Al Ain FC

Not to be confused with Al-Ain FC (Saudi Arabia).
For the Formula team, see Al Ain (Superleague Formula team).

Al Ain
Full nameAl Ain Football Club
Nickname(s)Al Zaeem (The Boss)
Short nameAIN
FoundedAugust 1, 1968; 56 years ago (1968-08-01) (as Al Ain Sports Club)
GroundHazza bin Zayed Stadium
Capacity25,053
PresidentMohamed Bin Zayed
ChairmanHazza bin Zayed
ManagerAbdulla Khaseeb Alnasri
LeagueUAE Pro League
2023–24UAE Pro League, 3rd
Websitealainclub.ae
Current season

Al Ain Football Club (Arabic: نادي العين لكرة القدم; transliterated: Nady al-'Ayn) is a professional football club based in the city of Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is one of many sport sections of the multi-sports club Al Ain Sports and Cultural Club (Arabic: نادي العين الرياضي الثقافي).

The club was founded in 1968 by players from Al Ain, members of a Bahraini group of exchange students and the Sudanese community working in the United Arab Emirates.[1] The team quickly gained popularity and recognition throughout the country, being the team with the most trophies (38 in total).[2]

Al Ain is by far the most successful club in the UAE.[3] Al Ain has won a record 14 UAE Pro League, 7 President's Cups, 5 Super Cups, 3 Federation Cups, two League Cup, two Abu Dhabi Championship, Joint League, Gulf Club Champions Cup and two AFC Champions League and one Emirati-Moroccan Super Cup. The club is the first and only UAE side so far to win the AFC Champions League.[4]

History

[edit]

Foundation and early years

[edit]
Squad of season 1975–76
Jasim Al Dhaheri
Subait Anbar
Saeed Mubarak
Ahmed Hajeer
Abdullah Matar
Fayez Subait
Juma Khalaf
Abdelhafez Arab
Ahmed Al Qatari
Shaya Masoud
Ali Saeed
Awad Saeed

In the early 1960s, a group of young men learned the rules of the game by watching British soldiers playing football and formed their own team. The first pitch was very simple and small, taking the shape of a square sandy plot of land on the main street near the Clock Roundabout in Al Ain.[5] In August 1968, the club was officially established, taking its name from the city they lived. The founders thought it was necessary to have a permanent headquarters for the club and rented a house on the current Khalifa Road for club meetings. The club's founders took responsibility for all the club's affairs, from planning the stadium to cleaning the club headquarters and washing the kit.[5] Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan was approached for assistance and he provided the club
with a permanent headquarters in the Al Jahili district and a Land Rover to serve the club and the team.[6] Al Ain made a successful debut by beating a team made up of British soldiers and went on to play friendly matches against other Abu Dhabi clubs.
In 1971, the team played their first match against international opposition when they were defeated 7–0 by the Egyptian club Ismaily in a friendly match for the war effort.

In 1971, a group members of the club (Hadher Khalaf Al Muhairi, Saleem Al Khudrawi, Mohammed Khalaf Al Muhairi and Mahmoud Fadhlullah) broke away and founded Al Tadhamun Club.[7] In 1971, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan provided the club with new headquarters with modern specifications: the Khalifa Stadium in Al Sarooj district.[6] On 10 November 1974, Al Ain combined with the breakaway Al Tadhamun, to form the Al Ain Sports Club. The first board of directors of the club was formed after the merger under the chairmanship Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri.[7]

The founders were Mohammed Saleh Bin Badooh and Khalifa Nasser Al Suwaidi, Saeed Bin Ghannoum Al Hameli, Abdullah Hazzam, Salem Hassan Al Muhairi, Abdullah and Mane'a Ajlan, Saeed Al Muwaisi, Nasser Dhaen, Abdullah Matar, Juma Al Najem, Ibrahim Al Mahmoud, Ibrahim Rasool and Ali Al Maloud and Ali Bu Majeed, who were the members of the Bahraini group of exchange students and Maamoun Abdulqader, Mahmoud Fadhlullah, Al Fateh Al Talib, Hussain Al Mirghani, Abbas Ali and Nasser, Abdullah Al Mansouri from the Sudanese and Saudi community working in the UAE.[1][8]

First titles and Entry to the Football League (1974–1997)

[edit]

On 2 February 1974, the club won its first title, the Abu Dhabi League. On 13 November 1974, Sheikh Khalifa was named honorary president of Al Ain, in recognition of his continuing support for the club.[7] On 21 May 1975, Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan was elected Chairman of Board of Directors. In 1975, Al Ain won its second Abu Dhabi League.[9] In the same year on 21 March 1975, the club played its first UAE President Cup losing 4–5 on penalties in the Round of 16 against Al Shaab after drawing 1–1 in normal time. In 1975–76 season, the team participated for the first time in the UAE Football League, finishing runners-up behind Al Ahli. Al Ain won its first League title in the 1976–77 season, after drawing 1–1 with Al Sharjah in the last match. In the following season, they finished runners-up to Al Nasr; Mohieddine Habita was the top scorer with 20 goals. In the 1978–79 season, Al Ain secure third place with 27 points in the league and defeated by Sharjah in the President Cup final.

Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan became president of Al Ain on 19 January 1979. Al Ain won the League again in the 1980–81 season and lost the President Cup final to Al Shabab of Dubai. In 1983–84, the team won Joint League Cup and followed with its third League title, becoming the second with Al Ahli to have won the championship three times.

The team had the strongest attack with 35 goals, and Ahmed Abdullah, with 20 goals was the joint-winner of the Arab League Golden Boot award for top scorer, alongside Al Wasl striker Fahad Khamees. This season was the first season in which foreign players were excluded from the UAE League, a restriction which was opposed by Al Ain.

After winning the League title in 1983–84 season, Al Ain failed to win any trophies until 1989 when they won the Federation Cup. In the following year they reached the final of the President Cup, losing to Al Shabab.

The 1992–93 season began with several new signings: Saif Sultan (Ittihad Kalba), Salem Johar (Ajman), Saeed Juma (Emirates). Al Ain won their fourth League title with three games left to play, after a 5–0 win at Al Khaleej. In the following season, they finished second in the Football League and were runners-up the 1993 UAE Super Cup losing 2–1 against Al Shaab. They also reached the President Cup final but were beaten 1–0 by Al Shabab, failing for the fourth time to win the Cup. In 1994 and 1995, Al Ain lost two President Cup finals, finished second in the League, won the 1995 UAE Super Cup and lost out in the Asian Cup Winners' Cup second round to the Kuwaiti team Kazma. In the 1996–97 season, Al Ain were eliminated in the round of 16 of the President Cup by Hatta and finished fourth in the Football League.

The Golden Age (1997–2003)

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Before the start of the 1997–98 season, the honorary board was formed on 7 June 1997.[10] After this initiative, Al Ain won the league championship. In the following season, they won the President Cup and finished runner-up in the league and secured the third place
in their second appearance in Asian Club Championship, after the 1985. Ilie Balaci took charge in 1999. He led them to their sixth League championship, while in the Asian Cup Winners' Cup they were eliminated by Al Jaish on the away goals rule in the first round.

In 2003, Al Ain contested the AFC Champions League competition. In the Group stage they won all three matches, beating Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, Al Sadd of Qatar and Esteghlal of Iran. In the semi-final they were matched against the Chinese side Dalian Shide over two legs.
In the first game, Al Ain won 4–2 at home, with Boubacar Sanogo scoring twice. In the return match in China Al Ain went 4–2 down with six minutes to play but won 7–6 on aggregate after a late goal by Farhad Majidi the Iranian legend. The final saw Al Ain face BEC Tero Sasana of Thailand.
In the home leg, Al Ain prevailed 2–0 with goals from Salem Johar and Mohammad Omar. At the Rajamangala Stadium on 11 October, Al Ain were beaten 1–0 by Tero Sasana, but won 2–1 on aggregate to become the first Emirati club to win the Champions League.

New Era (2016–present)

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In December 2018, Al Ain which celebrated the 50th anniversary participating in the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup, representing the host nation as the reigning champions of the UAE Pro-League. Al Ain beat Team Wellington from New Zealand in the first
round and Espérance de Tunis of 2018 CAF Champions League champions to enter semifinal. On 18 December 2018, Al Ain defeated Copa Libertadores champions River Plate by penalties hosted in their home stadium Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium to enter the final
for the first time in team history and became the first Emirati club to reach the decisive match. On 22 December during the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup Final, Al Ain lost 4–1 to UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi with Japanese player Tsukasa Shiotani scoring the only goal for the club.

In the 2023–24 AFC Champions League campaign, Al Ain was drawn with Saudi Arabia club Al Fayha, Uzbekistan side Pakhtakor and Turkmenistan side Ahal FK. Al Ain than finished the group as group leaders with 5 wins, 0 draws and 1 losses which sees the club qualified to the Round of 16. Al Ain than faced Uzbekistan club Nasaf in which Al Ain won 3–0 on aggregate to qualified to the quarter-finals. Al Ain than faced Saudi Arabian giants Al Nassr containing multiplies world renowned superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mané, Alex Telles, David Ospina, Aymeric Laporte, Marcelo Brozović and Talisca. Al Ain won the first leg 1–0 at home but suffered a 4–3 away defeat after extra time which was tied 4–4 on aggregate leading both team to penalties shootout. Al Ain managed to win 3–1 on penalties thus seeing them qualified to the semi-finals against another Saudi Arabian giants, Al Hilal. On 17 April 2024, Al Ain won Al Hilal 4–2 at home with Moroccan Soufiane Rahimi scoring a hat-trick in the match for the club. However Al Ain suffered an 2–1 away defeat to Al Hilal but managed to qualified to the 2023–24 AFC Champions League final 5–4 on aggregate thus seeing them face Japanese Yokohama F.Marinos where they’d suffer a 2-1 defeat in the first leg.However in the second leg they’d go on to win 5-1 and win 6-3 on aggregate making them champions of Asia.

Club rivalries

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Abu Dhabi Classico (Al Ain vs Al Wahda)

[edit]
Main article: Abu Dhabi Classico

Al Ain–Shabab Al Ahli rivlary

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Main article: Al Ain–Shabab Al Ahli rivlary

Al Ain–Sharjah rivlary

[edit]
Main article: Al Ain–Sharjah rivlary
[edit]
Al Jahili Fort, symbol of the club since 1980.

Crests

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Al Jahili Fort is considered as a symbol of the club, because it reflects the history of the city and also was the formal home of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan since 1946 when he was a ruler's representative. It officially became a crest for the club in 1980.[11]
They import a single star in their emblem because of their 2003 AFC Champions League victory.

[edit]

3 colors purple, gold and white are used in Al Ain club logo. Inside the logo, the name of the club is engraved in Arabic and English. In the middle of the logo, there is an image of Al Jahili Fort Castle, and at the end of the logo, the date of the club's establishment is written. Above the logo, two golden stars can be seen which means winning two championship positions in AFC Champions League.

Kits and colours

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The team began playing in green and white in 1968. After merging with Al Tadhamon in 1974, their red colour became Al Ain's from season 1974–75 until the start of season 1976–77. During the first team training camp in Morocco in 1977, a friendly tournament was held by Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca with the Nice, Sporting CP, and Anderlecht. Al Ain admired Anderlecht's purple colors, and an idea came to change Al Ain's colors to purple. The idea was presented to Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, who agreed to change the club colors officially to the purple with the beginning of the season 1977–78.[12]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Al Ain FC kits.
1968–74[n1 1]
1974–77 [n1 2]
1977–78 [n1 3]
2018–19 [n1 4]
2023–24 [n1 5]
Notes
  1. ^ The club colours worn from 1968 to in 1974.[13]
  2. ^ Al Tadhamon colour became Al Ain's from 1974 to in 1977
  3. ^ Purple became the main colour of the club with the beginning of the season 1977–78.
  4. ^ The club’s 50th anniversary kits, with the number 50 emblazoned in gold stitching during the 2018-19 season
  5. ^ Al Ain had primarily worn purple and white home and away kits. In 2023–24 season, Al Ain changed home kit to black base with a purple graphic design and gold for logos, with black shorts and socks.

Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

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Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
chest back sleeve
1991–1992 Puma, Adidas None
1992–1993 Lotto
1993–1994
1994–1995
1995–1996 Lotto, Uhlsport
1996–1997 Adidas
1997–1998 Jako, Kelme, Lotto, ABM [it], Adidas
1998–1999 Lotto Bin Hamoodah None None
1999–2000 CALANNI Abu Dhabi National Hotels
2000–2001 Jako Mohamed Hareb Al Otaiba[14] Avis Xerox
2001–2002 Adidas Yas Perfumes[14] None
2002–2003 Nike Al Habtoor[15]
2003–2004 ADCB
2004–2005 Lotto Sasan Trading[16] ADCB
2005–2006 AlFahim[16]
2006–2009 Sorouh Tamouh Hydra None
2009 Adidas None
2009–2010 Erreà Sorouh First Gulf Bank[17] Tamouh None Hydra None
2010–2011 Macron, Erreà Abu Dhabi National Hotels[18] Strata
2011 Kappa None None
2011–2013 Adidas[19] Sorouh First Gulf Bank Abu Dhabi National Hotels Strata
2013–2015 Nike[20] First Gulf Bank Abu Dhabi Airports[21][22]
2015–2016 BMW Abu Dhabi Motors[23]
2016–2018 FAB – First Abu Dhabi Bank None
2018–2021 None
2021–2023 Expo 2020 Rain[24]
2023– EIH – Ethmar International Holding[25] None

Grounds

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium.
Al Ain training grounds
Khalifa bin Zayed
Tahnoun bin Mohammed
Main articles: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Tahnoun bin Mohammed Stadium, and Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium

Al Ain first playground was set up on the main street near the Clock Roundabout in Al Ain. Took the shape of a square sandy plot of land.[26] In 1971, Al Ain moved to new stadium in Al Sarouj district at a cost of £40,290. On 18 June 1978, the new stadium named after honorary president Khalifa Bin Zayed known as Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium. The stadium underwent a renovation in 2002 and increased its capacity to 12,000 people and as of the 2006–07 season all the Al Ain matches are played in this stadium. The stadium went through another significant upgrade and renovation, to prepare for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, hosted in the UAE. As of 14 January 2014, Hazza bin Zayed been Al Ain home ground.[9]

Panorama view of Al Ain current ground, Hazza bin Zayed.
Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium




Honours

[edit]
See also: List of Al Ain FC records and statistics, Al Ain FC in international football, List of Al Ain FC seasons, and United Arab Emirates football records

36 official Championships.[27]

Type Competition Seasons
Titles Runners-up
Domestic Pro League 1976–77, 1980–81, 1983–84, 1992–93, 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2017–18, 2021–22 14 1975–76, 1977–78, 1981–82, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1998–99, 2004–05, 2015–16, 2022–23 9
President's Cup[28] 1998–99, 2000–01, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2013–14, 2017–18 7 1978–79, 1980–81, 1989–90, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2006–07, 2015–16, 2022–23 8S
Super Cup 1995, 2003, 2009, 2012, 2015 5S 1993, 2002, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2022 6
League Cup 2008–09, 2021–22 2 2010–11, 2022–23, 2023–24 3S
Federation Cup 1988–89, 2004–05, 2005–06 3 1986, 1994 2
Joint League[29] 1982–83 1S
Regional GCC Champions League 2001 1
Emirati-Moroccan Super Cup 2015 1
Continental AFC Champions League 2003, 2024 2 2005, 2016 2
Worldwide FIFA Club World Cup 2018 1
  •   record
  •   S shared record

Minor titles

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  • Abu Dhabi Championship
    • Winners (2): 1973–74, 1974–75[7]

Doubles and trebles

[edit]

Players

[edit]
Main article: List of Al Ain FC players
For a list of all former and current Al Ain FC players with a Wikipedia article, see Category:Al Ain FC players.

Current squad

[edit]
As of 28 July 2024[30][31][32]
Further information: 2023–24 Al Ain FC season § Players

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK United Arab Emirates UAE Mohammed Abo Sandah
3 DF United Arab Emirates UAE Kouame Autonne
4 DF Portugal POR Fábio Cardoso (on loan from Porto)
5 MF South Korea KOR Park Yong-woo
6 MF United Arab Emirates UAE Yahia Nader
7 FW Paraguay PAR Matías Segovia U23 (on loan from Botafogo)
8 MF United Arab Emirates UAE Mohammed Abbas
9 FW Togo TOG Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba
10 MF Paraguay PAR Kaku
11 DF United Arab Emirates UAE Bandar Al-Ahbabi (captain)
13 MF United Arab Emirates UAE Ahmed Barman
15 DF United Arab Emirates UAE Erik
16 DF United Arab Emirates UAE Khalid Al-Hashemi
17 GK United Arab Emirates UAE Khalid Eisa (vice-captain)
18 MF United Arab Emirates UAE Khalid Mohammed Al-Baloushi
19 MF Argentina ARG Mateo Sanabria
20 MF United Arab Emirates UAE Matías Palacios U23
21 FW Morocco MAR Soufiane Rahimi
23 DF United Arab Emirates UAE Khalid Butti
24 DF Argentina ARG Felipe Salomoni U23 (on loan from Guaraní)
No. Pos. Nation Player
27 MF United Arab Emirates UAE Sékou Gassama U23
28 MF United Arab Emirates UAE Solomon Sosu U23
29 MF Argentina ARG Gino Infantino U23 (on loan from Fiorentina)
30 MF United Arab Emirates UAE Hazem Mohammad U23
32 DF United Arab Emirates UAE Khalid Al-Hassani U23
35 GK Nigeria NGA Hassan Sani U21
36 MF United Arab Emirates UAE Yousef Abdou U23
40 DF United Arab Emirates UAE Khalid Ali Al-Baloushi U23
44 DF United Arab Emirates UAE Manea Al-Shamsi U23
46 DF Mali MLI Dramane Koumare U21
50 GK United Arab Emirates UAE Saif Al-Maazmi U23
60 FW United Arab Emirates UAE Jonas Naafo U23
66 DF United Arab Emirates UAE Mansour Al-Shamsi U23
70 MF Mali MLI Abdoul Karim Traoré
72 FW Sudan SDN Mohamed Awadalla
77 MF Nigeria NGA Rilwanu Sarki U23
88 DF Ghana GHA Hamid Mohammed U23
90 FW United Arab Emirates UAE Eisa Khalfan U23
99 FW Republic of the Congo CGO Josna Loulendo

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 MF Morocco MAR El Mehdi El Moubarik (on loan to Wydad)
22 MF United Arab Emirates UAE Jonatas Santos U23 (on loan to Al-Wasl)
26 MF United Arab Emirates UAE Ahmed Al-Qatesh (on loan to Majd)
No. Pos. Nation Player
51 MF Mali MLI Ahmed Bathily U21 (on loan to Majd)
65 GK Tanzania TAN Abdullah Hamisi U21 (on loan to Majd)
94 MF Venezuela VEN Yohan González U21 (on loan to Fleetwood United)

Personnel

[edit]

Current technical staff

[edit]
Position Name
Head coach Argentina Hernán Crespo
Assistant coaches Argentina Juan Branda
Argentina Nicolás Domínguez
United Arab Emirates Ahmed Abdullah
Chief analyst Spain Carles Martínez
Analyst Portugal Tiago Freire
Goalkeeping coaches Argentina Gustavo Nepote
Fitness coach Argentina Federico Martinetti
U-21 team head coach United Arab Emirates Ismail Ahmed
Physiotherapist Argentina Santiago Thompson
Brazil Felipe Perseu Pianca
Egypt Abdelnasser Aljohny
Club Doctor Greece Nikos Tzouroudis
Nutritionist Portugal Ricardo Pinto
Scout Italy Daniele Di Napoli
Team manager United Arab Emirates Ahmed Al Shamsi
Team supervisor United Arab Emirates Abdullah Al Shamsi[33]

Last updated: 14 November 2023
Source: 1

Management

[edit]
See also: List of Al Ain FC presidents
Mohammed bin Zayed is the current club president.
Position Name
President
President of the Honorary Council 		Mohammed Bin Zayed
First Vice President
First Vice President of the Honorary Council
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al Ain SCC 		Hazza Bin Zayed
Second Vice President
Second Vice President of the Honorary Council 		Tahnoun bin Zayed
Honorary President Khalifa bin Zayed
Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al Ain SCC
Chairman of the Executive Committee
Chairman of the Board of Directors Al Ain FC[34] 		Sultan bin Hamdan bin Zayed

Board of directors

[edit]
Hazza bin Zayed, current Vice President.
Office Name
Chairman of the Board of Directors Sultan bin Hamdan bin Zayed
Supervising Sports affairs Mohammed Al Mahmoud
Supervising Media affairs Mohammed Al Ketbi
Supervising of Financial and Administrative affairs Ziad Amir Ahmed Saleh
Supervising the Academy and Talents sector Abdullah Mohammed Abdullah Khouri

Last updated: 10 June 2024
Source: Source: Wam.ae

Managerial history

[edit]
See also: List of Al Ain FC managers

* Served as caretaker coach.

No. Nationality Head coach From Until Honours
1 United Arab Emirates Nasser Dhaen* 1968 1971[35][36][37]
2 Egypt Abdel Aziz Hammami 1971[36] 1973
3 Syria Ahmed Alyan 1973 1976 2 Abu Dhabi Championship
4 Tunisia Humaid Dhib 1976 1978 1 Championship
5 Syria Ahmed Alyan 1978 1979
6 Tunisia Abdelmajid Chetali 1979 1980
7 Morocco Ahmed Nagah* 1980 1982 1 Championship
8 Brazil Nelsinho Rosa 1982 1984 1 Championship,
1 Joint League
9 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Miljan Miljanić 1984 1986
10 Brazil Jair Picerni 1986 1986
11 Brazil João Francisco 1986 1988
12 Brazil Zé Mario 1988 1990 1 Federation Cup
13 Algeria Mahieddine Khalef 1990 1992
14 Egypt Yusri Abdul Ghani 1992 1992
15 Brazil Amarildo 1992 1995 1 Championship
16 Egypt Shaker Abdel-Fattah 1995 1995 1 Supercup
17 Argentina Ángel Marcos 1995 1996
18 Brazil Lori Sandri 1996 1996
19 Egypt Yusri Abdul Ghani* 1996 1997
20 Brazil Cabralzinho 1997 1997
21 Egypt Shaker Abdel-Fattah 1997 1998 1 Championship
22 Portugal Nelo Vingada 1998 15 November 1998
23 Romania Ilie Balaci 15 November 1998 10 May 2000 1 President's Cup
1 Championship
24 Argentina Oscar Fulloné 29 June 2000 November 2000
25 Tunisia Mrad Mahjoub November 2000 March 2001 1 Gulf Club Champions Cup
26 Romania Anghel Iordănescu March 2001 4 January 2002 1 President's Cup
27 United Arab Emirates Ahmed Abdullah* 6 January 2002 8 January 2002
28 Bosnia and Herzegovina Džemal Hadžiabdić 8 January 2002 15 June 2002 1 Championship
29 France Bruno Metsu 14 July 2002 1 June 2004 2 Championships,
1 Champions League,
1 Supercup
30 France Alain Perrin July 2004 21 Oct 2004
31 Tunisia Mohammad El Mansi* 23 Oct 2004 Jan 2005 1 Federation Cup
No. Nationality Head coach From Until Honours
32 Czech Republic Milan Máčala Jan 2005 Jan 2006 1 President's Cup
33 Tunisia Mohammad El Mansi* Jan 2006 June 2006 1 President's Cup,
1 Federation Cup
34 Romania Anghel Iordănescu June 2006 Nov 2006
35 Netherlands Tiny Ruys* Nov 2006 January 2007
36 Italy Walter Zenga 7 January 2007 1 June 2007
37 Brazil Tite 9 July 2007 22 Dec 2007
38 Germany Winfried Schäfer 25 Dec 2007 2 Dec 2009 1 League Cup,
1 President's Cup,
1 Supercup
39 Morocco Rachid Benmahmoud* 2 Dec 2009 6 Dec 2009
40 Brazil Toninho Cerezo 6 Dec 2009 14 April 2010
41 United Arab Emirates Abdulhameed Al Mistaki* 14 April 2010 20 Dec 2010
42 United Arab Emirates Ahmed Abdullah* 20 Dec 2010 30 Dec 2010
43 Brazil Alexandre Gallo 30 Dec 2010 6 June 2011
44 Romania Cosmin Olăroiu 6 June 2011 6 July 2013 2 Championships,
1 Supercup
45 Uruguay Jorge Fossati 29 July 2013 13 Sept 2013
46 United Arab Emirates Ahmed Abdullah* 13 Sept 2013 27 Sept 2013
47 Spain Quique Sánchez Flores 27 Sept 2013 8 March 2014
48 Croatia Zlatko Dalić 8 March 2014 23 January 2017 1 Championship,
1 President's Cup,
1 Supercup
1 Emirati-Moroccan Super Cup
49 Croatia Joško Španjić* 23 January 2017 1 February 2017
50 Croatia Zoran Mamić 1 February 2017 30 January 2019 1 Championship,
1 President's Cup
51 Croatia Željko Sopić* 30 January 2019 18 February 2019
52 Spain Juan Carlos Garrido 18 February 2019 26 May 2019
53 Croatia Ivan Leko 1 June 2019 21 December 2019
54 Iraq Ghazi Fahad* 21 December 2019 5 January 2020
55 Portugal Pedro Emanuel 5 January 2020 11 May 2021
56 Ukraine Serhiy Rebrov 6 June 2021 27 May 2023 1 Championship,
1 League Cup
57 Netherlands Alfred Schreuder 27 May 2023 8 November 2023
58 Argentina Hernán Crespo 14 November 2023 6 November 2024 1 Champions League

Record

[edit]

Recent seasons

[edit]
Main article: List of Al Ain FC seasons
Champions Runners-up 3rd place Advanced to next round but the cup continued in next season

Notes

  1. ^ Starting from the 2008-09 season or whats known as the Pro Era, UAE Federation Cup was replaced with UAE League Cup.
  2. ^ Al Ain withdrew, Al Wahda replaced it.
  3. ^ 2019–20 UAE football season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates.

Most appearances

[edit]
Further information: List of Al Ain FC records and statistics
As of match played 25 May 2024

The below list is since the professional era starting in 2008–09.
Bold indicates player is still active at club level.

Rank Player Years Total
1 United Arab Emirates Khalid Eisa 2013– 389
2 United Arab Emirates Mohanad Salem 2008–2021 331
United Arab Emirates Mohammed Abdulrahman 2008–2021 331
4 United Arab Emirates Ismail Ahmed 2008–2021 328
5 United Arab Emirates Bandar Al-Ahbabi 2010– 241
6 United Arab Emirates Omar Abdulrahman 2008–2018 231
7 United Arab Emirates Mohamed Ahmed 2012–2023 212

Top goalscorers

[edit]

Updated 25 August 2024.
Note: this includes goals scored in all competitions.[38]

Rank Player Years Goals
1 United Arab Emirates Ahmed Abdullah 1978–1995 185
2 Ghana Asamoah Gyan 2011–2015 128
3 Togo Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba 2019–present 127
4 United Arab Emirates Majid Al Owais 1992–2001 86
5 Tunisia Mohieddine Habita 1976–1983 71
6 United Arab Emirates Omar Abdulrahman 2008–2018 62
7 United Arab Emirates Matar Al Sahbani 1983 60
United Arab Emirates Salem Johar 1992–2005
9 United Arab Emirates Saif Sultan 1992–2005 55
10 Sweden Marcus Berg 2017–2019 51

Top scorers in Asian competitions

[edit]

Since 2002–03 AFC Champions League, includes goals scored in qualifying play-off
Statistics correct as of match played against Yokohama F. Marinos on 25 May 2024

R Player TOTAL
1 United Arab Emirates Omar Abdulrahman 18
Ghana Asamoah Gyan
3 Morocco Soufiane Rahimi 13
4 Togo Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba 10
5 Sweden Marcus Berg 9
6 Ivory Coast Boubacar Sanogo 7
United Arab Emirates Ibrahim Diaky
8 Serbia Nenad Jestrović 6
Brazil Caio Lucas
10 United Arab Emirates Mohamed Abdulrahman 5
Brazil Douglas
Colombia Danilo Asprilla
United Arab Emirates Subait Khater

Asian

[edit]
Main article: Al Ain FC in international football

Overview

[edit]
As of 25 May 2024.
Competition Played Won Drew Lost GF GA GD Win%
Club Championship / Champions League[n 1] 144 61 39 44 236 191 +45 042.36
Cup Winners' Cup 8 3 0 5 7 12 −5 037.50
Total 152 64 39 49 243 203 +40 042.11
  • GF = Goals For. GA = Goals Against. GD = Goal Difference.
  1. ^ does not include 4 match in play-off round.

Participations

[edit]
Competition 1995 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2010 2011 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2024
Asian Cup Winners' Cup 2R 1R QF
Club Championship / Champions League 3rd 2R C QF RU QF GS GS GS GS SF R16 RU QF R16 GS GS QS C
  • QS : Qualifying Stage, 1R/2R : First/Second round, GS : Group Stage, R16 : Round of 16, QF : Quarterfinals, SF : Semifinal, RU : Runner-up, C : Champions

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "club Foundation3". alainclub.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2007. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  2. ^ "40 years of UAE Football". EmaratAlYoum. Archived from the original on 17 July 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  3. ^ "Al Ain look to the future". FIFA. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
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