Hannibal Mejbri has been doing it on cold, wet and windy nights in Stoke this season, so shining in the warm afternoons and evenings of Qatar should come easily. The Tunisian teenager is one of the rising stars of English football and will relish any physical challenge Australia may bring when the two meet in Al-Wakrah in their second game of the 2022 World Cup.
With Denmark and France also in Group D, both Tunisia and the Socceroos know that beating each other offers the best chance of progression. It should be quite a battle and with a Tunisian called Hannibal on the pitch, there is always going to be a chance for something special.
It has already been quite a journey for the Paris-born midfielder. After making a reputation for himself and appearing for France Under-16s, Mejbri went to Monaco and then, in the summer of 2019, had the pick of plenty of big European clubs before opting to join Manchester United. The all-action 19-year-old first made a name for himself in the Premier League, coming on for United late in a 4-0 loss to Liverpool in April.
On what was a dismal night for the Red Devils, Mejbri made an impact off the bench, earning praise from an otherwise despondent Gary Neville. “To be fair at least the kid’s showing something,” said Neville. “Honestly, it takes a young kid to come on and show the rest of them how to sprint to the ball and put a challenge in. I’m actually proud of him. Maybe he doesn’t like the idea of Liverpool passing around him, I wish the others were the same.”
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But there is more to Mejbri than running around and kicking opposition players, and he is developing into a fine all-round central midfielder. He made the first of 18 appearances for Tunisia in 2021 and in the summer moved on loan from United to Birmingham City, doing so with the blessing of national team coach Jalel Kadri.
“He is not going to get much playing time at Manchester United this season and a move is a good idea. He needs to play,” said the Tunisia boss, who is now, according to reports in the local media, delighted with how it is all turning out.
He is not the only coach to be happy. Birmingham have been in a funk in recent years, finishing just clear of the drop zone in the past six seasons and this time around they started poorly once more with just five points from the first six games by the time Mejbri arrived. Helped by their new loanee, who has made 15 appearances this season so far, City have climbed the table and are sitting in the fairly unfamiliar territory of mid-table.
Blues boss John Eustace is a fan of his new star, and said in October: “The way he has played in the last couple of games has been phenomenal. He has broken records for total distance, all that kind of stuff.”
At the end of the month, other coaches were talking about him too. Headlines were made in October with an impressive win over the in-form Queen’s Park Rangers when Mejbri caught the eye and raised the ire of QPR boss Michael Beale who felt he should have been sent off for a second bookable offence – and wasn’t surprised when Eustace immediately brought the Tunisian off. “I like that boy,” Beale said. “He has got loads of personality and I have seen him play, he is a good player, he gets a little bit excited and I think John had his heart in his mouth and obviously he made the right call to get him off.”
Mejbri will relish any kind of physical battle that the Socceroos will bring on 26 November in Al-Wakrah but coach Graham Arnold will know that while the player has been turning heads, he does sail close to the wind.
Eustace has been trying to polish his rough diamond a little. “It’s something we have got to watch but he plays on the edge, that’s why he’s so good, a top player. I am certainly not going to stop him from doing what he does but he has to realise the importance of managing the games at times. He is a 19-year-old footballer, he is learning his trade and we are going to speak to him about it for sure.”
It seemed to do the job in that recent win at Stoke. Amid the driving wind and rain, Mejbri won 100% of his tackles, four out of five ground duels and completed all of his dribbles. Throw in a couple of interceptions and an assist and you have a performance to remember. Conditions in Qatar could not be more different but the competitive spirit is unmistakable and while Mejbri is not a midfield general just yet, he is rapidly rising through the ranks.
