Ayman Hussein Dreams of Making History Against France

Ayman Hussein, the striker of the Lions of Mesopotamia, stands on the brink of a new achievement as he leads Iraq's attack against France early Monday at Lincoln Field in Philadelphia, in the second round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.

The 30-year-old striker was the only bright spot in Iraq's 1-4 loss to Norway last Wednesday in Boston, with a historic goal that matched the record of legend Ahmed Radhi, becoming the second Iraqi to score in the World Cup after a 40-year wait since Radhi's goal in Mexico 86.

Exclusive sources to winwin revealed that Norway's coach Ståle Solbakken did not just shake hands after the match, but specifically stopped with Ayman Hussein. "The Norwegian coach praised the Iraqi striker's performance and told him frankly: You forced us to change the tactical plan from the first water break in the first half."

Solbakken did not stop the praise there, but asked Ayman to continue with the same mentality against France and wished him to score against the "Roosters." He told him: "You are an influential player and capable of doing great things with the Iraqi national team."

Those words had a great impact on Ayman. The sources confirmed that he transferred the enthusiasm to the locker room and told his teammates: "If a coach of a big national team praises you and changes his plan because of you, it means the dream is possible. Any player who makes a name for himself against teams the size of Norway and France, the doors of professionalism will open for him automatically."

Graham Arnold took advantage of this high morale and assigned Ayman an additional task before facing France: leading the players psychologically. The Australian coach asked him to focus on positive talk and motivate his teammates, despite the strength of the opponent and France's rich record of championships. Ayman indeed responded and became the "official spokesperson" to motivate the group inside the camp.

Now his eyes are on breaking Ahmed Radhi's record that has stood for four decades and getting closer to the top of Iraqi scorers historically. Facing France's defense, led by Upamecano and Konaté, will be the golden opportunity.

Iraq enters the match with no points after Norway and France topped the group by defeating Senegal 3-1. Between Solbakken's praise and Arnold's motivation, Ayman Hussein is looking for a second goal to prove that Iraq's appearance in the World Cup was not a coincidence and that the "Baghdad Sniper" is capable of shaking the champions' nets.