When Youssef Amyn was born, on 21 August 2003 in the small town of Essen in eastern Germany, Cristiano Ronaldo had just signed for Manchester United in a move that would catapult him to international stardom.
Amyn, who celebrated his 21st birthday last month, has grown up in an era of football dominated by the Portuguese superstar.
As a winger himself, Amyn grew up idolising Ronaldo, but such is the age gap between the two, he never could’ve dreamed he would share the same pitch as the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
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But this Friday, when Al Wehda and Al Nassr take their places in the tunnel of Al Awwal Park, Amyn will glance across at those in yellow and see Ronaldo standing at the head of the line right next to him.
The prospect of doing just that was a major reason why the Iraq international swapped Europe, where last season he played for Eintracht Braunschweig in the 2.Bundesliga, for the Roshn Saudi League, signing for Al Wehda in the off-season; one of a number of promising young stars to commit their future to the RSL.
Despite being registered late, meaning he missed the opening matchweek of the 2024-25 season, it’s been, personally, a bright start to his time in Saudi Arabia - even with the struggles of Al Wehda in recent weeks.
Amyn’s debut came in their only win of the campaign so far, a 2-1 victory against newly promoted Al Orobah, and while he scored in Al Wehda’s next fixture against Al Ittihad, unfortunately for he and his new club, the “Old Derby” rivals put the ball in the back of the net seven times themselves.
Then, a defeat last time out in the league against newcomers Al Kholood made it only one win from four to start the season for Josef Zinnbauer’s side. Like Amyn, the German, appointed in the summer, is also new to the RSL.
Blatantly, coming up against an undefeated Al Nassr isn’t the easiest way to attempt to snap a losing streak. It’s been slim pickings for Al Wehda in this fixture in recent years, with their most recent league win coming back in 2019. Go back way further, and they have triumphed against Al Nassr in the top flight only twice in the past decade.
Their last fixture, at the end of last season in May, ended 6-0 in favour of Al Nassr, with Ronaldo snaring his fourth hat-trick of his record-breaking campaign. As much as Amyn looks up to Real Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer, he’ll be hoping his influence is far less pronounced this weekend.
But, with the eyes of the world watching, it’s also an opportune way for Amyn to impress before going into the international break with his national team, Iraq.
It’s at the international level that he is starting to make a name for himself, after confirming his future to the reigning Arabian Gulf champions despite being born in Germany. He had even played for the German Under-19 national team on almost a dozen occasions.
After representing Iraq’s junior teams, Amyn made his full senior debut in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Indonesia less than 12 months ago, scoring on debut in a 5-1 rout.
“When I got the call-up, I was very proud and immediately went to tell my family and agent,” he said in an interview with FIFA last year. “The stadium was already full by the time we went out to warm up.
“It’s such a special feeling to play for your country, and then to score a goal – in a World Cup qualifier as well.”
Living the dream of many in his homeland, Amyn has simply gone from strength to strength. He played all four games for Iraq at January’s AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, where Iraq were heartbreakingly knocked out in the Round of 16. Undeterred, Amyn represented Iraq with distinction at the recent Olympic Games in Paris.
The big prize lies ahead, in the form of the expanded FIFA World Cup in USA, Canada and Mexico in 2026. With eight automatic spots from Asia, there is fresh hope in Iraq that they can end their 40-year absence and return to football’s global showpiece.
“Everyone in the country is already dreaming about us qualifying for the World Cup,” Amyn added in that interview with FIFA. “We’ve got a very good team this time around with a lot of players from Europe. There will be 48 countries at the next edition, so our chances are looking very good.”
His focus this week, however, isn’t on Palestine or South Korea that come next month in Group B in the third round of World Cup qualification. It’s on Al Nassr and Cristiano Ronaldo and converting a boyhood dream that, until recently felt only that, into reality.
