Ali Sulieman

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. He is the joint all-time top goalscorer of the Eritrean national team with six goals.

Early life

Sulieman was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and returned to Eritrea with his family when he was four months old.

Club career

Red Sea

Domestically Sulieman played for Red Sea of the Eritrean Premier League. 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.

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. 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. 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. 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. During the 2021–22 season he made twenty six league appearances, scoring five goals.

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. 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.

Kahraba Ismailia

After back-to-back scoring titles in Ethiopia, Sulieman joined Egyptian Premier League club Kahraba Ismailia 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.

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. 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. He added a brace against Zanzibar in the quarter-finals as part of the 5–0 victory. Eritrea went on to win the bronze medal in the tournament.

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. 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. Following the tournament he received the top scorer award with four goals.

Career statistics

Club

As of 19 January 2026

National team

As of match played 31 March 2026

As of 31 March 2026

Scores and results list Eritrea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Sulieman goal.

External links

• at Global Sports Archive
• at National-Football-Teams.com
• at Soccer.et