“I could physically see the community close to home, and going out to the camp and experiencing what that’s like, it really lit a fire that I didn’t even know I could get as far as trying to push my football career,” said the midfielder Jarma Mohamed.
Mohamed, a 21-year-old youth coach and player for the Jersey Bulls in the eighth tier of English football, has emerged as a key figure for the Somalia national team during their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying campaign.
Born in Toxteth, his eligibility stems from his Somali grandfather who moved to Liverpool, becoming part of a large Somali community in the city. This heritage allowed him to represent a nation currently ranked 200th in the world—the lowest-ranked team to reach the final round of Afcon qualifiers.
🚨 From Liverpool and Manchester City to eighth-tier football in England, Jarma Mohamed's journey is anything but ordinary! The 21-year-old midfielder came through the youth systems at Liverpool and City, played for Wigan, and now represents Jersey Bulls after being discovered… pic.twitter.com/ImNLBE8NLB
The midfielder’s journey into professional football began at age three, when his mother sought teams for him. Later, he earned a scholarship at Wigan, where he stayed in digs, maintained a full-time schedule, and wore the captain’s armband in the FA Youth Cup.
During his development, he played alongside players such as Jayden Danns at Liverpool, and England internationals Rico Lewis and Nico O’Reilly at Manchester City. After being released by Wigan in 2024, he played for Bamber Bridge and Newcastle Town before joining the Isthmian League South Central side Jersey Bulls, where he also serves as a youth coach.
“Everyone's from different parts of the world, you have lads who are Dutch, from Finland, Italy, there's another scouse with me in the team,” Mohamed said. “When we’re all there, and even lads who are local and playing in the Somali league, everyone’s just one family,” he said. “Everyone’s just really together and wanting to get results for the country, which I feel is very important.”
Somalia reached the final qualifying stages for the first time in their history this year after beating Mauritius on penalties following two goalless draws. They now face a group featuring three-time champions Ivory Coast, The Gambia, and Ghana.
In their opening matches, they narrowly lost to The Gambia, who scored an 83rd-minute winner, and the Ivory Coast, who secured a 2-0 victory with goals in the 89th minute and the fifth minute of added time.
Somalia is currently second-from-bottom in the group on goal difference, level with a Ghana side managed by former Real Madrid boss Carlos Queiroz. As they look ahead to their upcoming matches, Mohamed remains focused on the task at hand.
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