Born in England and given his football education in Manchester City’s luxurious academy, Ahmad Benali might not seem a natural fit for the captaincy of a country bruised by nearly a decade of conflict.
But as Libya prepare to start their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign next month, he has described leading the team as “the biggest honour” of his professional career.
“It’s something every boy dreams of, so I feel privileged,” he told BBC Sport.
Libya have not participated at a Cup of Nations since 2012 but Benali has high hopes this time around.
“We have to be in qualifiers with intentions to qualify. I don’t see our Afcon group as one of the stronger ones and I think if we play how we know we can on a consistent basis we can definitely look to qualify.”
The Mediterranean Knights have been drawn in Group J alongside Tunisia, Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea.
With Jalal Damja having been reappointed as head coach earlier this year, Benali says it is important that those in charge of the national team now take a long-term view and create a more stable environment for the players.
“I’ve always said that this national team is potentially one of the best we’ve had for a long time because we have young, talented, hungry players.
“But of course the players need to be helped by being put in the condition to do well.
“By this I mean having a coach for the long-term that will have a project and a way of playing, as in recent years we’ve had too many changes and every coach has his own style so it’s getting used to everything all over again.
“We hope that we can stick together and work towards the future together.”
