Aymen Hussein Ghadhban ( ar, أيمن حسين; born 21 January 1996) is an Iraqi professional footballer who plays as a
striker for
Qatar Stars League club
Al-Markhiya and the
Iraqi national team.
Club career
In 2009, Aymen was spotted as a gifted teenager with his local team and it was because of a local resident who was also a board member at the
Al-Alam SC who recommended the player to his club. He played for youth Al-Alam in the provincial league, and for the first team and then moved to
Tuz FC, and with no club from
Kirkuk in the top divisions in the Iraqi league, Aymen took the unorthodox route in his attempts into getting into a top flight of the
Iraqi Premier League
The Iraqi Premier League ( ar, الدوري العراقي الممتاز) is the top level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it is operated by the Iraq Football Association (IFA) and operates on a system of promotion ...
by signing for
Gas Al-Shamal a club which was then in the second tier of the Kurdistan League, a division formed of primarily reserve players from the top Kurdish clubs.
At the end of the season 2012–13, Aymen was offered the opportunity to play in the
Iraqi Premier League
The Iraqi Premier League ( ar, الدوري العراقي الممتاز) is the top level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it is operated by the Iraq Football Association (IFA) and operates on a system of promotion ...
for the first time when he was contacted by the assistant coach of Duhok,
Khalid Mohammed Sabbar and was offered a lucrative contract to play for the club which Aymen said he agreed to immediately amid “great joy” working under the former Iraq captain and the two renowned coaches Syrian
Fajr Ibrahim and
Thair Ahmed during his spell with
Duhok.
He appeared only a few times for
Duhok scoring one goals in the first stage of the season, however with salaries going unpaid for months at the cash-strapped club feeling the full ramifications of the financial crisis which had hit the Kurdistan region, Aymen made the decision to try his luck in Baghdad. He had been one of six players at Duhok released due to their financial troubles during the latter part of the 2014.
Al Naft
Aymen transferred to
Al-Naft in winter 2015. His breakthrough season came in the 2016–17 season for Al Naft where he scored 12 goals in 10 games launching Al Naft to the top of the league, before an injury prevented him sidelined all the way from February till May. Al Naft continued on their impressive set of results and ended up finishing as the league runners up, which is their best ever result.
Al Shorta
On 22 August 2017, Hussein signed for Iraqi giants
Al Shorta
Al-Shorta Sports Club ( ar, نادي الشرطة الرياضي, lit=''Police Sports Club'') is an Iraqi sports club based in Al-Rusafa, Baghdad. It has teams in 17 different sports, more than any other Iraqi club, and the best known sectio ...
. to replace
Marwan Hussein
Marwan Hussein ( ar, مروان حسين, born 26 January 1992 in Baghdad, Iraq) is an Iraqi footballer as a centre forward, who plays for Al-Talaba in the Iraqi Premier League and the Iraq national team.
Club career
Al Zawraa
Marwan began hi ...
. He made his debut on 21 November, scoring in the matchday one fixture against
Karbalaa FC
Karbala Sport Club is an Iraqi football club based in Karbala that plays in the Iraqi Premier League, the top tier of Iraqi football.
SWAT Incident
On June 23, 2013, after a match against Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, seven football players of Karbala FC a ...
. He scored twice in his second game, a 4–1 win over
Al-Bahri, he then scored in two more games, to extend his scoring record to four games in a row. On the fifth game, Aymen missed a last-minute penalty to end his goal-scoring streak. Aymen would then leave the Al-Shorta camp to join the Iraqi U-23 side in the
2018 AFC U-23 Championship
The 2018 AFC U-23 Championship (also known as the 2018 AFC U-23 Asian Cup) was the third edition of the AFC U-23 Championship, the biennial international age-restricted football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) fo ...
in China. After his return he leave the Al Shorta.
Return to Al Naft
On 2 February 2018, he returned to his former club Al-Naft with his favorite coach Hassan Ahmed Aymen started his first match with Al Naft against
Al-Hudood FC
Al-Hudood Sports Club ( ar, نادي الحدود الرياضي, lit=''The Borders Sports Club'') is an Iraqi sports club based in Falastin Street, East Districts of the Tigris River, Baghdad. It has teams in various sports including football, b ...
, he missed a penalty. and another against
Naft Al-Wasat
Naft Al-Wasat Sports Club ( ar, نادي نفط الوسط الرياضي, lit=''Midland Oil'') is an Iraqi sports club based in Najaf, Iraq. Its professional football team plays in the Iraqi Premier League, the top tier of Iraqi football. The c ...
. After five games he scored goal against
Al-Talaba in the 1–0 victory in April and continued to score. He finished his season with Al Naft with 11 goals in 22 matches in the league. The team finished in 3rd position. he was released from Al-Naft after the game against
CS Sfaxien
Club Sportif Sfaxien ( ar, النادي الرياضي الصفاقسي) is a Tunisian professional association football club founded in 1928.
History
The club was founded in 1928 as ''Club Tunisien'', playing in green and red stripes. The tea ...
1–1. because of disagreements.
CS Sfaxien
On 15 September 2018, Tunisian club
Sfaxien announced on the last day of the summer
transfer window
A transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other playing staff into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer wi ...
the signing of Aymen.
Umm Salal
In the summer 2021, Aymen joined
Umm Salal
Umm Salal (; also spelled Umm Slal) is a municipality in the State of Qatar.
It contains several historic places, such as Barzan Tower. The municipal headquarters Umm Salal is located in Umm Salal Ali, about 10 km from the coast and 15  ...
in Qatar.
International career
Aymen first represented Iraq in 2015, playing for the U23 Iraqi team. He was called up to the
2016 AFC U-23 Asian cup in
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
. He scored the winning goal in the third-place playoff match which won Iraq the bronze medal and sent them to the
2016 Rio Olympic Games,
Aymen was injured in a friendly match against Syria, preventing him from going to the Olympics.
The following year, Aymen was present at the
2018 AFC U-23 Championship qualification
The 2018 AFC U-23 Championship qualification was an international men's under-23 football competition which decided the participating teams of the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship.
A total of 16 teams qualified to play in the final tournament, includi ...
, he scored 5 goals in the first match against Afghanistan. He also scored another goal against Saudi Arabia, to ensure that Iraq won all three games and qualified for the
2018 AFC U-23 Championship
The 2018 AFC U-23 Championship (also known as the 2018 AFC U-23 Asian Cup) was the third edition of the AFC U-23 Championship, the biennial international age-restricted football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) fo ...
. Aymen scored twice in three games in the tournament, as Iraq went out in the quarter-finals.
On 26 August 2015, Aymen earned his first international cap, playing against
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
in a friendly match. He scored his first goal against the UAE on September 5, 2017, in a world cup qualifying match. He was called up to the
23rd Arabian Gulf Cup
The 23rd Arabian Gulf Cup ( ar, كأس الخليج العربي) was the 23rd edition of the biennial football competition for the eight members of the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation. It took place in Kuwait from 22 December 2017 until ...
, where Iraq ended up reaching the semi-finals.
International goals
:''Scores and results list Iraq's goal tally first.''
Style of play
Aymen is seen as the typical complete forward who can play up front. Not seen as the most versatile, but he is a natural goalscorer. While other strikers such as
Mohanad Ali
Mohanad Ali Kadhim Al-Shammari ( ar, مهند علي كاظم الشمري, born 20 June 2000), commonly known in Iraq as Mimi ( ar, ميمي), is an Iraqi professional footballer who plays as a forward for Qatari club Al-Sailiya, on loan from ...
score many goals, they are a different types of striker to Aymen, who is good in and around the box in the air and on the ground. He has a powerful right foot. He is also known for his large stature, physical strength and diligence. Since 2015, he is seen as the best heir to former international striker
Younis Mahmoud
Younis Mahmoud Khalaf ( ar, يونس محمود خلف; born 3 February 1983) is an Iraqi former professional footballer who played as a forward for the Iraq national football team and is currently the second vice-president of the Iraq Footbal ...
.
Personal life
Aymen was born 1996
in the rural village of Al-Safra in the Al-Riyadh sub-district in south-western part of
Kirkuk, the village was situated in the turbulent district of
Hawija, which had been controlled by
ISIS
Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...
and has been the scene of coalition airstrikes from 2014 to 2017. Insurgents have frequently targeted oil pipelines in the village since the fall of
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutio ...
in 2003, with daily car bombs and improvised explosive device (IED) blasts a normal part of life for the Aymen. His father, an officer in the
Iraqi Army, was murdered on duty by an
Al Qaeda terrorist attack
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
in 2008,
His mother and brothers Asser and Laith were internally displaced in the city of Kirkuk. his brother was kidnapped by ISIS and his whereabouts are still unknown,
and the player and his family became
Internally displaced
An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee.
A ...
within Iraq. His mother and brothers Asser and Laith were internally displaced in the city of Kirkuk in 2014.
Honours
Club
CS Sfaxien
*
Tunisian Cup
The Tunisian Cup , officially named the President's Cup, is the official competition of the Cup in Tunisian football and is considered the second most important local title after the Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1. The first cup competition was h ...
:
2018-19
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
*
Iraqi Premier League
The Iraqi Premier League ( ar, الدوري العراقي الممتاز) is the top level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it is operated by the Iraq Football Association (IFA) and operates on a system of promotion ...
:
2020–21
*
Iraq FA Cup
The Iraq FA Cup, known as the Iraq Cup ( ar, كأس العراق) in Arabic, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Iraqi football. First held in the 1948–49 season for clubs and institutions before returning in 1975–76 ...
:
2020–21
International
Iraq
*
Arabian Gulf Cup:
2023
Events
Predicted and scheduled events
* January 1
** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law.
** Croatia will adopt the eu ...
Individual
*
Iraqi Premier League
The Iraqi Premier League ( ar, الدوري العراقي الممتاز) is the top level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it is operated by the Iraq Football Association (IFA) and operates on a system of promotion ...
top scorer:
2020–21 (22 goals)
*
Arabian Gulf Cup joint top scorer:
2023
Events
Predicted and scheduled events
* January 1
** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law.
** Croatia will adopt the eu ...
(3 goals)
References
External links
*
*
Aymen Husseinat CS Sfaxien
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hussein, Aymen
1996 births
Living people
People from Kirkuk Governorate
Iraqi footballers
Iraq international footballers
Association football forwards
Duhok SC players
Al-Shorta SC players
CS Sfaxien players
Umm Salal SC players
Al-Markhiya SC players
Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 players
Qatar Stars League players
Expatriate footballers in Tunisia
Expatriate footballers in Qatar
Iraqi expatriate sportspeople in Qatar
Iraqi expatriate footballers
2019 AFC Asian Cup players