Ibrahim Majid: Our aim is to live up to the fans’ expectations

Al-Sadd defender Ibrahim Majid spoke of his delight at managing a successful return from injury, during an interview conducted at the first team’s preseason training camp at Bad Haring, Austria.

“I praise Allah at this return from injury, which kept me out from the beginning of last season. It was a bad start but I hope I can fulfill the objectives of the coach and the fans this season, and make up for my absence,” said Ibrahim.

Asked about the psychological effect of the injury, he said: “Of course, the injury had a huge psychological effect. Al-Sadd faced huge difficulties in the league, which was one of the biggest goals of the team. I hope we turn up in a better way this season. We will work in all seriousness with the coaching staff and the management to be fully prepared come the start of the season.”

Ibrahim also spoke about the current preparatory phase. “When I train, I train for myself and not for the coach or anyone else. You have to be fit, you can achieve a lot if you’re physically fit. So, you need to put all your efforts in training if you want to achieve anything in life or in football. You need to work seriously.”

He added: “The new players need some time to settle in. Our aim this season will be to focus on winning the league title and to compete hard in the AFC Champions League.”

As for the arrival of new signing Gabi, Ibrahim said: “He is a a great player with a lot of experience in big games, having won the Europa League and played in the UEFA Champions League twice. He will help a lot in the next phase with Xavi, who has been excellent with us in the last three years.”

Al-Sadd are set to play Esteghlal in the AFC Champions League quarterfinal and Ibrahim feels that all teams are equally capable. “All the team have the same chances in the quarterfinals. Al-Sadd has enough experience to win the title, along with the new additions which will help us go far.”

Ibrahim will also look to impress in the Qatar national team jersey, having returned to the squad recently. “There is a lot of pressure on me now to give my best (for the national team). The trust of the coaching staff and the national team management is an incentive to perform better. I hope I can fulfill that trust.”

He went on to say: “Al-Sadd have a lot of talents and things are looking great. There are some small details that need to be looked into in training. The instructions of the coaching staff will have a great effect in the development of the players and make them reach their peaks. We will need all the members of the squad to be at their best, as we have numerous challenges coming up, both at home and abroad.”

Ibrahim concluded his talk by saying: “I hope the team can live up to the expectations of the fans and make up for last season. The players are working hard during preseason so as to perform at their best at the start of the season. All that we need is for the fans to stand with team and support the players in all the matches.”