Aymen Hussein, Iraq’s leading striker, made headlines four days before the World Cup after U.S. immigration officers held him for seven hours at Chicago airport. He still joined his teammates and then scored Iraq’s first World Cup goal since 1986, heading home against Norway in the tournament opener, though Iraq lost 4-1.
Hussein’s rise has been shaped by tragedy. When he was 12 and playing locally near Kirkuk in Iraqi Kurdistan, his father, who served in the Iraqi army, was killed by al Qaeda while buying construction supplies for the family. A few years later, his older brother was kidnapped and has never been heard from again. Hussein begged his family to leave the village, but his brother, who had joined the army after their father’s murder, refused.
Instead, Hussein pushed on in football. He joined Iraq’s youth national team, was identified as a talent at 16, and signed for Duhok in the Iraqi top flight on a salary of only $920 a month. He later moved to Baghdad clubs Al-Shorta, Al-Talaba and Al-Zawraa, became the league’s top scorer, played for Qatar’s Al-Khor, and returned to Iraq with Al-Karma. He once said he was ready to play for free because Duhok was his dream.
His biggest moments came for Iraq. He scored in extra time against Qatar to send Iraq to Rio 2016, finished as top scorer at the Arabian Gulf Cup and led Iraq to the title seven years later, and scored against Indonesia in 2024 to help reach Paris 2024. He now has 34 goals for Iraq, fifth on the all-time list. After injuries at Al-Karma raised doubts about his fitness, he responded in the opening match with a powerful header, and teammate Jalal Hassan called him a proven striker whose ability speaks for itself across the Arab world. Iraq still hope for an upset against France or at least a point against Senegal.
