Abdisalam Ibrahim
Encyclopedia
Abdisalam Abdulkadir Ibrahim (born 1 May 1991) is a Somali
-Norwegian
footballer who plays for Dutch Eredivisie
side NEC on loan from Manchester City
.
He plays as a midfielder
and at the age of 18 he had already been compared to teammate Patrick Vieira
by some at the club. He is the first player of Somali
and East African origin to play in the Premier League.
, Somalia
, Ibrahim moved to Norway
in 1998. He began his football career as a youth in Norway with Øyer-Tretten
before eventually moving to Lørenskog
, where he played for Fjellhamar
. He got his debut for Fjellhamar's senior team in 2006.
's youth academy effective from 1 July 2007. In the spring of 2008, he was on the winning team in the FA Youth Cup final as Manchester City beat Chelsea
4–2 on aggregate.
Ibrahim made his senior debut starting on 24 January 2010, in the FA Cup
game against Scunthorpe United
. He was on the bench in the 3–1 defeat to Manchester United
in the League Cup semi-final at Old Trafford, as well as the match against Portsmouth
at Eastlands on 31 January. On 21 February 2010, he made his Premier League debut as a substitute for Manchester City in a 0–0 draw against Liverpool
. Abdisalam Ibrahim has been rewarded with a new contract on 7 April 2010, tying him to the club until 2014. Abdisalam Ibrahim made his Carling Cup debut and first starting appearance at West Brom
on Wednesday, 22 September 2010.
On 14 January 2011, it was announced that he would join Scunthorpe United
on loan for one month, this loan period subsequently being extended in mid-February to the end of the season.
On 31 July 2011, it was announced that he would join Dutch Eredivisie side NEC on a season-long loan deal.
if called up.
and Rossendale United
. He also has a little brother, Abdijabar Ibrahim, who attends ESSA Academy.. Abdisalam was an Arsenal fan when growing up and his
favourite footballer of all time was the Arsenal legend and former team mate Patrick Vieira. Abdisalam's Nickname is Abdi. Abdisalam's cousin Ayub Ibrahim is also an up and coming youth prospect from of Australia who is attracting interest from a number of European clubs
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
-Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
footballer who plays for Dutch Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
side NEC on loan from Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
.
He plays as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
and at the age of 18 he had already been compared to teammate Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
by some at the club. He is the first player of Somali
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
and East African origin to play in the Premier League.
Early career
Born in MogadishuMogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, Ibrahim moved to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
in 1998. He began his football career as a youth in Norway with Øyer-Tretten
Øyer-Tretten IF
Øyer-Tretten Idrettsforening is a multi-sports club from Øyer, Norway.It was founded on 29 November 1990 as a merger between Øyer IL and Tretten IL...
before eventually moving to Lørenskog
Lørenskog
is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lørenskog. Lørenskog was separated from the municipality of Skedsmo on 1 January 1908.-Name:...
, where he played for Fjellhamar
Fjellhamar FK
Fjellhamar Fotballklubb is a Norwegian association football club from Fjellhamar in Lørenskog.It was founded in 1976. The men's football team currently plays in the Third Division, the fourth tier of Norwegian football. Fjellhamar stadion is their home field and they also have the disposal of...
. He got his debut for Fjellhamar's senior team in 2006.
Manchester City
In early 2007, Ibrahim signed a three-year deal with Manchester CityManchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
's youth academy effective from 1 July 2007. In the spring of 2008, he was on the winning team in the FA Youth Cup final as Manchester City beat Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
4–2 on aggregate.
Ibrahim made his senior debut starting on 24 January 2010, in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
game against Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
. He was on the bench in the 3–1 defeat to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in the League Cup semi-final at Old Trafford, as well as the match against Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
at Eastlands on 31 January. On 21 February 2010, he made his Premier League debut as a substitute for Manchester City in a 0–0 draw against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
. Abdisalam Ibrahim has been rewarded with a new contract on 7 April 2010, tying him to the club until 2014. Abdisalam Ibrahim made his Carling Cup debut and first starting appearance at West Brom
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
on Wednesday, 22 September 2010.
On 14 January 2011, it was announced that he would join Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
on loan for one month, this loan period subsequently being extended in mid-February to the end of the season.
On 31 July 2011, it was announced that he would join Dutch Eredivisie side NEC on a season-long loan deal.
International career
At international level, Ibrahim has represented Norway at every age group from Under 15 to Under 21. He is still eligible for both his native country Somalia as well as his adopted country, but has stated a desire to represent the Norwegian national teamNorway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
if called up.
Personal life
Abdisalam has an older brother, Abdirashid Ibrahim, a semi-professional footballer formerly of FC United of ManchesterF.C. United of Manchester
F.C. United of Manchester is an English semi-professional football club based in Bury, Greater Manchester that plays in the Northern Premier League Premier Division. It was formed in 2005 by Manchester United supporters opposed to American businessman Malcolm Glazer's controversial takeover of the...
and Rossendale United
Rossendale United F.C.
Rossendale United F.C. was an English football club based in Newchurch, near Rawtenstall, Lancashire. The club was formed in 1898 but was expelled from the North West Counties League Premier Division on 18 June 2011....
. He also has a little brother, Abdijabar Ibrahim, who attends ESSA Academy.. Abdisalam was an Arsenal fan when growing up and his
favourite footballer of all time was the Arsenal legend and former team mate Patrick Vieira. Abdisalam's Nickname is Abdi. Abdisalam's cousin Ayub Ibrahim is also an up and coming youth prospect from of Australia who is attracting interest from a number of European clubs
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester City Manchester City F.C. Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894... |
2009–10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2010–11 2010–11 Premier League The 2010–11 Premier League was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 22 May 2011... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United F.C. Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One.... |
2010–11 2010–11 Football League Championship The 2010–11 Football League Championship was the seventh season of the league under its current name and nineteenth season under its current league division format... |
11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Career total | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |