Famous Emiratis

Omar Abdulrahman

Omar Abdulrahman, an attacking midfielder, was named AFC Player of the Year 2016 at the age of 25. That year he took Al Ain to the AFC Champions League final, and it was the second year in a row that the award went to a UAE player.

Updated October 2026 · Facts checked 22 October 2026

AFC Player of the Year: 2016¹; AFC Player of the Year

At a glance

At a glance
Item	Detail
Name in Arabic	عمر عبدالرحمن
Position	Attacking midfielder
Club in 2016	Al Ain
Award	AFC Player of the Year 2016

Source: Asian Football Confederation: AFC Annual Awards 2016¹

2016

The award was presented at the AFC Annual Awards at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. That year he steered Al Ain to the AFC Champions League final and led the UAE into the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, playing in all of its matches.¹

In 2015 he had been on the shortlist for the same award, which went to his compatriot Ahmed Khalil.²

Sources

Facts checked 22 October 2026. Prepared by Invest-Emirates.ae for general information.

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