Ismail Abdullatif Eyes Coaching After Retirement

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Two weeks after hanging his shoes, Bahrain’s record goalscorer Ismail Abdullatif (Soma) has declared his retirement a tabula rasa as he weighs coaching, club work and a possible move into the media.

The former Bahrain striker said he was already in talks with Al-Khaldiya over what comes next. He had once favoured an office role, but now feels drawn towards coaching and work on the football side.

‘I am against someone judging Ismail and saying, “This is your limit. Retire”,’ he said. ‘I believe this is the right time.’

He does not see retirement as a break with football, nor as a chance to reopen old rows.

He said he bore no ill will towards the clubs or people he had dealt with and wanted to keep sound ties across the game.

His career took in one of Bahraini football’s most bitter transfer rows, when he left Al-Hala for Al-Nasr of Oman in a bid to win control over his own future.

Abdullatif said players at the time often had no sound contracts, fixed pay or freedom to choose where they played. He likened the system to ‘slavery’, saying clubs held power over a player’s career and income.

With help from a Kuwaiti agent, he moved to Oman in a planned bid to become a free player. Al-Hala responded by banning him for two years.

Many supporters believed Al-Muharraq had arranged the move. Abdullatif denied this, saying he acted alone and had no talks with the club while the deal was being worked on.

He later moved to Al-Muharraq and spent much of his career there before leaving for Al-Khaldiya.

That switch, he said, was the hardest choice of his playing life.

Abdullatif said he chose to take the risk despite the strain of leaving a club with which he had become closely linked.

‘I am a bit stubborn,’ he said. ‘I like a challenge. You say Ismail cannot do it? Let us see.’

Abdullatif also spoke of Bahrain's golden generation and the huge support it received from His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Yet the side never reached the World Cup.

He blamed uneven form and missed chances, pointing to the qualifier against Hong Kong as a match that badly hurt Bahrain’s hopes.

The greatest prize of his international career came in 2019, when Bahrain won the Gulf Cup for the first time.

Injury kept him out of the playing squad, but Abdullatif stayed close to the players, coaches and club staff throughout the tournament.

He said the win still felt as though he had played every minute because the joy spread far beyond those on the pitch.

The lasting image came when he and goalkeeper Sayed Mohammed Jaffer were chosen to receive and lift the cup in Doha.

Plans had been made for the two senior players to take part in the ceremony, giving them a place in a victory that had taken Bahrain decades to reach.

Abdullatif described receiving the trophy from the Amir of Qatar as almost unreal. The scenes in Doha, followed by the celebrations in Bahrain, remain among his strongest memories.

He also recalled words from His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa that drove him on late in his career.

‘Do not listen to them when they say you are old,’ the King told him, according to Abdullatif.

He said the words pushed him to carry on for several years and helped him shut out calls to retire before he felt ready.

His mother, he added, was the main force behind him throughout his playing years. Her prayers and support mattered more to him than praise from the stands.

He also said football should bring people together rather than split them by club colours, arguing that friendships made away from the pitch outlast old rivalries.

Years at Al-Muharraq and with the national side also taught him how to deal with public criticism.

He said he built a mental ‘shield’ against attacks on social media and learnt to judge himself by his work rather than outside noise.

Abdullatif has tried business before, including a gym, but said his main strength and interest still lie within football.

Coaching and club management remain the clearest paths. Media work and podcasting are also under consideration.

He admitted that formal events can still make him nervous, but said he feels at ease in open interviews and long-form talks.

For now, there is no bitterness and no wish to settle old scores.

His playing days are over. The next page, he said, is blank.