Dia Saba fulfilling expectations in the UAE

Dia Saba is the first Israelian to establish himself as a footballer in the UAE.

Saba, who is of Palestinian origin, started his senior career with Maccabi Tel Aviv, but the midfielder didn’t get much game time as expected, only making two appearances.

He went on loan to multiple clubs before signing for Maccabi Petah Tikva in 2013 to find regular football, before a call up to Israel’s under-21 set-up soon followed.

After a year, the Israelian international wanted a new challenge and found it with Maccabi Netanya. The 28-year-old would suffer an ACL injury towards the end of his first season at Netanya, an injury which forced him to miss most of the 2015/16 campaign.

Despite his side getting relegated the midfielder had no intention to leave. The following season, Saba made his breakthrough season as his side was promoted back to the top division. He became one of the standout players, leading the club’s scoring charts and was named the Israel Football Players Organisation’s Player of the Season in 2017/18. His performances led to him getting a call-up to the senior national team.

By 2018, Saba’s price tag was rising. Hapoel Beer Sheva, the reigning champions at that time, were first to swoop for his signature in a deal worth around €2,000,000. He wasn’t at the club for too long but made a good impression in his early stages, netting in four goals in 17 games before leaving Israel for the first time in his career to join Guangzhou R&F.

Dia Saba was ready to step up his journey in the Chinese Super League and during his time there he recorded an impressive 18 goals in 37 appearances. His displays created further interest and in 2020, Saba would move to the UAE to join Dubai side Al Nasr.

He joins Ryan Mendes, winger Brandles Kuwas and Portuguese midfielder Tuze as Al Nasr’s overseas players.

The midfielder has since scored five goals and assisted seven with his new side and has only missed one game this season.

Former Manchester City man Alvaro Negredo left Al Nasr last season having scoring an impressive 25 goals in 36 league matches. Saba will hope he can fill that void in his next few years with the club.

Roman Diaz’s side are currently fourth with 39 points in the Arabian Gulf League and are on a good run in which they have won four out of their last five games. They remain eight points from the top as they look to put pressure on the top three sides, but remain in a strong position to qualify for the AFC Champions League next season with five games remaining.