Adnan Al Talyani

Adnan Khamis Mohammed Obaid Al-Talyani Al-Suwaidi (; born 30 October 1964) is a retired footballer from the United Arab Emirates who played as a forward for the country's Pro Football League, Al-Shaab CSC, and the national team. He is considered one of the best football players and goal scorers in the history of the UAE League and the national team.

Early and personal life Adnan was born in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, on 30 October 1964. He started playing football in the streets of Sharjah in the 1970s. His older brother, Nasser Al Talyani, was a midfielder for the Al-Shaab CSC team. In 1980, he joined the team after impressing the owner at an annual football tournament where he scored several goals.

He has three sons, all of whom attended his retirement party in 2003.

Career

Talyani spent 19 years at Al-Shaab CSC. Despite having received multiple offers from other clubs, restrictions in his contract prohibited him from transferring at the time. He was chosen for the UAE national team soon after Heshmat Mohajerani was hired as the trainer. He retired from international football in 1997, with the record for the most international appearances, with 161 caps and 56 goals.

1990 FIFA World Cup Qualification

The United Arab Emirates' qualification for the 1990 FIFA World Cup remains one of the most significant achievements in the history of Emirati football, and Adnan Al Talyani played a pivotal role in the same. The UAE faced a challenging qualification process, beginning with a crucial first-round encounter against Kuwait. After a 3–2 defeat in the opening match, the team entered the third game of the stage needing a victory to stay in contention. Al Talyani scored the decisive goal in a 1–0 win, moving the team to the top of the group. He then contributed to a 4–1 victory over Pakistan, securing progression to the final qualification round.

The final stage featured six teams competing in a single-round tournament, with the top two earning places at the World Cup. The UAE managed only one victory in this stage, a 2–1 win over China, with an 88th-minute goal from Al Talyani. His second goal of the round came in a 1–1 draw with South Korea in the final match, earning the UAE the sixth point needed to qualify alongside them for the nation’s first World Cup appearance.

Al Talyani went on to represent the UAE in matches against Colombia, West Germany, and Yugoslavia.

1996 AFC Asian Cup Six years after their historic qualification for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, the United Arab Emirates prepared to host the 1996 AFC Asian Cup in their country for the first time. The team featured members from the “Generation of 1990,” including Adnan Al Talyani and the goalkeeper Muhsin Musabah, with emerging talents such as Munther Ali Abdullah. At 32 years of age, Al Talyani played a key role in their performance, scoring two goals: one in a 3–2 victory over Kuwait, regarded as one of the most memorable goals in the nation's football history, and another in a 2–0 win against Indonesia.

The UAE advanced to the final, where they faced Saudi Arabia before a crowd of 60,000 at Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Saudi Arabia, two-time Asian champions and runners-up in 1992, held the hosts to a goalless draw through regular and extra time. Having played the full 90 minutes in the semi-final against Kuwait, Al Talyani was substituted during extra time due to fatigue. The match was ultimately decided by a penalty shoot-out, in which Saudi Arabia claimed their third Asian Cup title.

Honours Al Shaab UAE President's Cup (1992–93) UAE Super Cup (1993) 2x UAE First Division League (1992–93, 1997–98) Asian Cup Winners' Cup Runners-up (1994–95)

United Arab Emirates

AFC Asian Cup Runners-up (1996)

Individual 2x UAE Football League Top Scorer (1984–85, 1986–87) Asian Cup Winners' Cup Best Player (1994–95) Best Arabic Player (1989) UAE First Division League Top Scorer (1992–93) UAE Football League Best Player (1992–93) UAE Player of the Century

Career statistics International goals Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 14 August 1982 Kuala Lumpur 1–1 2–1 Merdeka Tournament 2 2–1 3 10 October 1983 Riyadh 1–1 2–2 1984 Summer Olympics AFC qualification 4 2–2 5 14 November 1983 1–1 1–2 Friendly match 6 10 March 1984 Royal Oman Police Stadium, Muscat 1–0 2–0 1984 Gulf Cup 7 12 March 1984 1–0 1–0 8 24 October 1984 Jeddah 4–0 8–0 1984 AFC Asian Cup qualification 9 6–0 10 26 October 1984 3–0 11–0 11 7–0 12 9–0 13 28 October 1984 1–0 5–1 14 3–0 15 4–1 16 4 December 1984 Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore 1–0 2–0 1984 Asian Cup 17 7 April 1985 Bahrain 1–0 4–0 Friendly match 18 2–0 19 5 August 1985 1–0 1–0 Friendly tournament 20 20 September 1985 Al-Rashid Stadium, Dubai 1–0 2–3 1986 World Cup qualification 21 27 September 1985 King Fahd Stadium, Taif 2–0 2–1 22 24 March 1986 Bahrain National Stadium, Manama 2–2 2–2 1986 Gulf Cup 23 2 April 1986 Bahrain National Stadium, Manama 2–0 2–0 24 7 April 1986 Bahrain National Stadium, Manama 2–0 2–3 25 21 September 1986 Daegu Stadium, Daegu 1–0 1–0 1986 Asian Games 26 23 September 1986 2–1 2–1 27 25 September 1986 1–0 1–0 28 30 January 1988 Abu Dhabi 1–0 2–0 Friendly match 29 7 February 1988 2–0 2–1 1988 AFC Asian Cup qualification 30 13 February 1988 2–0 3–0 31 17 March 1988 King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh 1–0 1–0 1988 Gulf Cup 32 17 November 1988 Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah 2–0 2–1 Friendly match 33 3 February 1989 1–0 1-0 1990 World Cup qualification 34 10 February 1989 Islamabad 3–0 4–1 35 17 October 1989 National Stadium, Singapore 2–1 2–1 36 28 October 1989 Darul Makmur Stadium, Kuantan 1–1 1–1 37 14 Feb 1990 Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai 2–1 2–1 Friendly match 38 30 May 1992 Al Ain 3–0 3–1 1992 Asian Cup qualification 39 20 February 1993 Dubai 1–3 1–3 Friendly match 40 8 April 1993 Kyoto, Japan 2–0 4-0 1994 World Cup qualification 41 28 April 1993 Dubai 2–0 3-0 42 30 April 1993 2–0 2-1 43 3 May 1993 1–0 7-0 44 6–0 45 3 October 1994 Athletic Stadium, Miyoshi 1–0 1-1 1994 Asian Games 46 5 October 1994 Hiroshima Stadium, Hiroshima 1–0 2-0 47 2–0 48 9 October 1994 Bingo Athletic Stadium, Onomichi 2–2 2-2 49 11 October 1994 Regional Park Stadium, Hiroshima 1–1 1-2 1994 Asian Games 50 3 November 1994 Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi 1–0 2–0 1994 Gulf Cup 51 9 November 1994 2–0 2–0 52 19 March 1996 Dubai 2–2 3–2 Friendly match 53 22 October 1996 Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat 2–1 2–1 1996 Gulf Cup 54 19 November 1996 Abu Dhabi 2–1 4–2 Friendly match 55 3–1 56 4–1 57 26 November 1996 1–1 1–1 58 7 December 1996 Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi 2–2 3–2 1996 Asian Cup 59 10 December 1996 2–0 2–0 X 1 April 1997 Abu Dhabi 2–0 4–0 Unofficial friendly X 4–0 60 26 April 1997 Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah 1–0 2–0 1998 World Cup qualification 61 27 September 1997 Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi 3–1 3–2 62 17 December 1997 King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh 1–6 1–6 1997 Confederations Cup

Legacy Al Talyani’s contribution to the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the 1996 AFC Asian Cup Final victories has made him one of the continent’s greatest icons in the sport.

Retirement Talyani officially retired from football in January 2003. A testimonial match was played in his honour between Italian champions Juventus and an All-Star team of players from various countries. He has since been named the UAE's Player of the Century.