Liban Abdi

Liban Abdi
Born	(1988-10-05) October 5, 1988 Burao, Somaliland, Somalia
Occupation	Professional footballer
Years active	2007–present
Known for	Playing as a left winger for clubs including Sheffield United, Ferencváros, Olhanense, and FK Haugesund

Liban Abdi Ali (; born 5 October 1988) is a Somali professional footballer who operates primarily as a left winger. His career includes playing for clubs such as Sheffield United in England, Ferencváros in Hungary, Olhanense in Portugal, and FK Haugesund in Norway.

Although born in Somalia, Abdi was raised in Norway and holds Norwegian citizenship. He qualifies to represent Somaliland, Somalia, and Norway at the international level.

Early life

Abdi entered the world in Burao, Somaliland, Somalia, in 1988. He spent his formative years in Oslo, Norway, where he completed his primary and secondary education within the Stovner district.

Club career

At age 14, Abdi relocated to England and, after one year, joined the youth system of Sheffield United. He became the first Somali player to sign a professional contract with Sheffield United after progressing through their Academy. Following periods with Newport Pagnell Town and Buckingham Town, he was re-signed by Sheffield United upon moving to Sheffield through the Football Unites, Racism Divides initiative.

In mid-2008, Abdi secured a two-year deal and was loaned to Sheffield United's affiliated club Ferencváros to gain first-team experience. After returning from loan, he was unable to break into Sheffield United’s senior squad and was released in July 2010.

Subsequently, he signed permanently with Ferencváros for two seasons before moving on to Portuguese top-flight club Olhanense in 2012.

International career

Eligible to play internationally for Somaliland, Somalia, and Norway, Abdi has yet to represent any country. He has indicated a preference for playing with Norway. Nevertheless, Norway’s coach Egil "Drillo" Olsen did not observe him during his tenure in Portugal and later commented that Abdi did not meet the standards required for the national squad. In 2018, Abdi stated that he would not represent Somalia but intended to contribute to the nation off the field.

External links

• Player profile on LevskiSofia.info

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sheffield United	2008–09	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2009–10	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ferencvárosi	2008–09	Nemzeti Bajnokság II	7	2	1	2	1	0	—		9	4
	2009–10	Nemzeti Bajnokság I	10	1	1	0	4	0	—		15	1
	2010–11	Nemzeti Bajnokság I	17	1	2	0	2	1	—		21	2
	2011–12	Nemzeti Bajnokság I	12	1	3	0	1	0	4	2	20	3
	Total		46	5	7	2	8	1	4	2	65	10
Ferencvárosi II	2009–10	"Nemzeti Bajnokság III"	"5"	"0"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"5"	"0"
	"2010–11"	"Nemzeti Bajnokság II"	"7"	"2"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"7"	"2"
	"2011–12"	"Nemzeti Bajnokság II"	"7"	"5"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"7"	"5"