The Portuguese coach Paulo Sousa presented his skills with Shabab Al-Ahli in his first season in the UAE. After becoming the coach of the "Dubai Knights" last summer, he managed to briefly become a contender for the place among the five historic coaches who achieved victories in the first season in the UAE.
Shabab Al-Ahli, under the guidance of Paulo Sousa, who coached the Italian Fiorentina, the Brazilian Flamengo, and the Polish national team, is in serious competition for the lead in the current season, occupying second place with 32 points, just two points behind leader Sharjah with 34 points. The "Dubai Knights" have a chance to rise to the top if they win the postponed match of the 12th round against Dibba Al-Hisn, which will take place on Tuesday.
Paulo Sousa, 54 years old, can contribute to the history of football in the UAE, having set a record for the number of wins in one season. Shabab Al-Ahli can claim six titles in an unprecedented historical achievement - the team has already won the Supercup, defeating Al-Vasl in the penalty shootout series, and the "Shield of the Challenge", defeating Rayyan from Qatar.
Besides fighting for the championship of the Professional League, Shabab Al-Ahli also reached the semifinals of the President's Cup and will compete with Sharjah in the semifinals of the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup, and will also meet with Al-Vahdat from Iran in the 1/16 finals of the AFC Champions League.
Since the beginning of the Dubai Professional League in the 2008-2009 season, five coaches have managed to win the tournament in their first season with clubs. At the moment, former Sharjah coach Olariu Kozeemian tops the list with two wins in the first season - both with Al-Ain and with Shabab Al-Ahli.
Czech coach Ivan Hasek also made it onto the list, leading Shabab Al-Ahli in his first season in the Dubai Professional League in 2008-2009, becoming the first coach to win a title in the history of the tournament. Olariu Kozeemian repeated this with Al-Ain in the 2011-2012 season, as well as with Shabab Al-Ahli in the 2013-2014 season.
Recently, Serbian Milos Milojevic joined this list, leading the team "Al-Vasl" to eight titles of the champion in the club's history. Milojevic is also distinguished by being the only coach who won two major titles in the first season with a club - the Professional League and the President's Cup.
