Aymen Hussein leads Iraq back to World Cup after family tragedy
The Iraq striker scored the goal that ended a 40-year World Cup absence after years marked by the killing of his father and the kidnapping of his brother.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Aymen Hussein is set for his first World Cup after scoring the goal that sent Iraq to the tournament for the first time in 40 years. Al Jazeera reported that the centre-forward’s decisive strike came against Bolivia in Mexico during qualifying.
For Iraq, the goal ended a wait dating to 1986. For Hussein, it marked the latest point in a career shaped by family loss, displacement pressures and a rise through Iraqi club football.
Hussein told Al Jazeera he was 12 when his father was killed while buying supplies for a family home under construction. He said his father, an Iraqi army soldier, was shot dead in 2008 during a period when al-Qaeda controlled Kirkuk and nearby areas.
Hussein was born in 1996 in al-Safra, a village in al-Hawija district in north-central Iraq, according to Al Jazeera. His family farmed and raised sheep.
After his father’s death, Hussein said he considered leaving football to help support his relatives. He told Al Jazeera that his mother urged him to keep playing because it was his dream.
The family later faced another loss. Hussein said his older brother, who had joined the Iraqi army after their father was killed, was kidnapped during the period when ISIL controlled the area. He told Al Jazeera the family has had no word from him since.
Rise through Iraqi football
Al Jazeera reported that Hussein’s club career changed direction in 2012, when Dohuk, a club in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, signed him. Hussein said the deal was worth 18 million Iraqi dinars, with a monthly salary of 1.2 million dinars.
Hussein told Al Jazeera he would have played for Dohuk without pay because joining a team with national-team players meant so much to him at the time. He later moved to Baghdad and played for Iraq Stars League clubs including Al-Shorta, Al-Talaba and Al-Zawraa, becoming the league’s top scorer, according to Al Jazeera.
Most recently, Al Jazeera reported, Hussein had been with Qatar’s Al Khor before returning to Iraq to join Al Karma. The report said his contract was worth a reported $1 million, making him Iraq’s most expensive footballer.
Hussein has also delivered in major regional and Olympic qualifying matches. Al Jazeera reported that he scored in extra time against Qatar in 2016 to help Iraq reach the Rio Olympics, finished as top scorer at the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup in 2023 and scored in Iraq’s 2-1 win over Indonesia in 2024 that secured qualification for the Paris Olympics.
Expectations at the World Cup
Iraq, known as the Lions of Mesopotamia, has been drawn in Group 9 with France, Senegal and Norway, according to Al Jazeera. The team’s return has raised expectations around Hussein’s role in attack.
Iraq goalkeeper and vice-captain Jalal Hassan told Al Jazeera that Hussein’s record has made him a leading figure in Iraqi and Arab football. Former Iraq captain Hussein Saeed, the national team’s all-time top scorer with 78 goals, told Al Jazeera he hopes Hussein can help Iraq advance beyond the group stage.
Iraqi football journalist Zaid Alsaraj told Al Jazeera he wants Hussein and the rest of the squad to be ready mentally, physically and technically for the tournament. Hussein said he hopes Iraqi supporters can attend, though fan Saif Al-Bayati told Al Jazeera that visas and costs could keep many away.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.