Saqr: Al-Sadd is a love story; it will always remain a landmark in Qatari football

With all the achievements he has racked up over the years, it is an undisputed fact that Mohammed Saqr is an exemplar of loyalty and service to club and country.

Saqr proved his mettle as one of the best goalkeepers in the history of Qatari football with his performances in goal for Al-Sadd and the Qatari national team. Nobody will forget his cnotributions to Al-Sadd’s Asian triumph in 2011.

In a wide ranging interview with al-saddclub.com, Saqr opened up and spoke about a variety of topics.

First of all, welcome to the pages of the official website of the club.

Saqr: Thank you and thanks to everyone who asks about me regularly. I wish Al-Sadd all the best on its 47th anniversary and hope they keep on winning matches and titles.

What would you say about this occasion in particular?

I hope the Al-Sadd team is always the best, not just in Qatar but also on the Asian and World level. Al-Sadd was and still is everything for me. It is my home, family, past, present and future. Till this moment, I am at the club and the people here are very close to my heart. I will not forget all the years I spent as a player here and the 13 league titles we won, in addition to the excellent Asian campaign.

What are you doing currently?

I am working on courses for football managament in order to prepare myself to enter the world of management soon. I need some time to learn, especially as the field comprises of a variety of things which require a lot of effort.

How do you see the club’s start in the QSL this season?

The start has been excellent with the wins over Al-Kharaitiyat and Al-Ahli in the opening two rounds and then the draw with Lekhwiya, although they haven’t reached the required level of performance. But winning the first two matches will give the team a boost to perform better in the coming matches, especially as Al-Sadd aims to compete for the title. To keep winning, you need a lot of hard work.

Goalkeeper Saad Al-Dosari has been excelling recently, especially for the national team and he has proved that he is a worthy successor. What do you think?

Of course, Saad Al-Dosari is an excellent goalkeeper ever since his time in the youth teams of the club. He trained with me for a long period and I personally witnessed his determination and hard work during practice, in addition to his patience until his chance came to prove himself in front of everybody. This was what we saw in the match against Syria during the World Cup qualifiers recently, which showed that he was the best and most suitable keeper for the national team. And then there is also his excellent stint with Al-Sadd in recent years.

As for the national team’s 2018 World Cup qualification campaign, what do you think of their chances?

The win over Syria will be a real boost for Qatar. Losing 3 matches at the beginning of the campaign is not the end of the journey. We need to hold on to hope and work hard to maintain our chances of reaching the 2018 World Cup in Russia. I think the current group of players and the coach Fossati are capable of acheiveing it.

Let’s look back to the past and the AFC Champions League title win, in which you had a big role.

I am proud of 4 of Qatari football’s achievements – two were with the national team (the 17th Gulf Cup and the Asian Games gold) and two were with the club (the Asian triumph and the Club World Cup bronze). Of course, winning the Asian title did not come easily. It came after hard work and steely desire from all the players, who from the very beginning in the qualification phase valued this golden opportunity to win the title. The dream turned into reality overnight and even today, I remember all the details of that final match.

It was not Mohammed Saqr’s role alone that led to the title but all the members of the team, including the players, coaches and management, in addition to the sports officials in Qatar and all the Qatari fans, the devoted Al-Sadd fans in particular, with all their support which pushed us on in every match that we played.

Who are the most prominent among the players and coaches you have worked with?

All the players who I have played with in an Al-Sadd jersey, be it native or foreigner, were considered the best in Qatar. And so I am fortunate to have worn the Wolves’ jersey for 12 years alongside all those stars.

As for the coaches, every coach has his own coaching philosophy. Some were lucky; others were not. I personally benefitted from all the coaches. I will never forget the Urguayan Fossati, who was like a father to all the players in addition to his role as the coach. And then there is also Cosmin, who worked hard with the team during his time here.

A final message to the Al-Sadd fans?

Support the team with all your strength! Always be the first pillar of support for them. Come to the stands in large numbers in order to help compete for the league title and all the other titles this season.