Emily Ibrahim: Balancing education and international soccer stardom
The following was originally published in our latest Sports Edition. Support Palestine in America by downloading a digital version, purchasing a physical copy or become a subscriber for $5 a month.
From “kiddy clinic” at three years old to being one of the youngest members of the Palestinian senior national team, Emily Ibrahim was all in on one sport — soccer.
The first time Ibrahim, 18, played in Palestine was 2018, when the Palestinian American Athletic Organization invited her to join a team of U.S. citizens traveling to play against Palestinian club teams. There, she and a few of her teammates caught the attention of Amer Khair — head coach of the Palestinian women’s national team.
Ibrahim, Camilia Nahsrah, Lillian Nasrah and Tina El Amoor played in the West Asian Cup in Bahrain with the U-18 team in late 2019 early 2020. Ibrahim earned the ballon d’or trophy, making her the first Palestinian to be named a most valuable player of a FIFA tournament.
Ibrahim and El Amoor — both midfielders — were invited to start for the senior team when Palestine hosted two Asian Football Confederation Cup qualifying matches last year. Palestine lost both games and was held without a goal, but Ibrahim is choosing to dwell on the experience and not the results.
“Obviously it sucks to lose. It's still an incredible opportunity. [Malaysia and Thailand] are so experienced and to be able to play against them was so incredible,” she told Palestine in America.
Despite her success on the pitch and being considered an international soccer star, Ibrahim is making sure to keep her studies at the top of priorities. She is currently a freshman at Loyola University in Chicago studying political science. She refused to miss an extended period of time from class, so Ibrahim arrived in Palestine only a few days before the tournament began and was able to practice only a few times before their first match.
“In a perfect world I would have been out [there] earlier. But it's difficult because of college and everything. I think I allowed myself as much as I could to be able to balance it nicely,” Ibrahim explained. “But I do wish I could've been able to go out there earlier…I think if it was more than a week, a couple of my professors would not have been as lenient as they were.”
Ibrahim is gearing up to play again for Palestine this year. No details have been announced yet, but Ibrahim plans to play with the team even if she cannot participate in the entire tournament.
“I’m going to try to be there,” Ibrahim said. “If it's a long tournament, at least for half of it. But I'm going to try my best.”
Although Ibrahim said she would love to play for the Palestinian national team for as long as she’s wanted, she envisions a future in soccer off the field.
During her first trip to the West Bank, Ibrahim and the contingent from the U.S. visited a refugee camp to deliver backpacks and school supplies to children. A few hours into their visit, a game broke out between the players and the children, whose moods immediately flipped, according to Ibrahim.
“When we first walked into the [refugee camp, the children] looked down; it was painful to watch,” Ibrahim said. “After a couple of hours we went into the courtyard, and there were nets and a ball. And I don't remember how it happened, but we started playing soccer together, and instantly their sadness turned into happiness.”
That moment inspired her to dream of a future outside of playing the sport she’s been obsessed with for a majority of her life. Instead, she wants to serve as a bridge between wealthy nations like the U.S. and underdeveloped nations like Palestine. When her playing days are over, she wants to start an organization that brings children from different countries together to play the sport she grew up loving and dominating.
“I feel like soccer is this universal language, and [kids in her program] will get to experience how Palestinians live life and see the conditions,” Ibrahim said.
