As Jordan dream of surpassing their best-ever AFC Asian Cup™ result – quarter-final finishes in 2004 and 2011 – the hopes of the nation rest on the shoulders of their 26-year-old mercurial winger Al Taamari, a man nicknamed by many as ‘The Jordanian Messi’.

The unlimited ambition of the Amman-born player has seen him climb new heights season after season since making his senior debut for Shabab Al Ordon and Jordan in 2016. His six AFC Cup goals at Al Jazeera helped the Jordanian side reach the West Zonal Final for the first time in their history in the 2018 edition, and soon after he was on his way to start a European adventure that has seen him play in three countries so far.
Joining Cyprus’ APOEL, Al Taamari shone bright, leading them to win the league title and being named the Cypriot League’s MVP in 2018-19. That initial success earned Al Taamari a move west to Belgian side OH Leuven.

In Belgium, Al Taamari’s goals helped his side secure their joint-longest run in the top-flight, establishing themselves in the division for three consecutive seasons. But Al Taamari’s ambition had quickly overgrown the club and he found himself on the move to a bigger league again, this time to France’s Ligue 1.

After being linked with a host of European clubs, Al Taamari started the current season as a Montpellier player, becoming the first Jordanian to play in a top-five European league. In France, he quickly caught the eyes of observers, with the highlight of his season so far being a heroic performance in which he scored twice against giants Olympique Lyon.
“I started building my dream in Jordan as a child, and now here I am in France, playing in one of the best leagues in the world,” Al Taamari told the official Ligue 1 website after joining Montpellier.

“I know the Jordanians are proud of me and I’m going to do everything I can to keep living that dream. But being the first Jordanian to play in France is not an end in itself, I need more. Now I have to show that I’m capable of performing at this level.

“With APOEL, I was lucky enough to play in the Champions League and the Europa League and to come up against teams like Ajax and Sevilla, who we beat on home soil. These are competitions and matches that give you incredible feelings.”
In Qatar 2023, Al Taamari will look to build on a fairly positive AFC Asian Cup 2019 campaign where he had scored a goal and created two more as Jordan reached the Round of 16 before bowing out on penalties against Vietnam.

“Our aim is to qualify for the next World Cup. There’s also the Asian Cup early next year. With the team and the coach we have, we’re aiming for the semi-finals.

“We give everything on the pitch, we’ve got the grinta and above all, we play ball now. A few years ago, there was more of a long game, but things are changing, thanks in particular to the new coach, (Moroccan) Hussein Ammouta. And it’s bearing fruit.”