Ali Sulieman

Ali Sulieman Salih (born 1 January 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ethiopian Premier League club Hawassa City. Born in Saudi Arabia, he represents the Eritrea national team.

Ali Sulieman
Personal information
Full name Ali Suleiman Salih
Date of birth (2000-01-01) 1 January 2000
Place of birth Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Hawassa City
Number 23
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2021 Red Sea
2021–2022 Bahir Dar Kenema 26 (5)
2022– Hawassa City 29 (6)
International career‡
2019– Eritrea 9 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 July 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 January 2020

Early life

Sulieman was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Eritrean parents who fled the country. The family returned to Eritrea when Sulieman was four months old.[1]

Club career

Domestically Sulieman played for Red Sea FC of the Eritrean Premier League.[2] He was spotted by the club at age 16 when he was competing in a zonal tournament in Asmara. He joined the club which was competing with at least three others to sign the striker. He was top scorer in the Premier League two times.[1]

Bahir Dar Kenema

In July 2021 he joined Ethiopian Premier League club Bahir Dar Kenema on a two-year deal, becoming the second Eritrean player in the league, along with Robel Teklemichael.[3] The player was spotted by the club in Eritrea's matches against Ethiopia in the 2021 CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup held in Bahir Dar.[4][5] Sulieman made his competitive debut for the club on 27 September 2021 in a 3–0 victory over Adama City in the 2021 Addis Ababa City Cup. He was named Man of the Match for his performance which included his first goal and assist for the club.[6][7][8] Three days later he was injured in a victory over Jimma Aba Jifar which saw Bahir Dar reach the final of the tournament. He was expected to miss the final match as he was to be sidelined at least twenty days.[9] During the 2021–22 season he made twenty six league appearances, scoring five goals.[10]

Hawassa City

In July 2022 at the conclusion of the season, it was announced that Suleiman had signed for fellow Ethiopian Premier League club Hawassa City.[11]

International career

Sulieman made his senior international debut on 4 September 2019 in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Namibia. He also scored his first goal in the eventual 2–1 defeat.[12] Later that month he was part of Eritrea’s squad for the 2019 CECAFA U-20 Championship. He scored in Group Stage matches against Sudan and Djibouti.[13][14] He added a brace against Zanzibar in the quarter-finals as part of the 5–0 victory.[15] Eritrea went on to win the bronze medal in the tournament.[16]

In July 2021 he was part of Eritrea's squad that competed at the 2021 CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup. He scored a hat-trick in the nation's opening match against Ethiopia, earning a 3–3 draw.[17] He later scored in a 1–1 rematch draw against Ethiopia in the classification round. His second-half goal forced penalty kicks, during which Sulieman converted as Eritrea eventually won the match.[18][19] Following the tournament he received the top scorer award with four goals.[20]

Career statistics

Club
As of 1 August 2023[21]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Domestic Cup Africa Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Bahir Dar Kenema 2021–22 Ethiopian Premier League 265??——256
Hawassa City 2022–23 Ethiopian Premier League 296??——296
Career total 55110000005511

    National team
    As of match played 25 January 2020[12]
    Appearances and goals by national team and year
    National teamYearAppsGoals
    Eritrea 201983
    202010
    Total93
    As of 13 December 2019
    Scores and results list Eritrea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Sulieman goal.
    List of international goals scored by Ali Sulieman[12]
    No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
    14 September 2019Denden Stadium, Asmara, Eritrea Namibia1–21–22022 FIFA World Cup qualification
    213 December 2019Lugogo Stadium, Kampala, Uganda Djibouti2–03–02019 CECAFA Cup
    33–0

    References
    1. Legesse, Michael. "በሴካፋ ውድድር ከደመቀው ዓሊ ሱሌይማን ጋር የተደረገ ቆይታ" [An interview with Ali Suleiman, who excelled in the Sekafa competition] (in Amharic). Soccer Ethiopia. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
    2. "Top strikers in for the golden boot at the CECAFA U23 Senior Challenge Cup". ugsports.net. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
    3. "FC Bahirdar Kenema". Eritrea Viva News. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
    4. "Bahir Dar Kenema Announcement". Bahir Dar kenema Sport club fans. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
    5. "Striker Ali Suleiman Ibrahim signs for Ethiopian side Bahir Dar Kenema FC". Eritrea National Football Federation. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
    6. "Man of the Match". Ethiopian Football. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
    7. "Recap: Addis Ababa City Cup – Match Day 1 & 2". Ethio Footy. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
    8. "first Ali Sulieman goal And assist for bahir dar kenema vs Adama kenema". Achu Sport. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
    9. "Eritrea's star striker Ali Suleiman Ibrahim sidelined for Bahir Dar Kenema matches". Eritrea National Football Federation. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
    10. "Global Sports Archive profile". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
    11. "Ali Suleiman joins Ethiopia's Hawassa City". El Catenaccio. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
    12. "NFT profile". National Football Teams. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
    13. "CECAFA U20 Eritrea 3 – Sudan 3". eastafro.com. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
    14. Isabirye, David. "Eritrea humiliates Djibouti to register biggest score-line at 2019 CECAFA U-20". kawowo.com. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
    15. "CECAFA U-20 Challenge Cup semi finals stage set". Confederation of African Football. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
    16. "Eritrea beat Sudan 1-0 to finish third in Cecafa U-20 Challenge Cup". CECAFA. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
    17. Isabirye, David. "Habesha derby records six-goal stalemate in Bahir Dar". Kawowo. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
    18. "Eritrea defeats Ethiopia in classification match". Eritrea National Football Federation. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
    19. "Ethiopia 1 Eritrea 1". Soccer Ethiopia. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
    20. "Eritrea's Suleiman Ibrahim celebrates CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup top scorers Award". CECAFA. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
    21. Ali Sulieman at Soccerway
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