Ali Ibrahim Karim Al-Hamadi (Arabic: علي إبراهيم كريم الحمادي; born 1 March 2002) is an Iraqi professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Ipswich Town and the Iraq national team.
 Al-Hamadi celebrating Ipswich Town's promotion to the Premier League in May 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ali Ibrahim Karim Al-Hamadi[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 1 March 2002[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Maysan, Iraq | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ipswich Town | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2015–2018 | Tranmere Rovers | ||
| 2018–2021 | Swansea City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2023 | Wycombe Wanderers | 9 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Bromley (loan) | 10 | (3) |
| 2023–2024 | AFC Wimbledon | 42 | (23) |
| 2024– | Ipswich Town | 17 | (4) |
| International career | |||
| 2019– | Iraq U23 | 2 | (1) |
| 2021– | Iraq | 14 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:55, 10 September 2024 (UTC) | |||
Early and personal life
editAli was born in Maysan, Iraq, on 1 March 2002. In 2003 during the early stages of the Iraq War, at the age of one, he and his family moved from Iraq to Toxteth, Liverpool, where they would settle and he would grow up.[3]
Al-Hamadi’s father, Ibrahim, who was studying to become a lawyer at that point, was part of a peaceful protest against the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein and he ended up being jailed. His wife was pregnant, and with his father's help, was released and made his way to the UK. Like most Iraqis fleeing the war, Ali initially went to Jordan with his mother before they reunited with his father in Britain. The first time he met his father he was one-year and four-months old.[3]
Club career
editEarly career
editIn 2015, Al-Hamadi was selected to play for Liverpool Schoolboys at the age of 13 where he quickly made an impression and caught the attention of Everton and Liverpool, but ended up joining Tranmere Rovers.[3] Ali joined Tranmere’s under-14s and stayed with the club for three years, being offered a professional contract in the summer of 2018 but he instead opted for a two-year scholarship at Swansea City.[citation needed]
Al-Hamadi left Liverpool and his family to move to Wales as he joined Swansea City’s academy in the summer of 2018, joining on a two-year scholarship.[5] On 2 July 2020, Al-Hamadi signed his first professional contract with Swansea, signing a one-year contract with the club.[6]
In September 2021, Al-Hamadi went on trial with Derby County,[7] scoring for their under-23 side in a 3–3 Premier League Cup draw against the Norwich City under-23s.[8]
Wycombe Wanderers
editOn 20 November 2021, Al-Hamadi signed an eighteen-month contract with League One side Wycombe Wanderers, following a successful trial period at the club.[9]
Bromley (loan)
editOn 11 March 2022, Al-Hamadi joined National League side Bromley on loan until the end of the 2021–22 season.[10]
AFC Wimbledon
editOn 12 January 2023, Al-Hamadi completed a permanent transfer to League Two side AFC Wimbledon on a two-and-a-half-year deal.[11] He scored his first goal for Wimbledon on 18 February 2023 in a 2–2 draw with Hartlepool United.[12] In March 2023, he was awarded the EFL Young Player of the Month award.[13] On 30 September, Al-Hamadi converted a hat-trick against Tranmere Rovers, his former youth club, in a 4–1 win.[14] He was twice-awarded the PFA League Two Fans' Player of the Month award while at Wimbledon, earning the honours in March and September, 2023.[15][16]
Ipswich Town
editOn 29 January 2024, Al-Hamadi signed for then Championship club Ipswich Town for an undisclosed fee on a four-and-a-half-year contract.[17] He made his Ipswich debut on 3 February, in a 3–2 defeat to Preston North End.[18] On 14 February, he scored his first goal for the club, converting a penalty in stoppage time of a 4–0 away victory over Millwall.[19] He was a member of the team that achieved promotion to the Premier League that season, ending a 22-year absence from the top flight.[20]
On 17 August, Al-Hamadi was brought on as a substitute during Ipswich's first match of the 2024–25 season against Liverpool, becoming the first Iraqi footballer to play in the Premier League.[21]
International career
editYouth
editAl-Hamadi was eligible to play for both England and Iraq at international level and accepted a call-up to the Iraq U23 team in 2019, declaring for the country of his birth.
In late 2019, Al-Hamadi received and accepted an invitation from the Iraq under-23s to join them in their preparations for the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship. Ali made his debut for and scored his first goal in October 2019.[22] He was not included in the squad for the final tournament due to an injury he picked up at the training camp.[citation needed]
Senior
editAli received his first call-up to the senior national team in November 2021 as part of Iraq’s squad for their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South Korea and Syria, with Iraq’s first choice striker Mohanad Ali out injured and Alaa Abbas still regaining fitness after his injury.[23] Al-Hamadi was named in the starting line-up and made his debut on 11 November in a 1–1 draw against Syria before gaining his second cap in a 3–0 loss to South Korea on 16 November, playing the full match.[citation needed]
In December 2023, he was named in the 26-man squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.[24]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 31 August 2024[25]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Wycombe Wanderers | 2021–22 | League One | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2022–23 | League One | 9 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | 2[a] | 0 | 13 | 1 | ||
| Total | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 1 | ||
| Bromley (loan) | 2021–22 | National League | 10 | 3 | — | — | — | 10 | 3 | |||
| AFC Wimbledon | 2022–23 | League Two | 19 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 19 | 10 | |
| 2023–24 | League Two | 23 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 1 | 29 | 17 | |
| Total | 42 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 48 | 27 | ||
| Ipswich Town | 2023–24 | Championship | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 4 | |
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 4 | 1 | ||
| Total | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 78 | 30 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 89 | 36 | ||
- ^ a b Appearances in EFL Trophy
International
edit- As of match played 10 September 2024[26]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iraq | 2021 | 2 | 0 |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 6 | 3 | |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 14 | 3 | |
- Scores and results list Iraq's goal tally first.[26]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 September 2023 | 700th Anniversary Stadium, Chiang Mai, Thailand |  India |
1–1 | 2–2 (5–4 p) |
2023 King's Cup |
| 2 | 17 October 2023 | Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan |  Jordan |
2–1 | 2–2 (5–3 p) |
2023 Jordan International Tournament |
| 3 | 16 November 2023 | Basra International Stadium, Basra, Iraq |  Indonesia |
5–1 | 5–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
editBromley
Ipswich Town
- EFL Championship runner-up: 2023–24[28]
Individual
- EFL Young Player of the Month: March 2023[29]
- PFA League Two Fans Player of the Month: September,[30] November,[31] December 2023[32]
References
edit- ^ "Ali Al-Hamadi". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Ali Al-Hamadi". Premier League. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ^ a b c "From Saddam Hussein to Swansea City: Striker Ali Al-Hamadi's incredible journey". BBC Sport. 10 May 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- ^ "Realities of Ramadan". AFC Wimbledon. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ "Ali Al-Hamadi, I Must Keep Performing". Swansea City A.F.C. 15 December 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- ^ "Swansea City Reveal Retained List". Swansea City A.F.C. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ "Under23s Preview Charlton Athletic H". Derby County F.C. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ "Under23s Settle For A Draw In Premier League Cup Thriller At Norwich". Derby County F.C. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ "Ali Al-Hamadi signs for Wycombe". Bromley F.C. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
- ^ "Ali joins Bromley on loan". Wycombe Wanderers F.C. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
- ^ "Ali arrives! International forward signs". AFC Wimbledon. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "Wimbledon 2–2 Hartlepool". BBC Sport. 18 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
- ^ Cornell, Rob. "Ali targets more silverware". AFC Wimbledon. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ "AFC Wimbledon 4–1 Tranmere Rovers". BBC Sport. 30 September 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ "Ali rewarded for stunning start". AFC Wimbledon. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "Another one! Ali wins fan award". AFC Wimbledon. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "STRIKER AL-HAMADI SIGNS". Ipswich Town F.C. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "PRESTON 3 TOWN 2". Ipswich Town F.C. 3 February 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ "Ipswich thrash Millwall to reignite promotion bid". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ "Ipswich Town promoted to the Premier League after 22 years away". Sky News. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Al-Hamadi becomes first Iraqi to play in the Premier League". Premier League. 20 August 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ "The traumatic back story of Ali Al-Hamadi, the Swansea City starlet who has just done something special". WalesOnline. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- ^ "اعلان_قائمة_المنتخب_العراقي" (in Arabic). IQPro. 3 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ "شاهد: بطريقةٍ جديدةٍ.. مدربُ المنتخب الوطنيّ كاساس يعلنُ القائمةَ النهائية لكأسِ آسيا 2023 والمُؤلفة من 26 لاعباً" [Watch: National team coach Casas announces the final list for the 2023 Asian Cup, consisting of 26 players]. Twitter (in Arabic). Iraq Football Association. 27 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ^ Soccerbase, Soccerbase. "Ali Al-Hamadi Career Stats". Soccerbase. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Al-Hamadi, Ali". National Football Teams. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ^ "Bromley beat Wrexham to win FA Trophy". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ^ "We Are Premier League!". Ipswich Town F.C. 4 May 2024.
- ^ "One to watch: Ali Al-Hamadi". EFL. May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
- ^ "Another one! Ali wins fan award". AFC Wimbledon. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "PFA Announces Fans Player of the Month Award for November". www.thepfa.com. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
- ^ "PFA Fans Player of the Month, December". www.thepfa.com. 24 January 2024.
External links
edit- Profile at the Ipswich Town F.C. website
- Ali Al-Hamadi at Soccerway
