HENRY WINTER | ALI AL-HAMADI INTERVIEW

Meet ‘tough as nails’ Ipswich striker who escaped Saddam Hussein

Ali Al-Hamadi tells Henry Winter that his superpower is his belief after being forced to flee Iraq as a child and growing up as a Muslim in Liverpool

Al-Hamadi celebrates scoring in Ipswich’s 6-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday before the international break. He has four goals in his past seven Championship matches
Al-Hamadi celebrates scoring in Ipswich’s 6-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday before the international break. He has four goals in his past seven Championship matches
JOHN WALTON/PA
Henry Winter
, Chief Football Writer
The Times

‘On the day of judgment, God isn’t going to judge me on how many goals I scored,” Ipswich Town’s Ali Al-Hamadi reflects. “He’s going to judge me on how I treated my neighbour and how I treated the person in front of me. It’s more important to me to be remembered as a good person than a good player.”

The remarkable Al-Hamadi is sitting at Ipswich’s training ground, just past the huge sign bearing the team’s mission statement: “Run towards adversity”. He’s reflecting on overcoming adversity, on being made in the EFL via Tranmere Rovers, Swansea City, Wycombe Wanderers, delivering at AFC Wimbledon, and now finding a welcoming home at Kieran McKenna’s ambitious Ipswich. He is also reflecting on his relationship with Allah, on escaping