Ilham Abali
Ilham Abali | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 19, 2002 Vlissingen, Netherlands |
| Occupation | Professional footballer |
| Years active | 2018– |
| Known for | Midfielder for ADO Den Haag and Netherlands women's youth teams |
Ilham Abali (born 19 February 2002) is a professional Dutch football player who operates as a midfielder for the Eredivisie team ADO Den Haag.
Club career
At the age of 16, Abali made her first appearance for the senior squad of ADO Den Haag and was officially promoted to the main team in 2020. Despite suffering a significant knee injury that year, she secured a contract extension lasting until the summer of 2023. On 7 May 2023, she made her comeback by entering as a substitute in the match against Excelsior Rotterdam.
During the summer of 2024, Abali encountered another injury which led to her spending the entire 2024–25 season undergoing rehabilitation. Subsequently, on 16 September 2025, she finalized a transfer to Twente.
International career
Abali was part of the Netherlands women's national under-17 football team that advanced to the final of the 2019 European Championship, where they earned the silver medal.
Personal life
Born in Vlissingen, Netherlands, Abali is among over twenty Moroccan-Dutch footballers and coaches highlighted in the 2020 publication Marokkaanse trots: Smaakmakers in de eredivisie, which examines their contributions to Dutch Eredivisie football.
Further reading
- Rijsman, Thomas; Ghouddani, Nordin (2020). Marokkaanse trots: Smaakmakers in de eredivisie. Atlas Contact.
External links
- Profile with Under-19 national team at Onsoranje.nl (Dutch)
- Profile with Under-17 national team at Onsoranje.nl (Dutch)
- Profile with Under-16 national team at Onsoranje.nl (Dutch)
- Profile with Under-15 national team at Onsoranje.nl (Dutch)