Diego Maradona celebrated his 51st birthday in Dubai with his "family away from home"—the Al Wasl club he's been coaching since July.

Diego Maradona says he would be open to leading the United Arab Emirates national team.

The Argentine great, who since May has coached the UAE professional side Al Wasl, has been mentioned as a potential candidate in the local media since Srecko Katanec of Slovenia was sacked following the team's 1-3 loss to Lebanon in September.

The UAE has since lost three matches under an interim coach. Maradona did not say on Wednesday whether the country's football association had approached him about the job, though he said he would accept the post "with pleasure."