'Lion of Mesopotamia': How Aymen Hussein beat tragedy to reach World Cup

Author: Waleed IbrahimPublished on: June 14, 2026Country: Iraq
Sports
'Lion of Mesopotamia': How Aymen Hussein beat tragedy to reach World Cup

Iraqi striker Aymen Hussein led his country to the World Cup for the first time in 40 years by scoring the winning goal against Bolivia in the qualifiers. His father was killed by al-Qaeda in 2008 and his older brother was kidnapped, but his mother urged him to continue playing football. Hussein grew up in poverty in al-Hawija and overcame these tragedies to fulfill his dream of playing in the World Cup.

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