Full name Ali Husni Faisal 0000–2012 Al-Mina'a Place of birth Iraq Basra Name Ali Hosni | Playing position Role Footballer Number 8 | |
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Date of birth (1994-10-01) 1 October 1994 (age 21) Current teams Al-Mina'a SC (Midfielder), Iraq national football team (Midfielder) | ||
Ali Husni Faisal (Arabic: علي حصني فيصل) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or winger for Iraqi Premier League club Al-Minaa and the Iraqi national team. He is known for his pace and creativity. He is very good going forward and scores and assists plenty of goals with both feet. He played at the 2016 Rio Olympics for Iraq and impressed despite Iraq being knocked out in the group stages. In 2016 he signed for Turkish club Caykur Rizespor before personal issues caused the contract to be terminated and he returned to his boyhood club Al-Minaa.
Contents
- Al Minaa
- Failed transfer to aykur Rizespor
- Al Arabi
- Return to Al Minaa
- Iraq National Team
- Iraq Under 23
- Iraq national team goals
- International
- References
Al Minaa
Ali started his career at his hometown club Al-Minaa, the biggest club in the city of Basra. He was part of the club's academy and broke into the first team in 2012. He quickly established himself becoming a fan favourite and an important part of the club. He was the club's star player and scored and assisted in most matches. He played most of his games on the right midfield where he scored 17 goals in 85 league appearances over a span of 5 years. He has also played on the left wing and down the middle as an attacking midfielder.
Failed transfer to Çaykur Rizespor
Ali was announced by Turkish top flight club Caykur Rizespor ahead of the 2016/17 Super Lig Season. A few weeks after signing the contract, however, his deal was terminated due to personal reasons and disagreements over promises which were broken by the club. After his contract was terminated, he returned to Al-Minaa.
Al Arabi
Ali signed for Kuwaiti side Al Arabi on a 6 month deal on January 26, 2017. This made him the first Iraqi to play in Kuwait since 1991. He made his debut on February 2, 2017 in an Emir cup match Vs Al-Salmiya as a first half substitute, coming on the field in the 41st minute. He assisted the only goal scored by his team as the match ended 1-1. He made 15 league appearances over the coming months and once again won the fans over and established himself as a fan favourite.
Return to Al Minaa
Ali returned on August 20, 2017, having received his clearance to play hours before the match. Ali came on as a second half substitute in the second half of the Iraqi FA Cup semifinals against Naft Al Wasat, and he scored on the 68th minute.
Iraq National Team
He made his senior international debut in a friendly match against North Korea national football team on 21 February 2014. Radhi Shenaishil, the Iraqi manager at the time, called Ali up as part of the squad for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. Iraq eventually finished fourth in the tournament. Ali scored his first ever international goal against Chinese Taipei in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.
Iraq Under-23
Ali was instrumental in Iraq winning the Bronze medal in the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship and their subsequent qualification to the 2016 Rio Olympics. Ali scored 2 goals in the U-23 Championship, including the equalizer against the UAE in the quarterfinal which took Iraq to extra time and gave them a 3-1 win. He also got an assist, and positive attacking play made him one of the stars of the tournament.