Amapá player leaves Portuguese football for the United Arab Emirates

Amapá player Tiago Lobato is the new reinforcement of Al Ittifaq from the United Arab Emirates. The 20-year-old player was signed by the Dammam-based club to play in the second division of football in the Emirates. He has already participated in the team’s first game of the 2024/25 season, in the 1-0 victory over Royal FC.

Al-Ettifaq Football Club (Arabic: نادي الاتفاق لكرة القدم), known as Al-Ettifaq or Ettifaq Club, is a professional football club based in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Al-Ettifaq was established after the merger of three clubs in the city of Dammam in 1944. The club is the first Saudi team to win an international title – the 1984 Arab Champions League, it is also the first team to win the Saudi Professional League without any defeats, as well as being the first Saudi Arabian team to win the Gulf Cup.

Tiago Lobato took his first steps in football with his school team in Macapá, but went on to gain prominence in the youth categories of São Paulo, a club in the North Zone of Macapá, where he won the title of champion in the under 11, 13 and 15 , having also passed through Escolinha do Flamengo. The athlete was part of the Brazilian School Sports Team that competed in the Jeem Cup Youth Cup in Qatar, in 2017.

Selected through a sieve in Spain and Portugal (where his family moved), Tiago began playing for Elvas, having also played for Celeiros, Merelinense and Vitória de Setúbal (for which he was champion playing in the B team), all from Portugal. .

“Grateful and motivated for this new challenge. Simply the God of the impossible makes the improbable become reality. He is faithful!”, wrote Tiago Lobato on social media.