Early UAE Pro League Sparks: Standout Stars, Summer Signings, and Sniper-Lite Quips

Early-season Highlights

Some summer signings grabbed attention as the ADNOC Pro League opens with five rounds of action.

After five rounds, 28 players have logged the full 450 minutes, underscoring reliability across the league.

Among the standouts are three goalkeepers, Ali Khaseef of Al Jazira, Khaled Eisa of Al Ain, and Ahmed Shambieh of Al Nasr; defenders Rafael Antonio of Al Bataeh and Maro Katinic of Al Sharjah have also contributed heavily, while Matteo Caramatich of Al Nasr and Mubin Amir and Favour Ogbo of Al Wahda logged only a single minute each.

In successful tackles, the tally sits at 530. Marcus Miloni of Al Sharjah leads with 11, ahead of Eric Jorgensen (Al Ain) and Jadson Da Silva (Al Wahda), each with 9.

Crosses total 729, with Robin Philip of Al Wahda topping the chart at 25. Miloni is next with 22, followed by Alejandro Sebastian of Al Ain and Ibrahim Adel of Al Jazira with 20 each.

Long passes reach 1495; Gubson Santos of Al Dhafra is best with 35 successful passes, ahead of Ahmed Hamdan of Al Wasl with 32.

In terms of overall passes, Ali Al Hosni of Ajman sits third with 29, while Antonio Vialho of Al Bataeh and Fahd Al Zanani of Bani Yas each have 27.

Summer signings shine

Hugo Neto has emerged as a key left-back for Al Wasl, starting all five matches and totaling 331 minutes. He completed 119 passes, earned 3 assists, and contributed in 16 duels, with 11 successful defensive actions, showing he can blend solidity with attacking contribution.

Dušan Tadic, a creative force for Al Wahda, was the most complete playmaker early on, delivering 12 influential passes and 3 goals, plus 109 successful passes in the opponent's half out of 163. He also completed 27 duels and won them all in challenges.

Arab brilliance

Egyptian Ibrahim Adel with Al Jazira has been a dangerous presence on the flanks, delivering 20 crosses and 8 key passes, along with 18 dribbles at 66% success, confirming his threat even without goals yet.

Moroccan Karim Berkaoui with Al Dhafra has been the most decisive forward, scoring 6 goals in 4 games, averaging 1.5 per match, including two headers and another from outside the box, making him one of the league's top finishers early on.

Moroccan Tariq Tissoudali with Khor Fakkan has 3 goals and 2 assists, with high efficiency: 6 shots on target from 7 attempts, plus 6 key passes and 11 dribbles.

Shabab Al Ahli, the reigning champions, despite not leading the table, have started with balanced results and sit fourth with 10 points, reflecting a squad with depth and players capable of swinging results to keep the title chase alive.

Statistical snapshot

Shabab Al Ahli rank second in total passes with 2063, behind Al Wasl on 2292; they share four clean sheets with Al Wahda and sit third in shots on target with 50 attempts.

In short, early indications suggest a season full of drama, goals, and pinpoint playmaking as teams chase the ADNOC Pro League crown.

Sniper quip 1: If analytics ever miss a shot, blame the defense for moving too fast—the milliseconds took the blame instead.

Sniper quip 2: My fantasy team is so data-driven, even the spreadsheet filed a restraining order against chaos.