Sydney FC star Al Hassan Toure has thanked his new club for helping him transform into a CommBank Socceroos squad member just four months after he returned to Australia from a stint overseas.
You couldn’t wipe the smile off Al Hassan Toure’s face if you tried.
The 25-year-old fronted the media on Friday morning with the glow of a footballer who had just seen one of his great dreams come to fruition; earlier that day, Toure was included in the CommBank Socceroos squad for international friendlies against Venezuela and Colombia this month.
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Toure’s inclusion in head coach Tony Popovic’s squad comes less than a week after the Sky Blues forward bagged the first hat-trick of his professional career in a sparkling performance against Newcastle Jets.
The icing on the cake? A reunion with his younger brother Mohamed in Socceroos camp.
Like Al Hassan, Mohamed is a product of Adelaide United and the A-Leagues, who now plays his club football in Denmark with Randers.
Toure’s rapid ascension into Socceroos consideration, with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, has come off the back of his decision to return to Australia after stints at clubs in the United States, Turkey and France.
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Just four months have elapsed since he put pen to paper on a two-year deal with the Sky Blues. In reflection, Toure believes he returned to Australia “broken” but, thanks to a plan put in motion by Sydney FC head coach Ufuk Talay and head of player management Alex Baumjohann, he’s on the precipice of becoming a Socceroo.
“Honestly, I can’t put it into words. I’d say it’s unbelievable,” Toure said. “Every kid wants to play for the Socceroos, and me being called up is an incredible feeling.
“I found out through my agent. When he first told me that they were looking at me. Then, yesterday morning, I got a message asking about my passport, and then they were looking to get me a visa.
“It came as a shock… I called my brothers straight away, Mohammed and Musa and talk to them, and then talked to my dad and my mom. It was just an unreal feeling.
“Honestly, it’s been a has been a full, full week of excitement, I think, coming from the game, scoring a hat trick, my first hat trick, and then the next day, my brother scoring two goals, and then getting a call up now, I’m just overwhelmed by the excitement and like the support people have shown me, and I’m I’m just happy to get the call up and go do as best as I can for the country.
“I came here a little bit broken, and the staff believed in me.
“I talked to the coach before I came here, I talked to Alex (Baumjohann) before I came here, and they had a plan for me. They believed in me, and when I came here, they put a plan in place, and I’m just sticking to the plan. So without them, I wouldn’t be in this position, so I would like to thank them.”
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Toure’s journey to get to this point is not your average footballer’s story.
A product of the Adelaide United system, Toure made his debut in the Australia Cup (formerly FFA Cup) in 2019. He scored in every round of the cup, barring the semi-final, and dominated the final, winning the Mark Viduka Medal for his scoring performance against Melbourne City.
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Toure was born in a refugee camp in Guinea, where he spent four years before his family migrated to Australia. Just like Al Hassan, his two younger brothers, Mohamed and Musa, both came through the Adelaide academy to play for the Reds; Mohamed is a senior Socceroo and on track to represent the nation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Al Hassan Toure still has family in Africa and their reaction to his Socceroos call-up has been special.
“When they found out, my phone wouldn’t stop ringing. Even though they’re in a different part of the world, they always show support. When me and my brothers do something, they always call us, they talk to us. It’s the best feeling, seeing my grandma, my aunties, my uncles all smiling because of something I did on the football pitch. I can’t explain it. It just brings joy. It makes me want to do more and just express myself.”
Before jetting off to face Venezuela (November 15) and Colombia (November 19) in the United States, Toure will look to continue his purple patch of Isuzu UTE A-League form as Sydney FC host Macarthur Bulls at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday.
“It’s going to be good,” he said. “The last home game, they came here in numbers. It was a good atmosphere.
“The fans bring the joy. Without fans, we wouldn’t be able to play football. So, yeah, they should come out to support us again, like they do every week, and hopefully we give them the three points and a good game.”
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