After realising about 10 years after everyone else knew it that a career as a professional footballer was beyond him, Ali took a well-trodden path: degree in mathematics and philosophy followed by a seamless move into sports data journalism. He has covered just about every sport under the sun – from tennis to floor gymnastics and bowls to basketball – over more than a decade in the industry but only really knows anything significant about football. When people ask Ali what he does for a job, his stock reply is that he “tries to make numbers interesting.” You’ll have to click on some of his articles to find out if he succeeds.
