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THE Arab star of Queens Park Rangers - the Gulf Air-sponsored side flying high at the top of the English Championship - has told GulfWeekly how his Muslim faith is helping him to steer the team into the Premiership.
After a nightmare spell at Spurs, Adel Taarabt's silky skills and inspirational play have had football critics purring over his performances.
A devout Muslim, Taarabt, 21, emerges earlier than his colleagues from training and, during Ramadan, benefits from having an understanding manager in Neil Warnock who has invited Adel to manage his own fitness regime during the Holy Month and to advise him of any required rest.
Taarabt says he feels a much 'heightened sense of awareness due to his closer proximity to God'.
And, despite Manchester City's valiant attempts to prove otherwise, there are still bargains to be had in English football, and Queens Park Rangers look to have secured the best of them this summer by purchasing Taarabt from Tottenham.
For a reported £600,000 rising to £1 million, Warnock has bought a player whose early season form suggests he might just be the best in the league, said one British national newspaper.
In March, Taarabt was quoted in an interview as being 'sorry' that he had signed for Tottenham instead of arch-rivals Arsenal.
He went on to state that his intention was to sign for one of the top clubs in Spain. However, Warnock persuaded him to drop down a division and make the short journey across London to Queens Park Rangers on a three-year contract saying that if Taarabt spent a few seasons 'learning under me he will be one of the best players in the world and will get his big money move to Barcelona or Real Madrid'.
He scored his first goal as a permanent QPR player during the first game of the campaign and hasn't looked back since. The pacesetters continued their unbeaten run at the weekend by striking twice in injury-time as they salvaged an amazing draw against Derby County at Pride Park to preserve their unbeaten record.
GulfWeekly's sports columnist Abu George met up with Taarabt at the club's training ground.
