It has been a week to remember for Ali Al Hamadi after the Iraqi forward scored a goal that helped move his country a step closer to next summer's World Cup finals.
Al Hamadi was perfectly placed to put his team in front after 11 minutes against the UAE in Abu Dhabi, and while the match finished 1-1, Iraq will feel confident going into Tuesday's second leg on home turf.
Al Hamadi could not be more emphatic when asked whether Iraq will win the game that will be played in front of 65,000 fans at Basra International Stadium.
“If I believed anything else, I might as well not play football,” he told The National. “Of course I believe we're going to get there.”
While the 23-year-old was made in Iraq, he was shaped in England after being raised in Toxteth, Liverpool, growing up a passionate supporter of the Anfield club.
“Steven Gerrard was my idol growing up … as people of Liverpool he just embodies everything that the city is about,” explained Al Hamadi. “My dad used to joke with me. I said, ‘Dad, I wish Steven Gerrard was my dad'. That’s how much I loved him when I was young.”
When he became the first Iraqi to play in the English Premier League in August 2024, for Ipswich Town against the club he had worshipped since childhood, it felt like fate had intervened as he took to the field in what was Arne Slot's first competitive game as Liverpool manager.
“I worked tirelessly all summer to just make that happen. For me, it would've been a dream to come on that pitch. And I did,” he said.
“If I could ever reach a level of euphoria of getting promoted from the Championship to the Premier League, like that feeling, I wish I could bottle it up and give it to people because it's such an amazing feeling, but it fades just as quick as it comes.”
Watch the full interview on YouTube
Al Hamadi's success is built on a determination he inherited from a father who once risked everything for the idea of a better Iraq.
Imprisoned for taking part in a peaceful protest against Saddam Hussein, his father fled his homeland and rebuilt his family’s life in England, driven by the hope of offering his son the opportunities he had been denied.
“Growing up in not amazing circumstances, football was my escape,” said Al Hamadi, who is now on loan at English third-tier side Luton Town. “Football was always the thing that I just loved doing. You felt like you just forgot about everything.”
Becoming a footballer meant persuading Arab parents who typically always prioritise security, having experienced too many trials and tribulations of their own.
“[They] took a lot of convincing, obviously, because I was quite academic as well in school, and that's why people come over here, especially Iraqi, Middle Eastern parents,” Al Hamadi said.
“They want their kids to be academic and [get a] good education and degrees in university. I had never wanted to do that. I just wanted to play football.”
Driven to repay his family's trust
At 16, he made his father a promise. “I had a few tough conversations with my dad to allow me to go into full-time football and he was just a good man because not many dads would have, with his journey, took that risk or gamble,” he said. “But I made them a promise that I'm going to make it as a footballer. I had so much belief that I was going to do it.
“I knew I had the level of unbelievable desire and drive and hunger because of the circumstances we grew up in. I just felt like I had such a sense of responsibility because of what my family sacrificed for me.
“In a twisted way, not to sound a bit weird, but I was like, 'I'll kill to achieve the dream'. Whoever's in front of me, I'm going to knock them out the way. When I'm on the pitch, I'm not friends with the people I'm playing against. I want you to come off the pitch thinking that I was tough to play against.”
Al Hamadi started gaining attention at fourth-tier AFC Wimbledon, where he was awarded the EFL Young Player of the Month award in March 2023.
Premier League dreams
After earning a move to Ipswich, he helped the club win promotion to the top-flight.
“We were flying and on the verge of getting promoted to the Premier League, and I felt like I played a big part in that, scored goals, came off the bench, had a lot of impact and helped the team get promoted.”
Becoming the first Iraqi to reach the Premier League, he says, carried a wider meaning. “I think it's for kids back home in Iraq to see that somebody's done that finally.”
Unfortunately for Al Hamadi, injury struck at the worst possible time, robbing him of a proper preseason and the chance to prepare properly for the Premier League.
“I actually had a really heavy groin surgery the summer before and I was really just fighting through the whole of the summer to get fit for the first game of the season, which was against Liverpool … I wasn't fit at all. The Premier League is the most intense, most physical league by far.”
He found himself behind Liam Delap, his friend and rival. “He’s an amazing player, amazing guy. He’s a good friend and obviously that would have been my direct competition. I started to get a bit of criticism, probably for the first time in my career. When you're in the Premier League, and especially being in Ipswich, which is a small town, it's hard to get away from it.”
Reaching the Premier League is the ambition every footballer aspires to, but the reality of it can be harsh. The scrutiny, the burden of expectation and the relentless social media circus can be daunting. Al Hamadi has slowly learnt how to detach.
“I've had to have conversations with my family, my close people, to never mention anything about social media to me because it's just irrelevant,” he said.
“I don't care what people think about me. What got me to this point wasn’t caring about that. I’ve done it because I’m hungry, because I want to succeed, because I just love football.”
Highs and lows with Iraq
It becomes much harder to detach when the tough times arrive, and a red card playing for Iraq against South Korea when playing a crucial World Cup qualifier in Basra, left Al Hamadi devastated.
“I felt like I’d hit the lowest point I’ve ever been. I was so disappointed and frustrated because I felt like I’d let my teammates down,” he admitted.
“It was a big World Cup qualifying game, and I felt I’d let the fans down too. My family was watching, and my mum and dad get really affected when things don’t go well, especially when it’s for Iraq.”
His crucial strike against the UAE has hopefully helped rewrite that story and means Al Hamadi now has four goals in 15 caps.
Last summer, Al Hamadi was on the verge of joining Toulouse in France before Ipswich blocked the move. Then, injured and with only two days left in the transfer window, he was told he could leave. “I had two days to find a club while I had a 12-week injury. I don’t know in what world that’s easy for anyone,” he said.
It is a situation that clearly still rankles. “We’re talking about people, and people in football are just treated as assets,” he added. “A club can get rid of you at any moment. But when a player does it the other way round, all of a sudden they’re the villain.”
“Luckily Luton were amazing. They were willing to take me while I was injured. They had so much belief in what I could do. People say, why have you gone to League One after the Premier League? You’re not bigger than any league. It’s just the journey came together with Luton at this time.”
Hatters manager Matt Bloomfield had been key to getting Al Hamadi on board but after a string of poor results, he was sacked and replaced by former Arsenal and England midfielder Jack Wilshere, in what is his first full-time managerial role.
“Jack has come in with an amazing career and calibre,” said Al Hamadi of the man who won 34 England caps and played close to 200 games in the Premier League.
“He’s obviously going to grow through it and I’m looking forward to working with him because I feel like he can elevate me and a lot of the guys.”
Ali is adamant that he will return to the Premier League one day, even if he is under no illusions about how high the cost of success can be. “Success doesn't translate to peace or fulfilment in your life,” he said. “I love football. I love striving for excellence and trying to achieve that every day.”
