Ali Sulieman Ibrahim (Tigrinya: áÂÂá á±áÂÂáÂÂá á¢áÂ¥á«áÂÂáÂÂ; 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.
Sulieman was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to Eritrean parents who fled the country. The family returned to Eritrea when Sulieman was four months old.
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.
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 3âÂÂ0 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 2021âÂÂ22 season he made twenty six league appearances, scoring five goals.
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 2023âÂÂ24 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.
After back-to-back scoring titles in Ethiopia, Sulieman joined Egyptian Premier League club Kahraba Ismailia on a two-year deal beginning with the 2025âÂÂ26 season. With the deal, he became the first Eritrean player to sign for a club in Egypt's top division.
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 2âÂÂ1 defeat. Later that month he was part of EritreaâÂÂs 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 5âÂÂ0 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 3âÂÂ3 draw. He later scored in a 1âÂÂ1 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.