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Wessam Abou Ali had a breakout season in 2023. It is all the more remarkable when you consider where the player was two years ago. In the aftermath of Christian Eriksen collapsing at the Parken Stadium in Denmark’s opening Euro 2020 game two other Danish players of Palestinian descent suffered similar scares.
On August 21st, 2021 Ahmed Daghim collapsed whilst warming up on the sidelines of a match that pitted his Kolding IF against FA 2000 in the third tier of Danish football. Daghim, who has since changed his allegiance to represent Palestine, was treated by a doctor who happened to be in the stands that day.
Three weeks later on September 12th, 2021 Abou Ali came onto the pitch for his debut as Vendyssel player against Lyngby in the Danish second tier. His debut and the match would be abandoned after the player fainted in the 59th minute.
Daghim and Abou Ali had both made their debuts for the Danish U19 team under Henrik Clausen. Both seemed to have a bright future ahead of them and both suffered an unexpected setback within weeks of each other.
This is not a story of tragedy but one of triumph- for both players- but for Abou Ali in particular.
Just 12 months ago it was not obvious that a breakthrough was imminent. Abou Ali made his professional comeback on April 2nd, 2022. He would go on to appear in 9/10 games making three starts for Vendyssel but failing to register a goal or assist.
Whatever the Aalborg youth academy player did in the offseason paid dividends immediately as he scored on match day one and the proceeded to total nine goals and an assist in the first 13 match days of the season. He also scored twice in three cup games for good measure.
When the season drew to a close Abou Ali had scored 16 times and tallied an assist in 34 appearances. That form did not go unnoticed and at the end of the season the player was shipped off to Sweden’s top flight.
Sirius did not seem to be the best landing spot for a player who had never played abroad and was only just returning from a traumatic injury. Any doubts that Abou Ali would not adapt to his new surroundings were quickly put to rest.
The 24 year old scored on his debut and then scored again on his second appearance for the club. Not only did Abou Ali help pull Sirius out of the relegation zone he helped them achieve their highest ever finish in the Allsvenskan (8th).
10 goals and an assist in 16 appearances net an average of 1.75 points per game for Sirius. That form extrapolated over a 30 game season would have seen the side from Uppsala finish in fourth place.
Another season like the one he had in 2023 will generate a move to a bigger club in Sweden or to a more established league. Sirius can demand a lucrative fee for his services as well having tied Abou Ali down to a contract that runs through 2027.
Will he play for Palestine?
Wessam Abou Ali is in a slightly different position than his fellow Palestinians that also play in the Allsvenskan. The striker is a Danish international which means that it could be considerably harder to break into the side.
For those not familiar with the ins-and-outs of European football the two sides have been trending in opposite directions over the past five years.
Sweden peaked at the 2018 World Cup but were uninspiring at Euro 2020. They followed that campaign with a relegation from League A of the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League, failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup by losing to an abject Poland side in the playoffs, and then got relegated from League B of the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League.
Their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign featured a 3-0 loss to Azerbaijan. Needless to say, they won’t be in Germany next year.
Denmark on the other hand, have been relatively stable under Kasper Hjulmand. Two World Cup appearances, an impressive campaign in League A of the UNL, and have punched their ticket to the Euros three years after finishing as semifinalists.
The likes of Omar Faraj, Moustafa Zeidan, and Camil Jebara could be lured away from Sweden if the national team does what it is supposed to do over the next six months. Get out of its group at the 2023 Asian Cup and qualify for the Third Round of World Cup qualifying. All three players have been left out of Sweden’s B-team that is set to play Iceland and Cyprus next month
For Abou Ali the calculus is a little bit different given that Denmark is not in a total rebuild and is far more likely to qualify for major tournaments. He will also know that Denmark does not call up talent playing on either side of The Sound. Only one locally based player appeared for the Danish national team over the past 12 months and his presence was the result of an injury to another player initially called up.
The question is does Abou Ali want to wait for Denmark? Euro 2024 is almost certainly out of the equation and any future call up will likely hinge on his ability to move to where top Danish talent plays a Big 5 league or a top team in a Top 10 league that is a perennial Champions League participant.
Or Abou Ali could take his talents to Palestine where he would fit right in with the style Palestine plays under Makram Dabboub. Abou Ali playing as a #9 for Palestine getting on the end of service provided by Camilo Saldaña and Tamer Seyam on the left flank and Musab Al-Battat on the right flank all the while running into acres of free space opened up by teams doubling Oday Dabbagh is a tantalising prospect.
The decision, of course, comes down to the player but fans of Al-Fida’i will be hoping the PFA is conducting a full court press to secure his services.
