Bachar Houli

Houli was born in Australia to Lebanese parents who had migrated in the 1970s.

He grew up in the western Melbourne suburbs of Altona North and Tarneit, and attended high school at Werribee Islamic College.

He was raised a devout Muslim, praying five times a day and observing a comprehensive fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

He followed his older brothers into Australian rules football at the age of 11, but hid his participation from his parents who preferred he focus his efforts on schooling.

Bachar Houli (بشار حولي, born 12 May 1988) is a former Australian rules footballer who played 232 games over a 15-year career with and in the Australian Football League (AFL).

In his first season of competitive junior football in 2000, he won the under-12 best and fairest award while playing for Spotswood Football Club in the Western Region Football League, which was discovered by his parents who only later came to accept and encourage his footballing efforts.

By his third season, Houli's parents began to support his junior football endeavours, during which time he won two league best and fairest awards and earned selection to the local representative side the Western Jets in the TAC Cup.

In 2004, Houli was selected play for and captain the Victorian Metropolitan region at the AFL under-16 championships.

The following year, Houli was selected to represent the Victorian Metropolitan region side at the AFL Under 18 Championships, but ultimately ruled out from participation with a back fracture.

Later that year he also suffered a torn Achilles tendon in a bike riding accident.

In 2006, Houli suffered repeated stress fractures in his back, but was able to play through, including while serving as Vic Metro vice-captain at the 2006 AFL Under 18 Championships.

He kicked one goal in a match against South Australia and another two against Western Australia and was among his side's best players in each.

His performances helped keep his side undefeated through three matches and earned a premiership win at the tournament.

After consulting with a Sheikh, Houli decided to break his Ramadan fast for three days during the physical endurance tests at the AFL Draft Camp, after which he recorded impressive results that included top five rankings for the three kilometre time trial (10 minutes, 10 seconds) and beep test (14.7).

Prior to the 2006 national draft, AFL Media projected Houli would be taken by Essendon with the 47th pick.

Houli was drafted by the Essendon Football Club with the club's fifth selection and the 42nd pick overall in the 2006 AFL national draft.

He first represented Essendon in an exhibition match against the Indigenous All-Stars in Darwin in early February 2007.

Houli spent the opening weeks of the season playing reserves-grade football with the club's VFL-affiliate Bendigo Bombers, where he played as a half-forward and midfielder and recorded 30 or more disposals in three of his first five matches.

Following those performances, he earned an AFL debut in a round 7 match against the Kangaroos, where he recorded 15 disposals and kicked a goal with his first kick in AFL football.

Houli followed that effort with a two-goal showing in round 8, before lesser performances in round 9 and 10 saw him returned to VFL level for the rest of the 2007 season.

He finished the year having played four AFL matches and averaged 11 disposals and 0.75 goals per game.

Houli turned in a series of strong performances in the 2008 pre-season NAB Cup tournament, including with 17 disposals in the first half of a match against that saw AFL Media label him among his side's best players.

In addition to previous roles as a half-forward and midfielder, he began playing as a half-back during this time.

Those efforts saw him hold his place into the season-proper, where he played in a dual role as midfielder and half-back and recorded 26 disposals in a win over the that earned him the league's first Rising Star nomination of the year.

Though he missed round 9 with a virus, Houli otherwise held his place at senior level over the first 11 weeks of the season, playing primarily on the club's half-back line, including with a two-goal, 23-disposal game in round 5 that earned him his first Brownlow Medal vote.

To that point he ranked third in the club's best and fairest count.

Houli missed round 12's match against West Coast with a groin injury, which after several weeks of rehabilitation and little progress, was identified as the beginning of osteitis pubis.

The injury required surgery to repair and would effectively rule him out for the remainder of the season.

Houli played 10 AFL matches and averaged 19 disposals per game in 2008, earning himself 17th place in the club's best and fairest count.

After returning from injury, Houli regained his spot in Essendon's best 22 for the opening round of the 2009 season.

Despite six marks and 18 disposals, Houli was dropped back to reserves level immediately following that match.

Houli was regularly named a non-playing AFL emergency over the following six weeks and earned media praise from Essendon officials for his VFL output, before being recalled for round 7 of the AFL season.

He held his spot at senior level for a further five weeks, including in round 10 where he recorded a then career-best 31 disposals.

Houli missed round 12 due to a virus, but was not immediately recalled to AFL football following his recovery.

Instead, he spent another seven matches at the lower level with consistently strong performances before returning for a single match at AFL level in round 19.

Houli suffered a leg injury while training in the week that followed, with scans later revealing it to be a fractured fibula that would rule him out for the rest of the 2009 season.

He finished the year having played just seven matches, but again lifting his disposals output to 22.4 per game.

Houli recovered from his 2009 injury to complete a full pre-season training program ahead of the 2010 season, but he started the year outside the club's AFL 22.

He is a three-time premiership player with Richmond and was named an All-Australian half-back during his 2019 premiership winning season.

Houli is the first devout Muslim and third Muslim overall to play in the AFL.