Friday could prove to be a very proud evening for Halle Houssein and her family.
The 19-year-old midfielder has been selected by Türkiye for the first time and could feature in their final two UEFA Euro 2025 qualifying matches over the next week.
Houssein was born in England and has previously represented the Three Lions at various youth levels, but has Turkish roots through her father, Hakan, who works at the Club as Pre-Academy Retention Coach and a Scout.
Türkiye face Switzerland and Hungary in their remaining two qualification fixtures and have the opportunity to secure a play-off spot should results go well for them. They currently sit second in League B Group 1, three points behind Switzerland and two ahead of Hungary in third.
Houssein is a West Ham United fan, and joined the Club in January 2022, initially on loan from Arsenal before making the move permanent that summer. Since then, she has gone on to sign professional terms, and spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan with Reading in the Barclays Women's Championship.
The young midfielder spoke to whufc.com about the opportunity to play on the international stage, how Turkish culture has helped shape who she is today and her hopes for the upcoming matches.
It’s a very proud moment for me and my family.
My dad’s side of the family are all Turkish, so it’s a really proud moment for everyone and I’m really excited to wear the shirt for the first time.
It was a decision that I had to think about, but I’d previously been on a camp when I was younger, and from there I’d thought that it would be something I would consider. I feel like now it is the right time to make this decision and make the step up into senior international football.
I feel like that it’s the next step in my development, and I hope that it will help me heading into the upcoming campaign.
I’m very proud of my Turkish roots!
It’s something that has been engrained in me from a young age and I’m very proud of that aspect of my life. I like the culture and it's something that as a family we celebrate, and I’m really excited to learn a lot more about it from the experiences that I will have with the national team - hopefully for many years to come.
It’s a really exciting challenge for me. I’ve come into a senior camp for the first time and it’s a completely new environment. I’m adapting to bits of the language that I don’t quite fully understand, as well as the culture and a different style of football.
Huge congratulations to @hallehoussein on her first senior call-up for the Turkey WNT! 🇹🇷 https://t.co/04lsbGX4OQ pic.twitter.com/EwXFbiPDWt
— West Ham United Women (@westhamwomen) June 28, 2024
Camp has been really good, and competitive too!
We know that we’ve got a good opportunity to secure a play-off spot by finishing second if results go the way that we want them to go.
Switzerland and Hungary are two very tough opponents, so we have to make sure that we give 100 per cent out there in both games. We’re all really excited for the matches and hopefully we will get the results that we need to continue with our hopes of qualifying for the Euros next year.
I hope that I can make my family proud by pulling on the shirt and putting in a good performance for my country when the opportunity comes.
Playing for Reading in the Championship last season was brilliant for my development.
The Championship is a very good league that challenges you. It’s aggressive, it’s tough, and it’s only getting more and more competitive. I went out on loan for the first time in my career and had to adapt to a lot, but I really enjoyed the experience.
There are so many benefits that I’ve been able to take from my time there, and I felt that when I came back into West Ham to train towards the end of the season last year.
I’m looking forward to being back in for pre-season and seeing what happens for me next year. The main thing is that I continue to improve, make positives strides in my development and continue with my journey.
