Gulf Cup 1982 marked the rise of Emirati footballer Fahad Khamees

No “best player” was designated at the 1982 Gulf Cup. For the host nation, however, several candidates could claim to have been the best of the Emiratis.

Saeed Salbukh received the top goalkeeper award for the competition despite conceding six goals in five matches. Meanwhile, the tournament’s joint-top scorer, Salem Khalifa, also had a strong case for being the host nation’s best player.

But the UAE’s true standout had to be Al Wasl striker Fahad Khamees, 20. He scored the defining goal, from an Emirati perspective, of the competition. His name was the one that would stick in the memory for years to come.

The goal changed Khamees’s career, though he did not stop there. His performances for the rest of the tournament helped the UAE to third place in the round-robin competition, their best finish in the event, and set them on the road to regional respectability, and ultimately, success.

His running style seemed ungainly at times, but that betrayed great playing skill and intelligence, as evidenced by the way he beat the offside trap and finished calmly in the opening match, versus Qatar.

He was also a selfless player who was happy for his striking partners to grab the goals and the headlines.

Above all, the 1982 Gulf Cup was the start of a glorious international career that positioned him as one of the UAE’s beloved players and, until Adnan Al Talyani’s emergence a few years later, perhaps the team’s most important member.

As an integral part of the UAE’s golden generation, he was involved in the nation’s standout moments in subsequent years, ending the decade by helping the UAE qualify for the 1990 World Cup, and starting the next by captaining the team in two matches in Italy.

To many Emiratis, he will always be remembered for the goal that set the 1982 Gulf Cup alight.

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