Awer Mabil facts for kids
Mabil playing for Australia at 2019 AFC Asian Cup
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 15 September 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Kakuma, Kenya | ||
| Height | 1.78 m | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| St Augustines | |||
| Playford City | |||
| Salisbury East Junior Soccer Club | |||
| 2010–2011 | SA NTC | ||
| 2012–2015 | Adelaide United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2012 | Campbelltown City | 14 | (1) |
| 2013–2015 | Adelaide United | 47 | (8) |
| 2015–2022 | Midtjylland | 108 | (16) |
| 2016–2017 | → Esbjerg fB (loan) | 25 | (4) |
| 2017–2018 | → Paços de Ferreira (loan) | 26 | (2) |
| 2022 | → Kasımpaşa (loan) | 11 | (2) |
| 2022–2023 | Cádiz | 5 | (0) |
| 2023 | → Sparta Prague (loan) | 14 | (2) |
| 2023–2025 | Grasshoppers | 28 | (5) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2014–2015 | Australia U20 | 9 | (4) |
| 2015 | Australia U23 | 6 | (0) |
| 2018– | Australia | 32 | (9) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Awer Bul Mabil (born 15 September 1995) is a professional soccer player. He plays as a winger. He was most recently with the Swiss Super League club Grasshoppers.
Awer was born in a refugee camp in Kenya. He later moved to Australia. He plays for the Australia national team.
Mabil started playing youth soccer at the South Australian National Training Centre. He also played with Adelaide United. He made his first senior team appearance for Campbelltown City. Then, in 2013, he joined Adelaide United in the A-League.
He is also a co-founder of a charity called Barefoot to Boots. This charity helps refugees with health, education, and sports equipment. In January 2023, he was named Young Australian of the Year.
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Awer Mabil's Early Life
Awer Mabil was born on 15 September 1995. His parents were from South Sudan. They lived in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. When he was 10, his family moved to Adelaide, Australia.
He started playing football in the refugee camp when he was about five. He said, "We would just go outside and start kicking around." They played without shoes and used a rolled-up sock as a ball. Mabil once shared that his hotel room during a World Cup qualifier was bigger than the hut his family lived in at the camp.
Awer went to St Columba College in Adelaide. He finished school there in 2013.
Awer Mabil's Club Career
Awer Mabil has played for many soccer clubs. He started in youth teams and then moved to professional leagues.
Youth Teams
Before joining professional clubs, Mabil played for several youth teams. These included St Augustines, Playford City, and Salisbury East Junior Soccer Club. He also played for the SA NTC from 2010 to 2011.
Playing for Adelaide United
Mabil made his first senior team appearance for Campbelltown City in 2012. Later that year, Adelaide United signed him. They were impressed by his speed and dribbling skills.
He played his first game for Adelaide United on 11 January 2013. It was an 2012–13 A-League match against Perth Glory. He scored his first goal for the team in 2014 against Wellington Phoenix.
Time at FC Midtjylland
In July 2015, Mabil moved to Danish Superliga club FC Midtjylland. He made his debut for them on 16 October 2015. He also played in the UEFA Europa League for the first time.
He learned a lot about serious football at Midtjylland. He said he developed a "winning mentality." To help him get more playing time, the club sent him on loan to other teams.
Loan to Esbjerg fB
In August 2016, Mabil was loaned to Esbjerg fB. This helped him get more experience on the field. He played 25 games for them.
Loan to Paços de Ferreira
In July 2017, Mabil was loaned to Paços de Ferreira in Portugal. He played 26 league games there. He scored two goals and helped set up three others.
Back at Midtjylland
Mabil returned to Midtjylland in 2018 as a more experienced player. He started strong, scoring goals and helping his team. He became a key player for the team.
In 2020, he helped Midtjylland qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time. He even scored his first Champions League goal against Ajax.
Loan to Kasımpaşa
In February 2022, Mabil was loaned to Kasımpaşa in Turkey. This was for the rest of the season.
Moving to Cádiz
In May 2022, Mabil signed with Cádiz, a club in Spain's La Liga. However, he didn't play much in his first half-season there.
Loan to Sparta Prague
In January 2023, Mabil was loaned to Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic. He played 14 games and scored two goals. He helped Sparta Prague become the Czech champions!
Playing for Grasshoppers
On 21 August 2023, Mabil joined Grasshoppers in Switzerland. He signed a two-year contract. He made his debut on 2 September.
On 7 October 2023, he scored two goals and assisted another in a 3–0 win. He was named the Man of the Match. Later, he had an injury that kept him from playing for about four months. He left the club in January 2025.
Awer Mabil's International Career
Mabil has played for Australia's national soccer teams.
In August 2013, he was called up to play for Australia's Under-19 team. He played in a tournament in Spain.
Because he was born in a refugee camp, it took a year for FIFA to clear him to play for Australia. He was finally approved in March 2014. He played in the 2014 AFC U-19 Championship.
After playing well for FC Midtjylland, Mabil was called up to the senior Australian team. This team is known as the Socceroos.
On 16 October 2018, Mabil made his debut for the Australia senior national team. He scored his first goal in that game against Kuwait. He celebrated with his childhood friend, Thomas Deng, who was also a refugee and making his debut. Awer dedicated the goal to his mother.
Mabil played in the qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup. In a very important game against Peru, he scored one of the penalties. This helped the Socceroos get a spot in the World Cup! He said scoring that goal was his way of thanking Australia.
On 22 September 2022, Mabil scored his first goal in an international game played in Australia. It was against New Zealand.
Other Activities: Barefoot to Boots
Awer Mabil helped start a charity called Barefoot to Boots. He started it with his older brother, Awer G. Bul, and Ian Smith. The charity aims to help refugees with "health, education, and gender equality." It also gives young refugees sports equipment. Mabil has returned to the Kakuma camp with the charity to help people there.
Awards and Honours
Awer Mabil has received many awards for his football and his charity work.
In 2018, he won the FIFPRO Merit Award. This award is given by the International Federation of Professional Footballers. He received US$25,000, which he donated to his Barefoot to Boots charity.
In June 2022, his old school, St Columba College, gave him the 2022 Alumni of the Year Award. This was for his success in football and his charity work.
In November 2022, Mabil was named the 2023 Young Australian of the Year for his home state of South Australia. On 25 January 2023, he was named the national Young Australian of the Year.
Club Honours
Adelaide United
- FFA Cup: 2014
Midtjylland
- Danish Superliga: 2019–20
- Danish Cup: 2018–19
Sparta Prague
- Czech First League: 2022–23
Individual Honours
- National Youth League Player of the Year: 2012–13
- FFA U20 Male Player of the Year: 2014
- Young Australian of the Year: 2023
Personal Life
Awer Mabil's older brother is Awer G. Bul. He is a director of the Barefoot to Boots charity. Awer also went to school with his good friend and fellow Socceroo, Thomas Deng.
Images for kids
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Mabil playing for Australia at 2019 AFC Asian Cup
See Also
In Spanish: Awer Mabil para niños
