Ali Abbas (footballer)
Ali Abbas | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 30, 1986 Baghdad, Iraq |
| Occupation | Professional footballer |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Known for | Footballer for Newcastle Jets, Sydney FC, Iraq national team |
Ali Abbas (, born 30 August 1986) is a footballer of Iraqi-Australian descent who most recently played for the Newcastle Jets in the A-League and has represented the Iraq national team.
Club career
In November 2007, following a match against the Olyroos with Iraq's Under-23 squad during an Olympic qualifying fixture in Gosford, Ali Abbas, along with teammates Ali Mansour and Ali Khudhair, gained international attention by seeking asylum in Australia.
Initially, Abbas joined the Marconi Stallions, but after consultations with the Iraqi Football Association, he returned to Iraq early in 2008 and signed with Baghdad-based club Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya. By February 2009, Marconi finalized a permanent transfer arrangement with Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya to bring Abbas back to Australia.
Marconi Stallions
Abbas made an immediate impact in his debut match for Marconi during the opening round of the NSW Premier League, netting a curling free-kick that helped secure a 2–0 victory against Penrith Nepean United at Marconi Stadium. His contributions aided Marconi in achieving a second-place finish in the 2009 New South Wales Premier League. Subsequently, he signed with the A-League club Newcastle United Jets.
Newcastle Jets
Before the commencement of the 2009–10 season, Abbas trialed with the Newcastle Jets under coach Gary Van Egmond, though he was not initially offered a contract. On 18 September 2009, he was signed as an injury replacement for Shaun Ontong. Abbas recorded his first goal for the Jets on 12 February 2010 during a 2–1 defeat to Adelaide United. He extended his stay by re-signing for the 2010–11 A-League season and later secured another contract extension through to the conclusion of the 2011–12 season.
Sydney FC
On 21 May 2012, Abbas committed to a two-year contract with Sydney FC. Originally deployed as a left winger, manager Ian Crook repositioned him to central midfield early in the 2012–13 campaign. Abbas scored his inaugural goal for Sydney FC against rivals Central Coast Mariners on 3 November 2012.
During Sydney FC's first-ever appearance in the FFA Cup on 12 August 2014, Abbas converted two penalties in extra time to secure a 3–1 victory over Melbourne City. Unfortunately, on 29 November 2014 in the course of the Sydney Derby, he sustained serious knee injuries, tearing both his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments, which prematurely ended his season.
After an extensive rehabilitation period lasting 405 days, Abbas made his comeback on 9 January 2016 facing his former team, the Newcastle Jets, scoring in Sydney FC’s 2–0 triumph. On 1 May 2016, Sydney FC released him to enable pursuit of opportunities abroad.
Pohang Steelers
Abbas signed a one-and-a-half-year deal with South Korean outfit Pohang Steelers on 12 May 2016.
Wellington Phoenix
On 23 August 2017, Abbas joined Wellington Phoenix on a two-year contract as an injury replacement for Louis Fenton. After accumulating eight appearances totaling 640 minutes, both parties agreed to terminate the contract by mutual consent.
Newcastle Jets
In December 2020, Abbas returned to sign a one-year deal with the Newcastle Jets.
International career
At the age of 20, Abbas made his first appearance for Iraq's senior national team during the 2007 WAFF Championship. Prior to this, he began his professional journey with Al Talaba before moving to Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya in July 2006. He was a member of the Iraqi squad that secured victory in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.
In September 2014, after a seven-year hiatus, Abbas was once again selected for Iraq’s national team to participate in friendly matches against Bahrain and Yemen. Additionally, he received a call-up for the decisive phase of the World Cup qualifying campaign, featuring in the fixture against Australia held in Perth in September 2016.
Personal life
On 26 January 2012, Abbas obtained Australian citizenship, which exempted him from counting as a foreign player within the A-League regulations. His nephew, Mohammed Ridha Jalil, also represents Iraq at the international level.
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Appearances | Goals | Appearances | Goals | Appearances | Goals | Appearances | Goals | ||
| Marconi Stallions | 2009 | NSW Premier League | 29 | 8 | — | — | 29 | 8 | ||
| Newcastle Jets | 2009–10 | A-League | 17 | 1 | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||
| 2010–11 | A-League | 24 | 1 | — | — | 24 | 1 | |||
| 2011–12 | A-League | 19 | 2 | — | — | 19 | 2 | |||
| Total Newcastle Jets | 60 | 4 | — | — | 60 | 4 | ||||
| Sydney FC | 2012–13 | A-League | 24 | 1 | — | — | 24 | 1 | ||
| 2013–14 | A-League | 28 | 2 | — | — | 28 | 2 | |||
| 2014–15 | A-League | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | — | 10 | 3 | ||
| 2015–16 | A-League | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 2 | |
| Total Sydney FC | 68 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 75 | 8 | ||
| Career total | 211 | 32 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 218 | 35 | ||
National Team
Individual Accolades
External links
- Aussie Footballers Abbas to Alberton
- Newcastle Jets Player Profile
- Ali Abbas profile at football-lineups.com
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1986 births
- Living people
- Iraqi men's footballers
- Iraq men's international footballers
- A-League Men players
- A-League Men All-Stars
- Newcastle Jets FC players
- Sydney FC players
- Marconi Stallions FC players
- Pohang Steelers players
- Wellington Phoenix FC players
- 2007 AFC Asian Cup players
- AFC Asian Cup–winning players
- Iraqi expatriate men's footballers
- 21st-century Iraqi sportsmen
- Expatriate men's soccer players in Australia
- Iraqi emigrants to Australia
- Naturalised soccer players of Australia
- Footballers from Baghdad
- Men's association football wingers
- Men's association football fullbacks
- Expatriate men's footballers in South Korea