Akram Afif Becomes the First Qatari to Make It to La Liga

Woot, woot! Qatar’s most promising footballer, 19-year-old international Akram Afif, has made it to the Spanish La Liga. He officially just signed a contract with top flight Spanish side Villarreal last Wednesday afternoon to become the first Qatari-born player to join Spain’s National Professional Football League.

Afif, perhaps one of the most promising talents to have emerged from the Middle East in recent years, joined Villarreal from Qatari club Al-Sadd, where Spanish legend Raul Gonzales spent two years and where Barcelona veteran Xavi Hernandez is currently playing after leaving the Catalan battalion.

It is expected that the forward youngster will not have too much trouble mingling with the rest of the “Yellow Submarines” as he is already speaking Spanish, having been through the youth ranks at Villarreal and Sevilla, before he moved on a two-year loan to  Belgium’s second division side Eupen, where he scored six goals.

Coming from a family of footballers and as a graduate of Qatar’s Aspire Academy, it seems that Afif is destined for greatness, as indicators show that he will not just settle for Villarreal, whose greatest achievement was reaching the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League in 2005-06.

During his presentation last Thursday, Both Villarreal’s vice president, Jose Manuel Llaneza, and the player discussed hopes and aspirations for the club’s new signing.

“Akram’s arrival is great news for us. He’s been with us for a while but he couldn’t stay due to his age. Nevertheless, we’ve been following him closely and after seeing him grow, we’ve kept on at the people at Aspire because we wanted him to play for us,” Llaneza said.

For his part, Afif said, “It is a dream for me. I am very happy to be at one of the best teams in Spain. I am going to work really hard here, to learn from the players around me and then take this experience with me when I play for Qatar.”

WE SAID THIS: Congratulations Akram. Qatar and everyone are proud of you!