Ahmed Maher at the 2015 Asian Cup |
Details after the jump...
A little over two seasons ago, Wridat made an impressive breakthrough with the national team as perhaps the only player to have had a good showing during a disastrous friendly tour of the Philippines. The games against Mynamar and Chinese Taipei were Jamal Mahmoud's final games as manager of the national team but left a lasting impression as he finished top scorer of the tournament with five goals to his name.
Weeks later, Ahmed Maher was instrumental in helping the Olympic side achieve its first victories at an Asian Games. Wridat notched two goals in the group stage against Oman and Singapore as Palestine won its group and advanced to play Japan in the knockout stage.
A successful 2014 gave way to a forgettable 2015 for Wridat who had a quiet Asian Cup tournament and was dropped from the national team after starting the first game of World Cup qualifying versus Saudi Arabia.
To his credit, the Dhahrieh native responded in the best possible way- scoring a clutch goal in the Palestine Cup Final to send Ahli Al-Khaleel to the AFC Cup for the first time ever and gambling on a move back home to further bolster his national team.
After scoring seven times in ten games for the Oryxes- Ahmed Maher returned to the national team for the friendly encounter against CD Palestino.
Now, he has the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of established national team veterans who have all donned the famous green jersey.
Ziyad Al-Kord, Fadi Lafi, Abdelatif Bahdari, Ahmed Keshkesh, Fahed Attal, and Ashraf Nu'man have all played for the reigning Jordanian champions.
Ahmed Maher will arrive in Amman today to sign his contract. According to reports, Wehdat paid out the remainder of his contract with Shabab Al-Dhahrieh ($25,000) and offered the player $30,000 for his services this season.