Doha – Al Raya:
Hassan Al-Haydos, captain of our national team, reviewed the highlights of his busy career with Al-Annabi, touching on the scenes of his return to the national team, reviewing the team’s aspirations and preparations for the 2026 World Cup, amid emphasis on the importance of the role of the fans and the hard work behind the scenes.
Al-Haydos began his speech by expressing his pride and deep pride in representing the national team over the past years, expressing his hope that he had met the aspirations of the Qatari fans. Regarding his decision to temporarily step away and then withdraw from it, the captain admitted that the two decisions were not easy, indicating that his main motivation for returning was his feeling that the national team desperately needed his presence in the “locker room.”
Al-Haydos stressed that the experience of participating in the 2022 World Cup gave him additional experience, making him able to deal with various challenges, whether small or large, with greater wisdom and experience.
Regarding the preparations for the 2026 World Cup finals, Al-Haydos revealed that the preparations did not start from the current camp, but rather began immediately after ensuring qualification for the World Cup, with the aim of bringing the team to the highest levels of readiness.
The Annabi leader stressed that leadership is not exclusive to him, but rather is a characteristic that the group as a whole must possess. He sent a clear message to young players about the necessity of possessing what he called “hunger” to achieve results and win titles, explaining that this passion is translated into daily actions and actions, such as complete discipline in training, adherence to diet, and sleep schedules, and not just words.
The Annabi captain did not hide the difficulty of the task awaiting the team in the next World Cup, describing the group as “difficult and not easy.” He said: “The Swiss national team is one of the strongest teams in Europe or in the world, and the Canadian national team will play on its home soil and among its fans. It is a good and strong team and has distinguished elements. I expect the group to be difficult, but we believe in our chances in this participation.
Al-Haydos confirmed that the focus at the current stage is entirely on the opening match, and how to come out well and with a positive result.
Al-Haydos praised the pivotal role played by the fans, considering that football without an audience “loses its taste and elegance,” and that the fans are the greatest motivation and motivation for us as players.
At the end of his speech, the captain looked back with gratitude at his career, describing representing the national team as a “childhood dream” that had come true, and said: “
I am lucky in the years I played for the national team. It is definitely a dream for me to represent the national team. I am lucky with the participation, the group I played with, whether in the national team or in the club, and also the coaches from whom I gained great experience.
But behind these things there are a lot of sacrifices, great work, fatigue, alienation, and a lot of things behind the scenes.”
