Ali Al-Hamadi: Spearheading Iraq’s National Glory – Player Report by @ScoutingHive
Name: Ali Ibrahim Karim Al-Hamadi
Nationality: Iraq
Date of Birth: 1/3/2002 (age 21)
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.87m)
Current Club: AFC Wimbledon
Player role: Complete Forward/Inside Forward
Preferred Foot: Right
Contract Expiry: June 2025
Market Value: 400k (December 2023)
Introduction:
Ali Al-Hamadi is a technically gifted forward currently plying his trade with south London side AFC Wimbledon. Signed in January 2023 from Wycombe for free, Al-Hamadi has set League Two alight and has attracted the interest of several top Championship sides with a move away imminent. He has also started to make a key impact for his national side, Iraq.
Key Strengths:
- Movement
- Acceleration
- Speed
- Hold-up play
- Work rate
- Chance creation
- Aggression
- Finishing
- Link-up play
- Close control
Style of Play:
Ali Al-Hamadi is a complete forward, who possesses a number of key attributes for this position, including competent play with his back to goal, as well as running at defenders. His explosiveness is a major factor in this and, whilst he is technically sound, his physical ability is his major selling point and is a fundamental reason behind his goal record for AFC Wimbledon in 2023. An example of this can be seen below.
In these images, he utilises his physical prowess and shows great speed and positional awareness to burst away from the defender and finish on his weaker left foot.
Al-Hamadi also has a sharp eye for goal scoring 22 goals in the calendar year of 2023, aiding him in being the most productive U21 player in England’s top four tiers (29 goal contributions – 22 goals and 7 assists).
AFC Wimbledon’s style of play, as a team, has been crucial in Al-Hamadi’s success domestically because the manager, Johnnie Jackson, has implemented a pressing-from-the-front system, which suits Al-Hamadi perfectly, thanks to his energy and explosiveness to win the ball back high up the pitch. This has led to greater success against teams who like to play out from the back and an example of this can be seen below:
Al-Hamadi’s movement is efficient and effective, and this leads me to believe that he is a very mature footballer and knows when and how to press and win the ball back, rather than running all game needlessly. He has averaged 3.7 shots per game this league campaign for his club, highlighting his ability to create chances, and has been pivotal for AFC Wimbledon’s bid for a top 7 finish this season.
He likes to run into channels, as well as through the middle of the pitch, making him an unpredictable attacker to defend against. Furthermore, AL-Hamadi plays 1-2 combinations with his teammates often and in doing so, creates space and chances, as can be seen below:
Improvements:
- Precision in front of goal
- Decision-making
Whilst Al-Hamadi is a complete attacker, his own desire and motivation to score and contribute more to the team can sometimes hinder him. For example, a simpler pass or chance-creating action can be taken, instead of attempting to shoot from a tight angle or take on multiple opposition players. However, AFC Wimbledon manager, Jackson, has given him the freedom to do so, which is understandable given how influential he is in the division. In addition to this, Al-Hamadi can tend to miss big chances in front of goal and when playing at a higher level, chances do not come by so often, so this is an area that he may want to work on, with 22 big chances missed in League 2 this 2023/24 season so far, according to SofaScore.
Final Thoughts:
Ali Al-Hamadi has huge potential in football and can truly lead Iraq to international glory on the big stages. With even better coaching at a first or second division club, the sky is the limit for the Iraqi starboy. The maturity and discipline he shows at just 21 years of age is something that is extremely rare in football and, with time and the right coaching and mentoring, Al-Hamadi can be a key player in a first division side in the future and I would not be surprised to see him performing to a high level in the Premier League one day.
Potential: 8/10 – A key player for a top division side