Ali Sulieman
Eritrean footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ali Sulieman Ibrahim (Tigrinya: ዓሊ ሱሌማን ኢብራሂም), (born 12 September 2000) is an Eritrean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Egyptian Premier League club Kahraba Ismailia and the Eritrea national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ali Suleiman Ibrahim | ||
| Date of birth | 12 September 2000[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | ||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Kahraba Ismailia | ||
| Number | 13 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2021 | Red Sea | ||
| 2021–2022 | Bahir Dar Kenema | 26 | (5) |
| 2022–2025 | Hawassa City | 91 | (47) |
| 2025– | Kahraba Ismailia | 14 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019 | Eritrea U20 | 6 | (4) |
| 2019– | Eritrea | 9 | (3) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:15, 6 January 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 16:15, 6 January 2026 (UTC) | |||
Early life
Club career
Red Sea
Domestically Sulieman played for Red Sea FC of the Eritrean Premier League.[3] He was spotted by the club at age 16 when he was competing in a zonal tournament in Asmara. He joined the club which was competing with at least three others to sign the striker. He was top scorer in the Premier League two times.[2]
Bahir Dar Kenema
In July 2021 he joined Ethiopian Premier League club Bahir Dar Kenema on a two-year deal, becoming the second Eritrean player in the league, along with Robel Teklemichael.[4] The player was spotted by the club in Eritrea's matches against Ethiopia in the 2021 CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup held in Bahir Dar.[5][6] Sulieman made his competitive debut for the club on 27 September 2021 in a 3–0 victory over Adama City in the 2021 Addis Ababa City Cup. He was named Man of the Match for his performance which included his first goal and assist for the club.[7][8][9] Three days later he was injured in a victory over Jimma Aba Jifar which saw Bahir Dar reach the final of the tournament. He was expected to miss the final match as he was to be sidelined at least twenty days.[10] During the 2021–22 season he made twenty six league appearances, scoring five goals.[11]
Hawassa City
In July 2022 at the conclusion of the season, it was announced that Suleiman had signed for fellow Ethiopian Premier League club Hawassa City.[12] Suleiman was the league's top scorer for the 2023–24 season with twenty goals. He was the league's scoring champion again the following season with nineteen goals. During his time with Hawassa City, the player had unsuccessful trials with a club in Sweden before returning to Ethiopia.[13]
Kahraba Ismailia
After back-to-back scoring titles in Ethiopia, Sulieman joined Egyptian Premier League club Kahraba Ismailia SC on a two-year deal beginning with the 2025–26 season. With the deal, he became the first Eritrean player to sign for a club in Egypt's top division.[13]
International career
Sulieman made his senior international debut on 4 September 2019 in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Namibia. He also scored his first goal in the eventual 2–1 defeat.[14] Later that month he was part of Eritrea’s squad for the 2019 CECAFA U-20 Championship. He scored in Group Stage matches against Sudan and Djibouti.[15][16] He added a brace against Zanzibar in the quarter-finals as part of the 5–0 victory.[17] Eritrea went on to win the bronze medal in the tournament.[18]
In July 2021 he was part of Eritrea's squad that competed at the 2021 CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup. He scored a hat-trick in the nation's opening match against Ethiopia, earning a 3–3 draw.[19] He later scored in a 1–1 rematch draw against Ethiopia in the classification round. His second-half goal forced penalty kicks, during which Sulieman converted as Eritrea eventually won the match.[20][21] Following the tournament he received the top scorer award with four goals.[22]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 19 January 2026[23]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bahir Dar Kenema | 2021–22 | Ethiopian Premier League | 26 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 25 | 6 | ||||
| Hawassa City | 2022–23 | Ethiopian Premier League | 29 | 6 | ? | ? | — | — | — | 29 | 6 | |||
| 2023–24 | Ethiopian Premier League | 29 | 20 | ? | ? | — | — | — | 29 | 20 | ||||
| 2024–25 | Ethiopian Premier League | 33 | 21 | ? | ? | — | — | — | 33 | 21 | ||||
| Total Hawassa City | 91 | 47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 91 | 47 | ||
| Kahraba Ismailia | 2025–26 | Egyptian Premier League | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 5 | — | — | 21 | 8 | ||
| Career total | 131 | 55 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 138 | 60 | ||
- Includes Egyptian League Cup
National team
- As of match played 25 January 2020[14]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eritrea | 2019 | 8 | 3 |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 9 | 3 | |
- As of 13 December 2019
- Scores and results list Eritrea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Sulieman goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 September 2019 | Denden Stadium, Asmara, Eritrea |  Namibia | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 13 December 2019 | Lugogo Stadium, Kampala, Uganda |  Djibouti | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2019 CECAFA Cup |
| 3 | 3–0 | |||||
