![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/afc-wimbledon-star-ali-al-hamadi-explains-sacrifices-that-have-inspired-remarkable-rise/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/0_MIRRORALHAMADI.jpg&description=AFC Wimbledon striker Ali Al-Hamadi has used the courage and strength of his father as a motivator during his football career - and has plans to do so again this year It's probably fair to say that very few people of an AFC Wimbledon persuasion would have relished the second half of the 2022/23 campaign, where they won just twice in 23 league games following the turn of the year. But Ali Al-Hamadi treasures every moment he gets living out his dream in the EFL after the trials and tribulations his family went through in their native Iraq. Al-Hamadi, an Iraq international, was forced to flee the Middle East at the age of one after war broke out during the reign of Saddam Hussein. Furthermore, he was separated from his father, Ibrahim, who was imprisoned after staging a peaceful protest against the Hussein regime. Al-Hamadi senior was tortured during his time in prison before fleeing to Liverpool, where he was reunited with his family. As Al-Hamadi has grown older, hearing the stories of the hardships that his father faced have moulded the 21-year-old into the man he is today. "The things [my dad] had to go through and has seen... the sacrifices he's made for our family are huge," Al-Hamadi tells Mirror Football. "I'm fortunate to be here and I don't take it for granted. "I feel like I owe it to myself and the people around me to always give back on the pitch. The type of character I am, I wear my heart on my sleeve and that comes again from my family and my upbringing. All those experiences have shaped me as a person. "If you compare being left out of the team to some of the other things people in this world have to deal with then it puts everything into perspective." The versatile forward made such a big impression at the Dons that he was crowned as the club's Player of the Year back in May - even though he only arrived at Plough Lane from Wycombe Wanderers in the January transfer window. After walking into a team which had been stripped of key players such as Ayoub){kind=link}
AFC Wimbledon striker Ali Al-Hamadi has used the courage and strength of his father as a motivator during his football career – and has plans to do so again this year
It’s probably fair to say that very few people of an AFC Wimbledon persuasion would have relished the second half of the 2022/23 campaign, where they won just twice in 23 league games following the turn of the year.
But Ali Al-Hamadi treasures every moment he gets living out his dream in the EFL after the trials and tribulations his family went through in their native Iraq.
Al-Hamadi, an Iraq international, was forced to flee the Middle East at the age of one after war broke out during the reign of Saddam Hussein. Furthermore, he was separated from his father, Ibrahim, who was imprisoned after staging a peaceful protest against the Hussein regime.
Al-Hamadi senior was tortured during his time in prison before fleeing to Liverpool, where he was reunited with his family. As Al-Hamadi has grown older, hearing the stories of the hardships that his father faced have moulded the 21-year-old into the man he is today.