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Swedish forward Nor Mustafa has departed the Hammers on the eve of the 21/22 season. The 19-year-old striker has joined French side Le Havre on a permanent deal.

Having joined the Irons in 2020 Mustafa went on to make a total of nine appearances in the claret and blue, making her debut as a substitute against Tottenham.

Born in Sweden to Kurdish parents, the teenager modelled herself on her hero, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. And his combative style of play would be an obvious choice for someone who had to fight on three fronts to make it in the professional game.




Interviewed by The Guardian, Mustafa said: “I was the only girl there with the boys. So like, I was one of the boys.

“To be honest, a lot of people didn’t want me to play. I had people telling me: ‘You’re a girl, you should be at home, don’t play.’ I had family members who didn’t want me to play.

"But I loved it. It was my passion. I was burning for football. If I went to the store to buy milk I would have a football at my feet.”

Encouraged by a friend to play for a local team, she quickly became aware she didn’t fit in. “My friend was, like, typical Swedish, blond, blue eyes, and I’m not like that. I have dark hair and dark eyes.

"I didn’t feel welcome, they didn’t welcome me. Just because of the way I looked. But then on the pitch when I did my thing and I was better than the other girls, they couldn’t say anything.”

Her call-up to the Under 19 national team was different because “the respect was there”, she says. “You don’t go to the national team if you’re not good enough. But I was one of the only players that wasn’t the traditional Swedish girl with the blonde hair, blue eyes.”

This electric form caught the attention of West Ham’s manager, Matt Beard. He beat a host of European clubs and US interest to secure Mustafa. “Everything just clicked, they took an interest, they took care of me,”.

Mustafa’s departure from West Ham will disappoint many fans, who saw her as the long term focal point of the sides attacking options. The Swedish Under 19 player of the year will go straight into HAC’s squad for their game against Toulouse next week.

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