Ali al-Hamadi has overcome war, hardship and racism to become Iraq’s leading hope as they try to keep their FIFA World Cup campaign alive.
The 24-year-old striker will look to use the resilience built through his difficult upbringing when Iraq face Senegal in their final Group I match on Friday.
Al-Hamadi became the first Iraqi player to appear in the Premier League when he played for Ipswich in August 2024. He nearly scored against France in Iraq’s 3-0 defeat earlier in the tournament, but the disappointment on the pitch was minor compared to the challenges he had already faced in life.
“I’ve been through loads of adversity,” he told the Guardian in 2023.
His father Ibrahim opposed then Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and was imprisoned and tortured. During the second Gulf War in 2003, Ali, who was just one year old, was taken by his mother Asseel to Jordan for safety.
“(My father) was an activist and part of a peaceful protest against the dictatorship within the nation,” al-Hamadi told the Swansea website in 2019.
“One day, he and other members of the group were raided and taken to prison.
“From there, they wrote to the Iraqi embassy in the UK explaining the situation and were subsequently released and ended up coming here.”
After his father settled in England, the rest of the family joined him. Although they had escaped the violence in Iraq, life remained difficult in Toxteth, Liverpool.
“Some days we did not really have anything to eat, but my dad would bring as much as he could for us,” he recalled.
“It was always tough but I have happy memories because, regardless, my parents always tried to provide as much as they could for me.”
Life outside the family home was also challenging.
“I was racially abused in school and got into a lot of fights,” he told TheAsianGame.net in 2023.
“In football too, during some academy games, I got called certain hurtful names.
“You just smile, be polite and stand up for yourself. I have accepted that I can’t change other people’s perceptions.
“Instead, I’ve always focused on how I can help myself and control my path.”
Al-Hamadi also admitted he came close to taking the wrong path while growing up.
“Around Toxteth, a lot of people get caught up in drugs and violence,” he told the Swansea website.
“There were times when I nearly dropped into it because of hanging around the wrong people, but I came through it.”
Instead, football became his escape.
“I used to go out on the streets all the time and put two jumpers down as goalposts. It was always an escape from what was happening in the local area,” he said.
His decision has paid off. He scored a memorable goal in Iraq’s 2-1 World Cup play-off win over Bolivia.
A goal against Senegal would strengthen his chances of earning another opportunity in the Premier League with Ipswich next season. He is currently on loan at third-tier club Luton.
Whatever happens next, Al-Hamadi says the sacrifices made by his family continue to drive him.
“I feel like it’s a special part of me that gives me an edge, a bit more hunger and a lot more perspective on things because of the sacrifices my family had to make,” he said.
“I always have that in the back of my mind.”
