopper and signed for Wigan in 2011 after Bolton were relegated to the Championship. His stature has grown further at Wigan and he’s been linked with several big clubs including the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.
If you want to know more about Arab soccer players and get soccer news in Arabic, head over to kuratalqadam.com. They have a wealth of football knowledge and with the Premier League reaching out to Arabic nations more and more, they cover news for Arabic speakers who are unable to read English.
