It’s a blistering hot summer’s day when we pull up to Ali Al-Hamadi’s place in Ipswich. “Does anyone want something to drink or eat?” he asks whilst handing out ice-cold bottles of water. This is our first time meeting Ali and we’re bowled over by how warm his personality is.

But it becomes clear quite quickly that welcoming people into his home is something he takes pride in. He wants his guests to feel at ease in his company, and he achieves just that. We each take our shoes off before heading into the living room where we’re greeted by Ali’s mum, who’s been visiting her eldest son for the past week from Liverpool. She asks us again, “are you sure you don’t want anything to drink or eat? You’ve had a long journey!” before looking at the clothes we’ve laid out for Ali. The Comme des Garçons mack and RifeandStride leather jacket both catch her eye. “You’re gonna be hot in those Ali!” she laughs as we explain how excited we are to speak with one of the most exciting prospects in the Premier League this season, her son. 

In the space of seven months, Ali’s gone from League Two to the Premier League, playing a pivotal role in helping the Tractor Boys secure promotion to the topflight of English football for the first time in 22 years. He signed for the Suffolk side in January, after making his mark with AFC Wimbledon where he scored 17 goals in 29 appearances for The Dons. Moving halfway through the season is never easy, but moving to a club that’s vying for a place in domestic football’s most competitive league was a challenge Ali relished. We quickly come to learn that Ali isn’t someone who hides from hard work, though. In fact, he’s someone who understands just how difficult it is to reach football’s pinnacle, and welcomes any obstacle that’s put in front of him – an attitude he’s worked at since a young age. 

At one-years-old Ali and his family left Iraq to start a new life in the UK. Arriving in Toxteth, Liverpool having fled the Iraq War. And as much as Ali is a proud Iraqi, he is also a proud Liverpudlian. It was on the city’s streets where he first learned to kick a ball and fall in love with Liverpool FC. A club he made his Premier League debut against at the weekend, becoming the first Iraqi player to play in league history. 

We sat down with the 22-year-old to talk about his journey to the top - something he acknowledges he’s just at the beginning of in many ways - the importance of representation in football for the Arab community and the realities of pursuing a career as a professional footballer.

‍VERSUS: How’s your summer been? How are you feeling right now at this moment in time?

Ali Al-Hamadi: The summer has been amazing. It started off with pure euphoria from the promotion – it was all a blur in the moment when we won! But every time I think about it now, I remember something new. From where I was at the beginning of the year, to go on and achieve that, it was truly special. And although it’s obviously been great for that reason, the summer’s also been quite challenging at the same time. I had an injury towards the end of the season that I was playing on, so I had surgery for that quite recently. It gave me a lot of family time and a period of self-reflection, which was good. Towards the end of a campaign, because you’ve been so focused on achievements and performances, you often lose connection with yourself. All in all, I now feel refreshed and ready to go again.

What does being part of a team that’s just been promoted to the Premier League mean to you after the journey you’ve been on?

It’s mad, honestly. When I joined Ipswich in January, I knew there was a chance that promotion could happen. To say I had a helping hand and played my part in a promotion to the Premier League is unbelievably special to me. The winner in me obviously wishes I could have played more, or had a greater impact, but I made the most out of every opportunity on the pitch. I’m of course proud of the achievement but I don’t want to focus solely on it. Promotion to the Premier League has been checked off the list, but there is so much more to achieve going forward.

It’s always easy to celebrate the highs but they’re made all the more worthwhile because of the obstacles we have to overcome. What would you say are some of the lessons you’ve learned as a result of pushing through tough moments?

In your tough times, you fall back on the morals and lessons that you were taught growing up by your parents. My religion is central to that. It’s the acceptance that I am not going to be perfect – nobody can fire on all cylinders all the time, and that is okay. The two things that have helped me most have definitely been prayer and hard work.

The toughest situation I’ve faced so far was after I left Swansea at the end of the 2020-21 season. I was struggling to get chances to play first team football there and I felt I needed to move on to keep developing and improving. It was a gamble to turn down a new contract, especially as we were in the height of the pandemic and it was unprecedented period for football transfers. A move to Nottingham Forest didn’t materialise, and I was without a club, an income, or a permanent place to stay. I had to borrow money from friends to get by and sleep on people’s sofas during that transition period.

The reality is that many players share similar stories to mine, ones of serious trials and tribulations when trying to get to the top. But during those times, I just tried to keep my head down, pray and hope that it would all work out. My family held me down with that, too. It was about holding onto the belief: what God wants for me will come to pass. I’ve always had this belief within me, that I would reach the heights I set out to achieve. Whether it’s playing in the Premier League or reaching the World Cup with Iraq. All of that though, comes with prayer and hard work.

Everyone’s footballing journey is different but yours is truly one-of-a-kind. From fleeing war-torn Iraq as a one-year-old to growing up in Toxteth, Liverpool, and helping Ipswich return to the Prem after 22 years. How have those experiences helped shape you as a person and player?

We choose how our experiences shape us. I know many people who had similar stories to mine but went down a different pathway. Growing up in Toxteth, you see it. Until this day, I go back and see people still doing the things they did when they were young. For me, it’s about using my experiences in the right way. I really want to use my story to inspire people about what is possible. I know there are many Iraqi people out there who feel underrepresented or unseen because there are not many of us within sports or other industries within the UK – or even worldwide. I want to be a flag bearer for our community, and hopefully by using football and other avenues, I’ll be able to do that.

What do you think needs to be done so there are more opportunities for Iraqi players?

I feel as if Arabs are overlooked in terms of football within the UK. VERSUS does an amazing job at profiling people from the region, and Muslim players on a larger scale, but so much more needs to be done. Underrepresentation is a real thing. That is why I try so hard to keep pushing. Myself and Zidane Iqbal have a really good relationship. He is Pakistani and Iraqi, whereas my heritage is solely Iraqi. Both of our journeys are hopefully showing what can be done. But hopefully by me sharing my story with you today, it can aid people in realising there are more of us out there.

What are some of the realities of being a footballer that you’d like for fans and young players to know?

The lifestyle can be very monotonous and that is the hardest part, I think.

For me, my life is: wake up, pray, train, eat and sleep. In summer, you may get a little break during the holidays but then it’s back to it. Financially, you’re in a privileged position as a footballer but you can’t simply do anything you want to. That is the moment where things can change quickly. I’ve seen so many players have ‘a moment’ and they are not seen again.

To be a professional footballer, you have to be all in. Every single part of you has to be committed to making this work. That means sacrifices, that means doing boring things. I have been away from my family since I was 16-years-old. I’ve missed my younger siblings growing up, and I think about that sometimes – which is why when I’m with them I make sure I am fully present. This isn’t me sitting here and saying “my life is terrible!” because it’s not. I am grateful, but there are so many things that are unseen that are very hard for footballers to navigate at times.

Let’s talk about fashion. It’s become a core part of football. Has your style developed over the years, how would you describe it and what does fashion mean to you?

My personal style is one that prioritises comfort. I focus on how I’m feeling when I’m wearing it. I like the feeling of materials and textures, when you can feel something has been well-made and a lot of love has gone into it. But I don’t ever want to be the loudest person in the room.  As I have become more in-tune with my faith, the more I’ve understood the idea that less is more. I want people to appreciate what I am wearing but I purposefully make sure it’s done in the right way. I want people to look at me and go, “ah that’s nice, that’s super clean”.

It’s important you relish this achievement but what’s next for Ali Al-Hamadi?

What's next for me is being back to 100% fitness, first and foremost. I think health is the most important thing and I don't want a season full of playing through pain and injuries. So although I made my debut and it's been nice to get minutes in, I'm still working towards full fitness, full sharpness. I'm just going to take it game by game and work towards that. I’m not thinking too far ahead to be honest, just taking it one step at a time. The next match is against Manchester City, whatever game is after that...etc. It's about maximising my efficiency and potential for every single fixture and seeing where that takes me. Not one specific goal or target, more of a general direction I'm heading towards.

Photography: Carina Lammers

Assist: Michael Rankin

Styling: Roma Mitchell 

Creative Direction: Morgan Allan 

Interview: Mayowa Quadri

Production: Amie Cripps

You mentioned playing injured during last season. How did you push through that mental and physical barrier?

To be honest with you, it was dark at times. I was coming home and crying, I have no shame admitting that now. I tried to hide it from my family at the time. Coming from an Arab culture, we don’t particularly show that side of us, it’s just how we have grown up. I found myself praying to be healed and really tapping into my spirituality. The thing that really kept me going though, was the prize at the end of the long road of recovery. Focusing on that and knowing it could all be for something much greater.

Looking back, I think that whole journey has made me more resilient. It was hard though. Sometimes you find yourself not being able to move as freely in training or in games even though you are trying. The thing is, fans don’t know that. They are just seeing the performances. So you are then facing questions about that even though you are trying your very best.

You’re only 22-years-old and have achieved so much already! Do you ever feel tired or under pressure to achieve more?

Social media presents a lot of pressure. There are positives but also a lot of negatives. Young players are built up to be superstars and everyone has an opinion on them. You get tagged in everything and everyone thinks they have the right to say something – not always nice either. I have had to cut a lot of that out and it takes a lot to do so because, naturally, you want to see what people are saying about you.

Recently in the physio room, a few of the boys were discussing what super power we would want if we could choose and so many said the ability to read people’s minds. I can’t think of anything worse! It’s hard enough being in your own head let alone anyone else’s. A lot of the pressure I have faced has been from others, but if I focus on myself, that’s enough pressure.

You’ve just made history as the first-ever Iraqi to play in the Premier League. What does it mean to you?

It means the world to me and my family. Obviously, people are aware of my story and how I've got to this point, so to do it in front of my family and friends, against my hometown club, it couldn't have been any more perfect, to be honest. It would have been nice to score, but I don't want to be too greedy. As I've alluded to before, it's one of my main ambitions to be a role model and a flag bearer for Iraq and Iraqi football. So to be able to finally have that accolade, hopefully it will inspire many young boys and girls to go and achieve something similar themselves. So yeah, that's for the first one.

‍When we first spoke, you talked passionately about wanting to be a source of inspiration for others, especially for young people. Why is that so important to you?

Bro, you just have to. When you die, you can’t take anything with you. Yeah, you might be in the history books, but you can’t take your medals, trophies or money. No material position can come with you. In 100 years, I will be forgotten. All you can leave behind is what impact you have on people. Being selfless is a hard concept for many to grasp. Yes, you have to do things for yourself in order to get places, but to be selfless, that’s how you achieve more.

You can’t actually achieve anything by yourself. You need others. So why not give back to others whilst you still can?