“At home, he is popular like a movie star.” The words are from Graham Arnold, Australia’s Iraq coach. They are addressed to his player Aymen Hussein (30 years old). It must be said that the captain of the Lions of Mesopotamia scored the goal which qualified his nation for the 2026 World Cup during the intercontinental play-offs in March and that he scored the only success for his team during the inaugural defeat against Norway (1-4).
“I am grateful for this goal, it means a lot,” Aymen Hussein explained to FIFA after the match. First of all because the captain has been dreaming of his team’s return to the World Cup for more than ten years. But also because his personal life was marked by numerous family dramas.
The one who was born near Hawija, a town particularly affected by the war, saw his family destroyed by terrorists. His father, an officer in the Iraqi army, was shot in the heart by Al-Qaeda in 2008.
It was then his brother who was captured by the Islamic State in 2014. Aymen Hussein managed to escape in time, but he has had no news of his brother since that date. He also no longer has the hope of finding him alive one day.
7 hours of interrogation upon arriving in the United States
For Aymen Hussein, this World Cup is akin to the realization of a childhood dream. Even if it started very badly since he was questioned for seven hours by the authorities upon his arrival on American soil. According to Iraqi media reports, he was confused with another national and treated “as if he were a terrorist”.
Another difficult ordeal that the captain left behind. “What matters is the spirit we demonstrate in representing Iraq on the international stage. We have to give everything,” he emphasizes.
This Monday (11 p.m.), the Lions of Mesopotamia will face France in Philadelphia. With a strong desire to create a surprise. And a regret for Aymen Hussein: the absence of his loved ones. “I always wished that my father and my brother were still alive to see what I accomplished,” he lamented to “Al-Jazeera”.
