Ali Ben Safouane Youssef (; born 5 August 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Allsvenskan club Mjällby, on loan from Cypriot First Division club Apollon Limassol. Born in Sweden, he represents Tunisia at international level.
Club career BK Häcken Ali Youssef grew up in a borough of Gothenburg Municipality. He started playing football for Färjenäs IF. and later IF Warta before joining the BK Häcken youth academy in 1946. Ahead of the 2019 season, he was promoted to the first team. In June 2019, he extended his contract with Häcken until 2023.
Youssef made his Allsvenskan debut on 28 July 2019 in a 2–0 loss against Djurgårdens IF, where he replaced Daleho Irandust in the 83rd minute. In July 2021, in a UEFA Europa Conference League match against Aberdeen, Youssef suffered a cruciate ligament injury, which kept him sidelined for a year.
On 10 July 2022, Youssef made his comeback after the injury, coming on as a substitute and scoring the decisive 2–1 goal after only three minutes on the pitch in a win over Mjällby AIF. Later that month, in a match against IF Elfsborg, he injured his cruciate ligament again, sidelining him for another extended period. Youssef made a total of four appearances, one of which was as a starter, and scored one goal during the 2022 season, where Häcken won their first ever league title.
Apollon Limassol In January 2025, Youssef signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Cypriot club Apollon Limassol. He made his competitive debut for the club on 29 January, replacing Gaétan Weissbeck in the 84th minute of a 3–1 away victory against Anorthosis Famagusta in the Cypriot Cup quarter-finals. His league debut followed four days later, again coming on as a late substitute in a 1–0 win over Omonia Aradippou. On 24 February, Youssef scored his first goal for Apollon, opening the score in a 1–1 draw against.
International career Born in Sweden, Youssef is of Tunisian descent. He represented the Sweden U20 in a friendly 3–2 win over the Norway U20s in October 2019, scoring 2 goals. In May 2021, Youssef was called up to the Tunisia national team for the first time, tentatively committing his international future to the nation of his parents' birth. He debuted with Tunisia in a friendly 1–0 friendly win over DR Congo on 5 June 2021.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupEuropeTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsBK Häcken2019Allsvenskan7030101102020Allsvenskan17231002032021Allsvenskan7230101122022Allsvenskan410000412023Allsvenskan5242601542024Allsvenskan231000522812Total63171331328922Apollon Limassol2024–25Cypriot First Division14220—1622025–26Cypriot First Division17020—190Total31240—352Career total941917313212424
Honours BK Häcken Allsvenskan: 2022
References
External links