ALI'S GOT THE PERFECT GIGG

NEW Salisbury owner Ali Alhamad hopes afternoons at the Ray Mac will bring him a lot more joy than watching his beloved Manchester United.

- By Chris Dunlavy

The Kuwaiti entrepreneur, a blockchain specialist with a variety of business interests, grew up watching the likes of Ryan Giggs, Eric Cantona and David Beckham rule the Premier League.

It sparked a love of the game that has endured despite a dismal decade for the troubled Red Devils.

“When I was young, I loved English football,” said Alhamad. “England always had the best league, even when Serie A had all the star players.

“I was probably eight or nine years old, and we'd get all the matches on these giant satellite dishes. Manchester United were everything back then. I knew all the players, watched every game.

“After that, I'd play every chance I got. Whenever I saw people kicking a ball, I'd jump in. Mostly they'd say ‘Go away, you're too young’, but a few would see the enthusiasm and go ‘Oh, alright, you can come in now’.

“That grew into playing competitively in Kuwait, then I played in the university leagues when I studied in America. I volunteered to coach kids over there as well.