Football

Malmo's Taha Ali and Hertha Berlin's Bilal Hussein feel the love from Somali fans

Taha Ali © Malmo FF

By Michael Kirwa | Wednesday, July 3, 2024

Taha Ali, who was also recently in Somali, said he enjoyed his stay in the country and found the people there to be happy and full of life

Swedish-born Somali footballers Bilal Hussein and Taha Ali have hailed the immense love and support they receive from Somali football fans in Somalia and all over the world.

Bilal Hussein, 24, and Taha Ali, 26, were born in Stockholm and are currently the top footballers of Somali descent plying their trade in Europe, an occurrence that has filled Somalis all over the world with pride in their success as sportsmen.

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Bilal plays for 2. Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin, a club he joined from AIK in 2023. Taha plays for Swedish champions Malmo, whom he joined in 2022 from Helsingborgs.

Speaking to Swedish TV presenter Ola Wendland in an interview for Wenstrom Television (WTV), Bilal and Taha described Somalia’s fervent support of their career as "cool.”.

They hailed their dedication to creating time to stream their matches online as well as following on social media in large numbers.

They attributed their support of their career to the fact that the fact that there are few footballers of Somali descent in the top European leagues, and their status is helping elevate Somalian football.

As a result of the immense support they receive from Somali football fans, Bilal and Taha told Wendland they are motivated to do even more, with both players expressing ambitions and hopes of featuring in the top five European leagues (Bundesliga, EPL, LaLiga, Ligue 1, and Serie A), dominating European football, and winning the UEFA Champions League.

Taha, who did the interview after a recent trip to Somalia, also described Somalia as an incredible country.

“I found it to be peaceful, and even though it is evident that there is a lot of poverty, the people there are happy and full of life. Despite the difficulties they face daily, they always strive to make the most of the little that they have,” Taha said in the interview.

Taha Ali sending a message to the Somali people 🇸🇴⚽️💙 pic.twitter.com/4SziX8Kgvx
— SOMALI ATHLETE (@SomaliAthlete) April 28, 2024

Bilal and Taha also spoke about growing up in Stockholm, Sweden’s capital city, and how that has shaped their worldview. They hailed the sense of community in the areas of Stockholm where they grew up, which have people of different nationalities.

The two players also gave their takes on their favourite leagues and players, as well as their opinions on VAR. While both players proclaimed being fans of the English Premier League, Bilal stated Liverpool great Steven Gerrard was his favourite player, while Taha confessed to idolising Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho.

On VAR, the two players agreed that it has no place in football due to the unnecessary tension it creates as players and fans await its decision.