Former Trinity student Ayman Ben Mohamed helped Tunisian champions Espérance de Tunis win the African Champions League in a 3-0 victory over Egyptian champions Al Ahly on Friday night during the tie’s second leg. Ben Mohamed had missed the first leg, which saw Espérance lose 3-1, due to injury.
The Dublin-born, Tunisian international studied BESS in Trinity while also representing Dublin University AFC (DUAFC). The 23-year-old played a full 90 minutes as his side overcame their two-goal deficit at the 60,000-seater Stade Olympique de Radès. Espérance won the tie 4-3 on aggregate.
During his time in Ireland, his talents were first spotted as a youth with St Joseph’s Boys before joining University College Dublin (UCD)’s under-19 youth set up in 2012. He played in the League of Ireland for almost four years, where he lined out for UCD, followed by a season with Longford Town, and a half-season with Bohemians.
The Tunisian FA spotted his potential and he received an unexpected call-up by Tunisia for their friendly against Botswana in 2015. His impressive performances with Bohemians saw him signed by Espérance in 2016. In October of this year, he made his international debut for Tunisia, for whom he qualifies through his grandfather, in a 2-1 victory over Niger.
Whilst representing DUAFC, Ben Mohamed played a crucial role in the 2015 Collingwood Cup campaign where they reached their first final in 13 years. Their run to the final saw them beat fierce rivals UCD in the semi-final.
Ben Mohamed and Espérance will now represent CAF (Confederation of African Football) in the FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates next month, competing against the likes of European heavyweights Real Madrid.