Almoez Ali will be Qatar’s big hope at the World Cup just over two years since he allegedly snubbed interest from Tottenham Hotspur.
Here we are then; the World Cup is upon us.
After years of controversy, the 2022 World Cup will kick off with hosts Qatar taking on Ecuador in Al Khor.
Few are really expecting Qatar to make an impact in this tournament, especially with Ecuador, Senegal and the Netherlands in their group.
Still, Qatar will have some big hopes in their squad and attacker Ali is one of them.
Almoez Ali allegedly rejected Tottenham Hotspur
Ali was born in Sudan but moved to Qatar as a child and came through the now-famed Aspire Academy in Doha.
Stints in Belgium, Austria and Spain followed but Ali has really excelled since joining Al-Duhail in 2016.
A versatile attacker who can play up front or out wide, Ali has recorded 50 goals and 47 assists in 163 games according to Transfermarkt.
Ali’s record for Qatar is even better; 42 goals in 85 caps.
If Qatar are searching for a goal against Ecuador, or any of their other World Cup opponents, you can be sure they will look towards Ali.
FIFA’s official website even names Ali as Qatar’s ‘great attacking hope’ at this World Cup.
English fans will now get to see Ali in action but he allegedly had a chance to become a Premier League player just a couple of years ago.
Back in the summer of 2020, Tuttomercatoweb reported that Tottenham Hotspur had shown a real interest in signing Ali.
Yet it was suggested that Ali rejected Spurs because they primarily wanted him for commercial reasons.
Tottenham may well have wanted to drive some interest from the Middle East by signing Ali.
Son Heung-min is an incredible footballer but Spurs will be well aware of his commercial impact over in Asia.
Maybe they felt Ali could have done the same but that prospect didn’t really appeal to the striker, who remains with Al-Duhail now.
Other European clubs were sniffing around Ali but he stayed in Qatar and now heads into the World Cup with big expectations.
Tottenham were in the market for a striker in that transfer window and ended up signing Carlos Vinicius on loan from Benfica.
The Ali to Tottenham link was a strange rumour but he will now have a chance to shine on the world stage and maybe show that he can play in the Premier League after all.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
