Mercurial defender Ahmed Yasser is having a moment

Ahmed Yasser isn’t afraid to make bold choices. “This is the one!” he says holding up a vibrant green and blue Versace cotton shirt with a Trésor de la Mer print. The colourful collection of star fish and seashells make it definitely the most garish outfit that the Esquire team has picked for the photoshoot, but Yasser is not put off. “We are here to have fun, right?” he says flashing a cheeky grin with his pearly white teeth.

We’re shooting pre-Ramadan, but the baking summer heat is already upon us. Mixing a range of new season streetwear with more elevated suiting pieces, Yasser is in his element. He adjusts the watch on his wrist—a TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Qatar Limited Edition with Arabic numbering on the dial—and smiles to himself as if no one is watching. He is helpful, cooperative and willing to try on anything.

He talks through the clothing choices with Esquire team of stylists and they easily find common ground. “I love fashion, especially street style,” says Yasser. “But I tend to be a bit adventurous with what I wear. I love wearing brands like Phillip Plein, Louis Vuitton and Dior.” But it’s not just for his fashion sense that Yasser stands out.

As part of Qatar’s ‘golden generation’ the skillful defender is growing in stature and confidence. A former Aspire Academy graduate, he first joined Al Duhail as a 17-year-old. Gradually his performances on the pitch cemented him a spot in the starting line-up, and played an important role in helping the Doha club make history at the end of the 2017-18 season by becoming the first domestic treble-winning side, winning the Qatar Stars League, the Qatar Cup, and the Amir Cup in the same season.

On top of his obvious natural talent, it seemed destined that Yasser would end up playing football for a living. “My father was a footballer and my two brothers are also in the Qatar national team, so I guess you could say it’s in my blood,” he says referring to his father, Yasser Elmohamady, who played for Egypt during the 1970s, and his two brothers Hussein and Mohammed Yasser.

But, as we said, Yasser isn’t afraid to make bold choices. Despite his loyalty to Al Duhail, he followed his gut instinct and sought out overseas experiences in order for him to grow as a player and as a man. Following a season on loan at Spanish second division side Cultural Leonesa, Yasser would elect to move to Japan to join former Spanish World Cup winner Andreas Iniesta at Vissel Kobe. He returned to Doha renewed, and a better player than he was when he left.

“It is in these experiences that you find out a lot about yourself,” says Yasser. “Sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone to allow yourself to grow.”

The last few years has seen his development as a player continue. Under the guidance of former France international Sabri Lamouchi pairing him at the heart of the Al Duhail defence alongside ex-Juventus and Bayern Munich star Medhi Benatia, Al Duhail have kicked things up a gear. Earlier this year, the Qatari champions finished fifth in the FIFA Club World Cup, held here in Qatar, by beating Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai.

“I’ve been at Al Duhail for more than ten years now. It’s my club and I feel at home there,” he explains. “The experience has been amazing as we’ve won a lot of titles and trophies but we stay focused. There have been many highlights over my career, but one of my favourite matches was beating Al-Sadd in the cup final. That was a really special game and for us.”

The game in question was the 2019 Amir Cup final—the first game to be played at the new Al-Janoub Stadium. After Al-Sadd went ahead early to an Akram Afif goal, Al Duhail equalised via Afif’s brother, Ali. Eventually three second half goals from the Red Knights sealed and impressive comeback and the bragging rights.

Al Duhail is currently involved in another promising AFC Asian Champions League campaign and, internationally, with the FIFA World Cup 2022 just around the corner, the 26-year-old Yasser feels that he could be peaking at just the right time. “I am focused on staying fit and training hard. I don’t believe in being complacent,” he says.

One big advantage that the Qatari ‘golden generation’ has is that the majority of the national team players have known each other since they were teenagers. “We all get along well, both on and off the pitch,” explains Yasser. “We train in the afternoon, or evening depending on the weather, and often socialise together too.”

Speaking of socialising, due to the intense scrutiny that professional athletes experience these days the ability to unplug and relax is of paramount importance. For Yasser, that escape comes in the form of spending time with his dogs—two Dobermans called Leo and Bella—and eating out. “I would say that I am a foodie,” he laughs, “But I am lucky because I can pretty much eat what I want, and because I have to train a lot it all gets burnt off. Diets are definitely not for me, I enjoy food too much!”

While we can’t help but envy Yasser’s metabolism, and promising future that this growing talent has ahead of him, one thing we can guess is that whatever he does, it’ll make a bold statement.

Photography by Adel Rashid / Styling by Jean-Claude Mpassy / Hair & Make-up by Adeline Liew