Cultural Leonesa sign two young Qatar talents

Cultural Leonesa have signed Qatari pair Abdullah Abdelsalam and Tarik Salman – two of the hottest young talents from the Middle East. Abdelsalam, a 19 year old holding midfielder is considered the second best footballer in Qatar after Akram Afif – another 19 year old who recently signed for Villareal. Tarik Salman, also 19, is a centre midfielder who had been training with Celta Vigo’s youth team.

Qatari investment

Abdelsalam and Salman are not the first players from Qatar to put on the colours of Cultural. The famous Aspire Academy, which last year took control of the Léon based club, has opened the doors to some of the finest young prospects from the Arab country to come and play in Northern Spain.

Last season the first five arrived: defenders Sultán Al Brake (19 years old) and Tameen Almuhaza (18), centre midfielders Hussam Hassanin and Madibo, and striker Almoez (19). All came as part of Aspire’s takeover deal, with the idea of helping the players improve their abilities in preparation for the Qatar World Cup 2022.

Apire Academy expertise

Various coaches and staff from Cultural have also made a trip in the opposite direction, giving them the chance to learn from the methods and expertise of Aspire – one of the world’s most important high performance sports centres. The academy has revolutionized training through its state-of-the-art facilities which are now under the direction of ex-Madrista, Valter Di Salvo.

The latest staff members from Léonesa to vist the academy in Doha are physio Xavel Secades and coach Rubén de la Barrera, who have held various meetings with Roberto Olabe – the man in charge of Aspire’s football division, as well as Raúl Bravo.