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[Zmeselo]

Sport | Football
Alexander Isak: ‘I never had doubts, the only question was how long’

Exclusive interview: One of the most coveted young strikers in Europe, Isak discusses his teenage breakthrough, flourishing in La Liga, and his desire to one day play in the Premier League

Tom Kershaw

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foo ... 50627.html

23 hours ago


Alexander Isak celebrates scoring in the Basque Derby (AFP via Getty Images)

The reality of winning? It was very bad compared to the dream,

Alexander Isak https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/alexander-isak says before breaking into laughter. Just a few days after scoring on his 100th appearance for Real Sociedad, https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/real-sociedad the 22-year-old is talking about the relentless noise of football and the slower silence of San Sebastian; the hardship of making new homes and then having to leave them behind. He usually refuses to entertain regrets but, as he settles on his favourite memory in Spain, when La Real defeated Basque rivals Athletic Club in the delayed, behind-closed-doors Copa del Rey final earlier this year, he stops to afford just one.

As a kid, you always imagine the fans in the stadium, the celebrations on the street, the bus through the city,

he says.

It was incredible to win. It was so special for the club and it was my first trophy, but it was a bit sad, too. After having to wait for more than a year to play the match, winning felt more like relief than happiness.

If there’s a lesson, it’s that even for one of the best young forwards in the world, the vision rarely turns out as first expected. Last season, Isak announced himself to every major club in Europe, scoring 17 goals in La Liga https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/la-liga before starring for Sweden at Euro 2020. He was coveted by Barcelona https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/barcelona-fc and Arsenal, https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/arsenal who were quoted a release clause of €75m - a new contract this summer saw it increased to €95m. They are the sort of stats and sums that have been forecast ever since Isak was 16-years-old, breaking into the first team at AIK with a blaze of goals that lured dozens of scouts to Stockholm to watch his young flame burn.

I never felt any pressure then,

Isak says.

Nobody knew what to expect but I had a talent, I saw an opportunity and I took it.

The only surprise, then, is that it would be five years and four different countries before Isak’s star truly exploded - or that it would be at La Real, at all. Shortly after his 17th birthday, he had agreed terms with Real Madrid but was persuaded to Borussia Dortmund by the club’s record of developing young players. An €11m fee was the largest ever paid to a Swedish club but almost as soon Isak landed in Germany, he became a pawn in the civil war between Thomas Tuchel and the club’s chief scout, Sven Mislintat.

Days after signing, Tuchel told a press conference he’d never heard of Isak, leading to Hans-Joachim Watzke, Dortmund’s chief executive, to make a private apology to the teenager. In the end, Tuchel resisted calls to give Isak a Bundesliga debut at all, suggesting it would hamper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s chances in the Golden Boot race. What had seemed the most sensible option instead stunted Isak’s momentum. Three new coaches arrived in the space of 12 months, all focused on short-term results, and they rarely offered any individual support. Even now, for a club so attuned to polishing rough diamonds, it remains a rare blemish.

I didn’t hesitate to leave Sweden, it was just deciding where,

Isak says.

In football, you never know when the next chance is going to come, and so you take it. Obviously, as a young player, you need time on the pitch. If you’re not getting that, all you can do is train harder. That’s what I did, I stayed later, I trained on my own as well. I knew my chance would come, even if it wasn’t there, I knew it would come at another club and I wanted to be ready.

Isak insists there are no regrets, either.

It was still a good experience for me, I learned a lot, I developed a lot, and I was around great young players who became good friends. You make each other better. I never doubted myself or my quality. The only question was how long it would take to get back my form.

The answer came quickly and emphatically. Isak spent five months on loan at Willem II in Holland in 2019 and scored 12 goals in his first 12 Eredivisie games, forging the path to leave Dortmund on a permanent deal. He was sold to La Real for €11m - the exact same fee he’d initially signed for - and a buy-back clause in the deal was removed this summer.

That season at Willem II was the most important season of my career,

he says.

Because that step, knowing I had to deliver, it’s what made everything else possible.

Isak celebrates scoring against Spain in September’s World Cup qualifiers(AFP via Getty Images)

Isak acknowledges the way he’s developed at La Real, too. His rangy stature often used to disguise his subtlety and technique, but he has started to fill out physically and flourished under the stringent demands of Imanol Alguacil, scoring 33 goals across the last two seasons.

The coach wants me to be a modern striker, to press a lot and work hard without the ball, and then once we have it there are no boundaries. I’ve become more dangerous in the spaces. People will always count the goals, I want to score, but I want to be a modern striker. I love playing football and that means being involved as much as possible. I think that’s why Spain has suited me very well.

It’s somewhat of a rare feeling: of being settled. The 100-match milestone meant Isak has spent far more time as a professional in the first team at La Real than anywhere else, even AIK, where he graduated through the academy. Until recently, it felt as though he’d always been on the move, whether it was skipping age groups or swapping cities. There’s a part of him that still misses the small pitch in Solna where he first fell in love with football and the old friends in that tight-knit community.

It was life and death in that cage,

he laughs.

I was young and thin, playing with older guys. I learnt my technique there just to survive.

But movement has been the running theme in his life, even before he was born, when his parents fled Eritrea and moved to Stockholm in the 1980s.

When you move at such a young age into this football world, it can be very hard,

he says.

It’s not easy to start a new life. What my parents went through, that’s their story, but that gives me perspective and discipline. I went to Eritrea to see where they grew up, it was humbling, to see how people can be happy with so little. I try and separate myself from the football world and appreciate the silence.

Isak stresses that he can do that in San Sebastian; a place that feels like home. The club are currently top of La Liga and on track to reach the Europa League knockout stages; there is no shortage of ambition or urgency to uproot again. But he’s also seen a lot of sides to football in a short space of time and knows nothing is forever.

I’m in a good place at the moment, I’m very happy, but one day it would be nice to play in England as well,

he says.

They have six or seven of the biggest clubs in the world, it’s a very high level, and of course one day it would be an alternative. Every player wants to be the best version of themselves and reach the highest possible level. I have expectations for myself that I’m trying to fulfil, so we’ll see where the journey takes me in future.

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Arsenal transfer target Alexander Isak drops big future hint. By Ross Kennerley
https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/11/04 ... -hint/amp/



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SUPER SWEDE Arsenal transfer target Alexander Isak opens door to move as Sociedad striker admits it would be ‘nice’ to play in Prem. By, Dylan Terry
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football ... eague/amp/


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Alexander Isak has opened the door to moving to Arsenal in the future (Image: Getty Images)
Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: Kieran Tierney injury, Alexander Isak twist, Vieira claim. BY BOBBY VINCENT, AARON CATTERSON-REID
https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/ ... 073320.amp



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'We'll see' - La Liga striker speaks out on future amid Liverpool transfer rumours. By Tom Cavilla
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/f ... s-22072130



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‘We will see’ – major Alexander Isak hint gives Arsenal big transfer hope. By James Marshment
https://www.teamtalk.com/arsenal/we-wil ... a-big-hope

[Zmeselo]

Eritreans are competeing for the AFRIMA awards, in two categories.

Yonas Maynas (#BestAtristDuoAfricanTraditional)

Merry Zerabruk (#BestFemaleArtistEasternAfrica)
https://www.afrima.org/AFRIMA2021voting ... ern-africa

[Zmeselo]

DEMOCRACY & POLITICS
With St. Paul school board win, Halla Henderson becomes first Eritrean American elected to office in Minnesota

Henderson’s passion for education equity began when her former elementary school closed in Minneapolis. Now, she plans to fight school closures as a St. Paul school board member—bringing student voices with her.

By BECKY Z. DERNBACH

https://sahanjournal.com/democracy-poli ... minnesota/

NOVEMBER 3, 2021


Halla Henderson, 27, won election to the St. Paul school board Tuesday night, becoming the first Eritrean American elected to office in Minnesota. She hopes to bring student voices to the school board. Credit: Jaida Grey Eagle | Sahan Journal

Halla Henderson called her parents Tuesday night as soon as she learned she had won a seat on the St. Paul school board. She wanted to be the first to tell them she had made history.

Her mom told her how proud her grandmother, who immigrated from Lebanon, would be. Then she called her dad, an immigrant from Eritrea.

Being able to say that his daughter is the first Eritrean woman elected in the country, that’s what you come here for,

Henderson said.

It’s to give your kids the best possible life. And he did it.

With her school board win, Henderson, 27, became the first Eritrean American elected to public office in Minnesota. She believes she is also the first Eritrean American woman to win elected office anywhere in the country. And she won after a campaign powered by high school students.

As the policy director of the Minnesota Alliance with Youth, Henderson helps teenagers from every congressional district make their voices heard on legislation that affects young people.

Now, she plans to bring student voices to the school board.

The one thing about Halla is she sits back and lets young people do the work,

said Juwaria Jama, 17, the co-coordinator of Henderson’s campaign.

She makes the connections with who we want to be connected to, but she allows us to do the work ourselves. Whenever we need help, she’s always just there so that we can ask her for anything we need.

Last summer, when the St. Paul school board voted to remove police officers from its schools, Henderson and her students noticed a gap in the board’s communication with students.

There was something missing between the board and the way they were engaging with students,

Henderson said.

Parents had a voice. They weren’t always heard, but they had a voice. Educators, again, were not always heard but they had a voice. But students really didn’t. We started thinking about what it could look like.

Henderson wanted to make sure that if she were to run for office, her campaign would be led by students.

The only way we were going to do it was if we were led by young people,

she said.

So we built a team of predominantly high schoolers, college students, and folks of color.

Juwaria, who attends Spring Lake Park High School, and two students from St. Paul’s Central High School helped lead that team, learning about communications, graphic design, and campaign data as they went.

We all wanted her to run,

Juwaria said.

And when she finally took that leap of faith, it was like okay, it’s go time. We’re going to make sure that this campaign goes as well as it can go.

The result? Henderson received more votes than any non-incumbent candidate, earning a spot on the school board. Two incumbents won reelection; she’ll be one of two newcomers to join the board in January.

From North Minneapolis to Mankato

Halla grew up in North Minneapolis, raised by her mom. She remembers a tight-knit community there.

We had folks in our neighborhood who took care of us and looked out for the kids,

she said.

The folks at the park and rec who watched us in the summer were the same folks who lived in my community.

She attended Putnam Elementary School in northeast Minneapolis, which she recalls as an

incredibly safe and welcoming community

with multiple staff and teachers of color serving a diverse student body.

But when Henderson was in middle school, Putnam was one of a number of schools in the city’s northern neighborhoods to close. In 2008, the Minneapolis Public Schools sold the building to the charter school Yinghua Academy.

I remember it being a really painful thing,

Henderson said.

Though Henderson had left Putnam and was by then attending Northeast Middle School, she felt the impact. Putnam’s recreation center also closed, eliminating a safe place for kids to go after school. As more north Minneapolis kids left the district for charter schools and neighboring districts, the school board voted to close several elementary and middle schools on the Northside.

That dramatically impacted resources in our community, where kids went, and what access we had to things,

Henderson said.

She also didn’t have the resources she needed at school, she said.

It was clear we weren’t getting the education we deserved,

she said.

The classrooms were always packed. I didn’t have access to a lot of the programming my family thought I should have access to.

Her family also moved frequently, which meant she attended three different middle schools in the Twin Cities. In some cases, she’d leave a school on Friday and start attending a new school on Monday. She fell behind in math and science because she had missed lessons that had already been taught by the time she enrolled. Ultimately, she and her mom moved to Mankato, where her mom had grown up and her Lebanese immigrant grandmother ran a restaurant.

The move was a culture shock to Henderson. Instead of her diverse north Minneapolis community, she was now one of the only students of color.

I can vividly remember the first time I got on the bus my first day, and looking around and not seeing anyone who looked like me, which was so very different from the experience I had just left,

she said.

She tried to downplay her differences and shrug it off when kids mispronounced her name.

In high school, Henderson struggled to find her place.

I was never quite the kid folks were overtly worried about,

she said.

I wasn’t the kid exceeding or excelling. I think I was slipping through the cracks for quite awhile.

As a teenager, she also became a caretaker for her mother, who suffered from heart problems. Her father was still in the Twin Cities and now had other young children to care for. Henderson had support from a mentor at school, but largely had to figure out the puzzle of getting to college and navigating student loans on her own.

‘A fierce social justice warrior’

Henderson enrolled first in Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato before transferring to the University of St. Thomas, where she majored in psychology. Both schools were small, predominantly white liberal arts schools. But at St. Thomas, she was glad to be back in the Twin Cities where she felt at home.

Jean Giebenhain, a retired psychology professor at St. Thomas, taught Henderson’s psychopathology course. Giebenhain described Henderson as

one of the standouts in my 37-year career.

She’s tireless,

Giebenhain said.

She can manage to have many balls in the air, keep track of all of them, do them all well with compassion and integrity, and she just does an excellent job at everything she does.

At St. Thomas, Henderson found stability and a voice. Throughout college, she worked two to three jobs at a time, including as a preschool teacher and a mental health provider. She loved working with young children, but found the wages unsustainable. Then, after the 2016 presidential election, she started to volunteer in local Democratic politics.

I saw my community being targeted,

Henderson said.

So I really dug into it.

After becoming a “super volunteer,” Henderson took a series of political organizing jobs: as an intern for state Representative Dave Pinto (DFL–St. Paul), organizing college students for the DFL, and then running Kaohly Her’s successful bid for the state House of Representatives.

Giebenhain praised Henderson’s

enthusiasm, her passion, her depth, her maturity,

she said.

She’s a fierce social justice warrior.

She was

in tears

when she presented her student with the University of St. Thomas’ prestigious service award during her senior year.

A St. Paul voter, Giebenhain was thrilled to vote for her former student. She proudly displayed a Halla lawn sign in her yard.

I will keep it in my home on a wall for the rest of my life.

‘Are you going to run? I feel like you will.’

Henderson knew she wanted to work with young people after she graduated. Juwaria, then 15, helped interview Henderson for her current job at the Minnesota Alliance with Youth. There, she provides mentorship and political guidance to teenagers on the state-funded Minnesota Youth Council.

Juwaria remembers being impressed with Henderson’s experience at the state Capitol and organizing college students.

I really felt that confidence,

she said.

Somebody who could relate to us and already knew the ins and outs of policy seemed like a really great fit for the Minnesota Youth Council.

Minnesota Youth Council members start their positions in the fall, and by January are testifying before the legislature. Henderson loves helping them grow into confident advocates.

I see myself in a lot of them, when I see young people who are sure they should be in these spaces but they’re unsure of how they step forward,

Henderson said.

Watching their growth to when they started in September, when they’re quiet and they don’t ask a lot of questions, to January when we put them on the stand to testify….That’s why I get up in the morning and that’s why I do the work.

Henderson has acted as a mentor to Juwaria, bringing her to dinners for women of color in politics. She also introduced her to the group TakeAction Minnesota, where Juwaria has performed poetry.

Juwaria remembers talking to Henderson shortly after they met about a possible future school board run.

We went back and forth with it like, are you going to run? I feel like you will,

she said.

But Henderson always dismissed the idea, she said.

When Henderson decided to run, Juwaria was one of the first people she called.

Engaging students

Henderson will take office in January. But before then, the school board may decide the fate of five schools slated to close.

For Henderson, remembering her experience in Minneapolis, the school closures are personal.

I continue to think it’s not the right call,

she said, noting that many of the schools serve primarily immigrant students.

She plans to engage with current board members, and hopes the pushback she is seeing from families will make a difference.

But now, she’s shifting from a student-led campaign to thinking about a student-led school board seat. Some St. Paul students are already engaged in the board through a student group that includes a nonvoting school board seat. But Henderson wants to reach out to those who don’t have a voice on the board.

What are we doing to talk to other students who aren’t the most engaged members of our district?

she asked.

That’s what I’m hoping to do.

__________



BECKY Z. DERNBACH ([email protected]) is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. More by Becky Z. Dernbach https://sahanjournal.com/author/becky-z-dernbach/

[Zmeselo]

ማሻኣላህ ሽሕን ዋልታን ኩንልና ሓይልታት ምክልኻልና ኣብዚ ግዜ'ዚ ዓቕሙ ኣብ ምምዕባልን ገስጋስ ልምዓታዊ መደባት ኣብ ምዕዋትን ተጸሚዱ ስለ ዝርከብ'ዩ፡ እዚ ምብራቕ ብዝተፈላለዩ ሞያ ዘሰልጠኖም ኣባላቱ ዘመረቐ፡፡


ፋብሪካ ፕላስቲክ ባጽዕ ብዝዓጠቖም ዘመናውያን ማሽነሪታት፡ ፍርያቱ ኣብ ልምዓት ሃገር ዓቢ እጃም የበርክት ኣሎ!
Nura Nura: @frdos_Nura


_____________________





An honour to meet w/ H.E. Minister of Foreign Affairs @Ministersaleh. UNICEF appreciates the long collaboration w/ the Gvmnt of Eritrea, working together to deliver for all children in the country since 1992 & helping to further the SDG goals in coordination with the wider UN.

Had an engaging lunch with vibrant and intelligent young people who participated in the Eritrea UNICEF/ GoSE CPD consultation process which attested the important role of young people in sharing the future. An inspiration to have met Eritrea's future capital.

Excellent meeting with Development Partners in Eritrea, to reaffirm their commitment to the joint GoSE and @UN Cooperation Framework to deliver on the national priorities and results for children and women in Eritrea. #SDGs

Had an interesting time talking to staff, biggest asset of UNICEF. Huge appreciation for their dedication, commitment and resilience to deliver results against all odds. #ForEveryChild & Women in Eritrea
Mohamed M. M. Fall: @MohamedFall








UNICEF ESA Regional Director Mohamed M. Malick Fall, arrived for a 3 day visit to Eritrea and met the UN Eritrea Country Team.




The Resident Coordinator Ama Sande has this morning led the UN Country Team in a meeting on #COP26. The meeting, which was convened by the Ministry of Lands, Water and Environment, saw various speakers join in the call for world leaders to redouble the efforts to address the planetary emergency which has been described as ‘code red’ for humanity. In her remarks, the RC reiterated the UN Secretary General's remarks that the warning signs of the emergency that confronts the world are clear.


The SG has reiterated that temperatures everywhere are reaching new highs and biodiversity is reaching new lows, oceans are warming, acidifying, and choking with plastic waste, and the world is faced by the threat of extreme weather, unprecedented floods and droughts.


The RC underscored the UN's commitment and assurances to continue to enhance the partnership with Eritrea to address climate change #COP26Glasgow #TogetherForOurPlanet #Eritrea #SDGs
UN Eritrea: @UNinEritrea

[Eripoblikan]

aye aya shikor

The Horn is burning with civil war and coup and you have the extremely positive mindset to post about soccer adventures and school election victories.

We will sit one day and you will share how you do it. That is when Issu is smoothly pushed out of power.

[Digital Weyane]

ህፃናት ትግራይና አብቱይ ወያነ ልፈረንጂ ጎይተቱ ከደስት እይሉ ልለኮሶ ጦርነት ብአስገዳድ ይሃልቁ። ላይ ውጪ ጁንታ ኻም ኩዑሾ አው አስፋልት ይንከባለሉ።

ህፃናት ኤርትራ ምልዮናት እላተኸፈሎም አው ፕሪሚየር ሊግ ይጫወቱ፣ አው ዓለም ስም ሃገሮም ኸፍ ኸፍ የብሉ።

ኻም ሎምዓልቲ ተናዲደ አይፈልጥን። <<ዛት ኢዝ ኖት ፌይር!>> ይብሉ ፈረንጂ ጎይተትና እንትናደዱ። ዋይ ዋይ ዋይ ዋይ!

[Zmeselo]

Warmly received the designate Ambassador of Romania to Kenya, H.E Dragoș Țigău. Narrated to each other, past & present histories & challenges of our countries. We also discussed UN matters, climate change & its impact on humanity. Wished him best as a new envoy.
AMB. Beyene Russom: @BeyeneRussom


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Встреча Посла И. Мозго с главой Фонда ООН в области народонаселения в К. Охаши.

Meeting of the Ambassador to H.E. Mr. Igor N. Mozgo with the head of UNFPA in Mr. K. Ohashe.
Russia in Eritrea ✔: @rusemberitrea


__________________



An engaging discussion today with my brother, the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps - H.E. Mr Abdulkader Mohammed Hadi - Ambassador of Yemen to Eritrea. Thanks for visiting us and sharing invaluable insights on partnerships and peace in the region.
Ama Sande: @AmaSande

[Meleket]

እዙይ ስም ሃገርና ኤርትራ ኣብ መድረኽ ዓለም ከምዚጽዋዕ ዚገብር ዛሎ ጅግና ኤርትራዊ መንእሰይ፡ ኣብ ሓዳስ ኤርትራን ድምጺ ሓፋሽን ቲቪ ኤረን’ከ ምስ ሕዝቡ ሌላ ይግበረሉ’ዶ ይህሉ፧ ነፍስወከፍ ኤርትራዊ ከምዚፈልጦ ተሰሪሑ’ዶ ይኸውን፧

ንመንእሰያት ስፖርታዉያን ኤርትራ’ከ እንታይ ሙያዊ ምኽሪ ኮነ ናይ ስፖርታዊ ዕጥቂ ሓገዝን ምትብባዕን ጌሩ ይኸውን፧ እንተዛይገበረ እንተሓሰበሉ ጽቡቕ ኢዩ፡ ቢልና ኣሎና ኤርትራዉያን ናይ ማእከልን ናይ መስመር ደያኑ! ከመይ “ከለኻን ከሎኻን” ኢዩ እቲ ብሂል!

[Zmeselo]

Civil war? Where? I see a law enforcement operation albeit with tanks & rocket launchers, that will be over soon.

Besides, that would be the day I, their master, will be taken hostage by the shenanigans of some ugume monkeys drunken with US $ and uncle Sam's "good boy" tap on their puny heads.

aye aya shikor

The Horn is burning with civil war and coup and you have the extremely positive mindset to post about soccer adventures and school election victories.

We will sit one day and you will share how you do it. That is when Issu is smoothly pushed out of power.

[Abe Abraham]

Zmeselo,

Thanks for the update. ከምቲ ኩሉ ግዜ ትብሎ " ሳዕስዕ 'ሞ ስራሕካ ኣይትረስዕ " ። ሓበን ሃገር ኣለክሳንደር ኣዂሪዑናን ኣሐቢኑናን ።