Upon taking a trip down to the training ground last week it was clear to see that there was one man who wore a smile broader than the rest of the Bolton Wanderers players and coaching staff.

That person was Ali Al Habsi, the proudest man in Lancashire, after he helped Oman to lift the Gulf Cup a fortnight ago.

Whilst the rest of his club colleagues were pitting their wits against Arsenal and Manchester United in the Premier League, Al Habsi was away on international duty in his homeland, aiming to be part of the first Oman side ever to win the eight-team tournament.

And after an epic penalty shoot-out victory over Saudi Arabia in the final, it represented a dream come true for the popular goalkeeper, as he exclusively told Wanderers World last week.

"Of course it was fantastic for me and my country to win the Gulf Cup, and so it has been a great last four weeks," revealed the 27-year-old goalkeeper.

"It was a fantastic feeling because it is the first time that Oman has won the competition. We had reached the last two finals in Qatar and Abu Dhabi and lost, so for us to win it at home is a fantastic feeling.

"I don't think it could have gone any better. When you keep clean sheets then you have a really good chance of winning the games and it's the fourth time that I have won the best goalkeeper of the tournament. But this is why I work so hard - I'm really proud for myself.

"All the players are especially happy because this group have been together for six years and we really wanted to win something for the country. The Gulf Cup is really important for people in the area, and so for the people of Oman it was like winning the World Cup.

"However we now have to think now about winning the Asian Cup because the Gulf Cup is gone. We have the qualifiers coming up and will have to work really hard, but I think we have a great chance because we have some quality players."



It was a difficult route to success for Al Habsi and his Oman team mates as they had to crusade through five gruelling fixtures before they could be crowned champions.

But it was a test that they passed with flying colours, especially Al Habsi, who aside from the penalty shoot-out in the final, didn't concede a goal in the entire tournament.

He added: "We are a really confident group of players and I before the competition started, I felt we had a better team than all of the other Gulf countries.

"The opening match against Kuwait was a really tough game. The first fixture is always the most difficult in the tournament and we managed to draw that 0-0 and a point for us was a good way to start.

"But to be honest, our group was very hard, and in the second fixture against the Asian Champions Iraq we put in a much effort as we possibly could. It was the best performance of the competition and to win 4-0 was fantastic.

"After that we were more confident and we relaxed because we had four points, and going into the last game we knew that we would qualify with either a draw or a win. Again we played very well and beat Yemen 2-0 which meant we finished on top of the group.

"We progressed to the semi-finals, and for me personally that was the toughest game. If you lose that then you are out and you don't have anything to show for it. At least if you make it the final and lose then you finish second and you have memories of the day.

"It was a difficult game but I put in a good performance, especially in the last 20 minutes when I made two fantastic saves. We battled through and made to the final to play Saudi Arabia and we knew that we had played them in the Gulf Cup 14 times before and had never beaten them. They are a team that that had won the tournament three times before and had qualified for the World Cup on many occasions.

"They were a hard team to beat, but the lads played very well for the 120 minutes. We put a lot of pressure on Saudi Arabia and we just couldn't score!

"When it got to penalties, everyone reminded themselves about the game in Qatar when we lost the final on penalty kicks, but I had a feeling before and during the game that this would be our day because of the home advantage, the support and it just seemed destined that we were going to win.



"That turned out to be the case and we won 6-5 - it was the best night of my life. Nobody slept that night and everyone stayed up celebrating until five o'clock in the morning."

With the Gulf Cup success putting Oman on the world map, Al Habsi is confident that players from his homeland can now emerge in some of the major European leagues like himself.

He does however admit that the transition from Omani football to the Premier League or Serie A would be a tough step to make directly, but he can see no reason why in a few years time some of the greatest talents from the Gulf countries will be plying their trade on the big stage.

He said: "To play in Europe isn't easy and to come from Oman to England straight away would be very difficult. But if you do what I did and play in a country like Norway in a good league then you can get experience before moving to a bigger club like Bolton or another team in the Premier League.

"I'm sure that we have some good quality players, who I hope will get the chance to show and prove that they can play in Europe."

Prior to his exploits at the Gulf Cup, Al Habsi penned an extended deal with Bolton, one which will see him remain at the club until the summer of 2013.

There had been much speculation about a possible transfer away from the club during the opening months of the campaign, but in Al Habsi's mind, there was never any doubt about where his future lay.

He explained: "This was a fantastic moment for me and my family. I'm happy to stay at Bolton and the thing that persuaded me to stay with Bolton is the fact that I'm very comfortable here and all of the Bolton fans really like me.

"This made me think, because if you move to another club then you don't know what is going to happen there. Gary Megson gave me a chance last year, Fred Barber works me really hard and I'm also very happy to work alongside Jussi Jaaskelainen and Adam Bogdan.

"Before I signed I had a conversation with Fred (Barber) because if anything happens, I like to speak to him as we are really close and he knows what things are really important for me. A four-and-a-half year deal is great and I think that I am going to have a good future with the club."

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