About Awer Mabil
Key info:
- Background: Born to South Sudanese parents in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, Mabil moved to Australia at age 10.
- Club Career: Started with Adelaide United (A-League) before a long stint with FC Midtjylland (Denmark), where he played in the UEFA Champions League. He has also played for Paços de Ferreira (Portugal), Kasımpaşa (Turkey), Cádiz (Spain), Sparta Prague (Czechia), and Grasshoppers (Switzerland).
- International Career: Debuted for the Socceroos in 2018, scoring on debut against Kuwait. He was a key member of the 2022 FIFA World Cup squad, famously scoring a penalty in the shootout against Peru to qualify.
- Charity Work: Co-founder of Barefoot to Boots, a non-profit organization that helps refugees in Kakuma with health, education, and gender equality initiatives.
Awer Mabil categories:
Socceroo Awer Mabil is co-founder of the not-for-profit organisation Barefoot to Boots, which aims for better health, education, policies and gender equality for refugees.
His own unique way of celebrating a goal is a message to those struggling with their mental health: you are not alone and you can speak up.
The winger knows something about trying times. Awer grew up in a Kenyan refugee camp after his family fled civil war in Sudan, before coming to Australia at 10. Only a year after reaching his dream to play for the Socceroos, his sister died in a car accident in 2019.
Awer Mabil now feels unbreakable. It is his experience of hard times, the memory of his sister and the knowledge that young people see him as a role model that drives him to perform. It’s what he does that Awer wants to be known for – not his background.
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