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When Mahdi Ali pins his UAE team sheet to the wall of the home dressing room on Friday afternoon, one player will not be surprised to see his name only on the bench.
Khaled Essa has become accustomed to the life of a No2 goalkeeper with both the national team and his club, Al Jazira. That is not to say the 23-year-old does not want to play or is a poor keeper, it’s just he has the imposing Ali Khaseif in front of him.
Khaseif is the undisputed No1 for the UAE and Jazira – in goal when his club won their first-ever league title in 2011 and when his country lifted the Gulf Cup of Nations two months ago.
He will again be between the sticks for Mahdi Ali’s side against Uzbekistan at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, but that does not faze his philosophical deputy.
“I do get angry but you know this is the life,” Essa says about his predicament. “Every goalkeeper, every player, needs to be on the pitch every time in the starting XI. I hope for this, and every day I work. It’s normal that sometimes players become sad because you want to play but we have to keep working.
“Today Ali plays but maybe tomorrow, or five minutes into the game, he will get injured. You have to be ready every time.”
Essa’s career to date has been defined by the presence of Khaseif. Having burst onto the scene with a run of games at the start of the 2011/12 season, the younger keeper soon found himself back on the bench once his rival had recovered from a knee injury.
That summer, having been in goal for the UAE under-23s as they qualified for the Olympics, he was denied playing time in Britain by his club-mate. Two appearances, in two dead rubbers, are all Essa has to show for his trips to London and January’s Gulf Cup.
“When we went to London and we played the Olympics I did not know if I would play, or it would be Ali,” he adds. “But I said in my mind I had to work, that it didn’t matter if Ali was there.
“If I am not on the field I have to push him, talk to him because it is an important cup. If I am on the pitch then Ali would do the same.”
Neither player holds a grudge against the other, they refer to themselves as brothers and their relationship is a close one. It’s just when it comes to football there cannot be two goalkeepers.
“Outside Essa is a very good friend, not only a friend a brother. Sometimes if he has problems I help Essa, but inside the training I don’t know anybody – not even the coach!” Khaseif jokes. “Me and Essa have been together for a long time and he respects his job and I respect my job. One coach cannot play two goalkeepers but maybe I am playing for my experience.”
Khaseif’s influence at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium is such that he took it on himself to buy two games consoles to encourage players to get into training on time. And he believes having such a talented No2 has pushed him to improve as a goalkeeper.
“When I was injured and Essa was playing, I know Essa is a very good goalkeeper and I was afraid,” Khaseif says. “I was afraid but I was happy because Jazira have a good goalkeeper.”
The pair’s coach at club level level, David Coles, says having the national team’s No1 and No2 in the same squad is something he has never come across in his career.
It was on the advice of the former Southampton, Portsmouth and West Ham goalkeeping coach that Essa enjoyed his first extended run in the side in the summer of 2011, and he clearly rates both stoppers.
“Ali is a big personality around this place, a fantastic personality, you can tell when he walks into a room,” Coles, who has worked with several England goalkeepers including David James, explains.
“Essa’s totally different, he reminds me so much of [Antti] Niemi it’s unbelievable, very quiet, very calm, but when he gets on the pitch his personality changes and he becomes quite a nasty, aggressive person and I like that.”
On the duo’s unique rivalry with club and country, Coles adds: “I think it’s a positive thing and it can only get better as it goes on. The only thing is that one of them doesn’t play which is sad really because they’re both very good goalkeepers.”
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