The youngest of the three is Wail; he plays his matches in Ajax U11. Moeijed wears the captain's armband for Ajax U14 and has found his scoring touch with nineteen goals in fourteen matches. Mohamed is part of Ajax U19 and signed his first professional contract last summer. Their routes differ, but cross daily. "This isn't normal," says Mohamed. "And we realise that too." Every day begins the same way for the brothers. "We see each other at home, say 'see you later', see each other at the club and in the evening we’re back together at the dinner table." It's a routine that hardly stands out, until someone at the club asks a question about it. "That's also a moment of realisation. Not everyone has this. We can truly be grateful for that."
On the local pitch
The brothers grew up in Eindhoven with football as a fixed part of the day. The local pitch was a three-minute walk from home. "We were always playing football," Mohamed says. "After school, at the weekend, whenever we could." They also played a lot among themselves. Mohamed often found himself alone against his two younger brothers. "That went well for a while. But at a certain point it became more difficult," laughs the eldest. Moeijed laughs along. Wail looks at him and says without hesitation. "We beat you sometimes too."
To make it easier, Mohamed imposed small limitations on himself. He sometimes played only with his left foot, wasn't allowed to shoot hard or try too hard. Still, the balance shifted. "After a while, Moeijed wanted to take on the two of us on his own," says Mohamed. "Then he briefly thought he was better." Wail adds: "We were better." Mohamed nods. "Exactly. There was always that brotherly love out on the street. It's just in us," he says.
The road to Ajax
Years ago, Mohamed played with FC Eindhoven against Ajax, stood out and was given a clear choice at a young age. "PSV or Ajax," he says. "But I chose PSV at the time, because it was close to home." His younger brothers were already playing there at that point.
A year later, Ajax came calling again, this time for all three brothers. "There were rumours that we might be going to Ajax," says Mohamed. "After the move became definite, we relocated with the whole family to Amsterdam. Our parents and older sister fully supported our decision," Mohamed says. "No pressure, no stress." Moeijed adds: "They trusted the plan."
The Abdalla family
The Abdalla household is warm. "Good is good and bad is bad. That's our father. My mother focuses more on school and my father more on football," says Mohamed. Three sons playing football demands a lot from the family. "From Monday to Saturday, sometimes Sunday too," Mohamed says. "Almost every day revolves around football." The brothers pause for a moment. "That's why we are very grateful to our parents and our sister. Three busy boys in the house — try managing that," says Wail, listening attentively.
The bond with their mother is close. "At home I only ever call out mum", says Mohamed. "I'm really a mummy’s boy." Moeijed recognises that. "My mother is everything to me. If I want something, I can always go to her." Wail smiles. "My mother is my friend. My mate."
Papa and Mama Abdalla are almost always present at matches. "Yes, yes, yes," the brothers answer in unison. With different kick-off times, it requires planning, and very occasionally everything lines up. "My mother takes us everywhere. If all three of us are playing at home, it’s a family outing," says Mohamed. Alongside football, their faith, Islam, plays an important role in the family. "When we step onto the pitch, you can see us praying. We pray five times a day and learn the Quran," Mohamed explains.
New club, new environment
The move to Ajax required adaptability from the brothers. "It's busier here," says Wail. "Everything moves faster." Within the club, he noticed differences mainly in the details. "Shirt tucked in and socks not over the knees," he says, making his brothers laugh. For Moeijed, the biggest difference lay in the training sessions. "The intensity." Mohamed adds: "In Amsterdam, people are more direct and tougher," he says. "I had to get used to that, but I like it."
Brotherly love brings sharpness
At home, football is a topic of conversation. "On Sundays, we ask our parents who played best. Whoever was best is the happiest," says Moeijed. Mohamed takes an analytical view. "If Moeijed scores goals, I look at how it happened. What went well, what can be better?" Moeijed smiles. "Sometimes you just want to hear that it was a great goal."
They know exactly what they can learn from each other. Moeijed on Mohamed: "He's never afraid to do something. He just asks for the ball, even near the box." He is just as clear about Wail. "He has a lot of courage. And defensively he’s strong in one-v-one situations." Wail laughs, looks at his brothers at the table and starts: "From Mo I learn to dribble. From Moeijed, shooting."
Rivalry off the pitch
But they are still brothers. EAFC is played fiercely in the Abdalla household. Asked who is the best, Wail doesn't hesitate. "I beat everyone." Moeijed responds immediately. "It's between Mo and me." Mohamed laughs and concludes: "We'll decide it at home later."
That internal competition also contains their brotherhood. Asked to describe their brotherhood in one word, Moeijed says: "Love." Mohamed chooses: "Competitive." Wail smiles and says: "Cosy."
For the Future
A lot of good things happened for Mohamed over the past year: he won the Olympia Future Cup, signed his first professional contract and trained with Ajax 1. "Great moments," he says. The appreciation from his brothers is clear. Wail nods. "I already expected he would get a chance with the first team. Because he's doing well."
Mohamed's focus this season is on the U19s. "Winning the UEFA Youth League is our goal. With our qualities we can beat anyone, but we do have to work as a team." He remains down-to-earth about his own plan. "I take it match by match, how I can play as well as possible." Moeijed is looking upward for now. He wants to test himself more often with an older age group. Wail focuses on his development. "I learn a lot from Mo and Moeijed."
Living day by day
The ultimate dream is rarely spoken out loud at the kitchen table. "We basically live day by day and we don't really say it out loud yet," says Mohamed modestly. Still, it comes up regularly among themselves, often in a teasing way. "Then we say to each other: later, when I'm playing against you, you're going to have a really tough time. You're going to lose." Wail and Moeijed smile. “But the ultimate dream? The three of us together in Ajax 1," they conclude together.
