Footballer Mousa al-Taamari signs for APOEL Nicosia

Jordan will not play the World Cup in Russia, but on Tuesday, the Hashemite Kingdom's football community got some wonderful news for its sporting future.

Mousa al-Taamari, one of the hottest prospects in Jordanian football, has signed a contract with APOEL Nicosia from Cyprus.

The 20-year-old, nicknamed "The Jordanian Salah", is a flamboyant forward with a powerful style of play. A product of Shabab Al-Ordon's coaching squad, he played part of the last season on loan at Al-Jazeera Amman and helped the club to finish second in the Dauri Al-Manaseer - the Jordanian Premier League.

He was also one of the key figures in the AFC Cup West Zone semi-finals against Jordanian giants Al-Faisaly, scoring two decisive goals in each leg, leading his team to the final against Iraqi mega-club Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya.

If Al-Taamari takes part in APOEL's Champions League qualifications campaign in July and August, he will become one of a few players in history that have managed to play in the Asian AFC Cup and European UEFA Champions League in the same calendar year, an impressive anecdote on his resume by all accounts.

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Despite his tender age, Al-Taamari already has 17 appearances and three goals for Jordan's national team.

In January 2019, he will lead Jordan in Group C at the Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

Twitter Post

"Thanks to God Almighty, it was agreed and signed with the Cypriot club APOEL, who will participate in the preliminary stage of the European Champions League next season," Al-Taamari wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday.

He added: "I thank Shabab Al-Ordon management for their cooperation in order to complete the transaction, and all thanks and appreciation to the President of Al-Jazeera, Mohammed Maharma, administrative staff, and my brother players for the days and memories.

"I will not forget all the Jordanian fans who stood with me in my darkest moments, and I hope that you will support me in the coming days in my professional experience in Europe.

"Mousa Al-Taamari no longer represents just himself, but all of Jordanian football, and with God's will, I will do everything I can to honour my beloved country abroad."

Uri Levy runs the popular football blog BabaGol, which covers football and politics focusing on the Middle East. Follow him on Twitter, and read his blog here. 

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