Everybody wants a piece of Omar Abdulrahman.
As he walked off the pitch – another man-of-the-match award added to a growing collection – waiting on the fence were young Australian fans eager to get his autograph.
If the locals did not know him before he arrived, they do now.
Photo gallery: UAE battle past Bahrain to secure Asian Cup quarter-finals place
The supporters have been probably the most appreciative but the international media have also been trying to get Abdulrahman’s attention as opposition defenders try to stop him from weaving his magic.
In the UAE's 2-1 win at Canberra Stadium, the Bahraini defenders were clearly instructed to shackle the No 10 in white, with Abdulwahab Al Safi, in particular, getting away with some rough challenges.
Abdulrahman is handling his rapidly rising profile as calmly as he plays on the pitch.
“That’s football, but the referee made the right calls and we got our win,” he said.
Perhaps he would have been less generous had the result been different. His coach, too, acknowledged the rough treatment his star player received.
“I think the referee dealt with this match in a good way, he gave all the correct decisions,” Mahdi Ali said. “We hope that this aggression is not there in the coming matches. For us, we hope that we don’t lose any players to injuries.”
Despite the attention, Abdulrahman, playing in an advanced central midfield role, was again at the heart of everything the UAE did.
His pass that set up Ali Mabkhout’s goal after only 14 seconds was as close to perfection as you will see on a football pitch.
It also once again brought up the almost telepathic understanding he has with the man who leads scorers at the 2015 Asian Cup with three goals.
“I’m very close to Ali; he’s one of those strikers I like playing with,” Abdulrahman said.
“Let’s not forget Ahmed Khalil, as well. We have two players that have excellent movement. Ali has three goals and Ahmed has two, hopefully we can carry on this way and one of them can end up being the competition’s top scorer.”
With Abdulrahman in fine form, they may have a chance.
“The relationship between me, Ali and Ahmed has been going on for a long time,” the 23-year-old Al Ain midfielder said. “We played together from youth team levels, so we know each other very well. Not just Ahmed and Ali, we are all very close to each other on and off the pitch. We are a family.”
Inevitably, there was “the question” to contend with. Is Abdulrahman ready to make that big move abroad? Just as inevitably, the questioners got as much joy from Al Ain’s most prized possession as the Bahraini defenders did.
“I’m concentrating on this tournament only,” he said. “There will be another time to discuss this, not now.”
Later, the Australian media tried their luck. Would he consider a move to the A-League perhaps?
Given a little bit of playful encouragement by his coach and mentor Mahdi Ali, Abdulrahman, for the first time for the day, let his guard down.
“We follow Captain Mahdi’s orders,” he said, laughing. “If he wants me to come, I will not say no.”
You can be certain it is not the last he will hear of the matter.
akhaled@thenational.ae
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