Zidane Iqbal

Zidane Aamar Iqbal (born 27 April 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eredivisie club Utrecht. Born in England, he plays for the Iraq national team.

Zidane Iqbal
Iqbal with Manchester United in 2021
Personal information
Full name Zidane Aamar Iqbal[1]
Date of birth (2003-04-27) 27 April 2003
Place of birth Manchester, England[2]
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Utrecht
Number 14
Youth career
2007–2012 Sale United
2012–2021 Manchester United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2023 Manchester United 0 (0)
2023– Utrecht 1 (0)
International career‡
2021– Iraq U23
2022– Iraq 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:32, 17 September 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:00, 7 September 2023 (UTC)

Born in Manchester, Iqbal joined Manchester United's youth system aged nine. He made his first-team debut in a UEFA Champions League match in December 2021. Iqbal represented Iraq at under-23 level before making his senior international debut in January 2022.

Early life

Born in Manchester to a Pakistani father and an Iraqi mother, Iqbal played for local side Sale United from the age of four before joining Manchester United at the age of nine.[3]

Club career

Manchester United

Iqbal signed his first professional contract with Manchester United in April 2021.[4][5] He made his first-team debut for Manchester United on 8 December 2021 as an 89th-minute substitute in a Champions League match against Young Boys.[6] Thus, he became the first British-born South Asian to play for the club, and the first ever British South Asian to play in the Champions League.[7][8]

Utrecht

On 23 June 2023, Iqbal announced that he would be leaving Manchester United to a new club, subject to registration and international clearance.[9] His move to Utrecht was announced and finalised on 26 June on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[10]

International career

Iqbal is eligible to represent England, Iraq and Pakistan at international level.[11]

In May 2021, he received an Iraqi passport, and has represented Iraq at youth international level.[12][13] In June 2021, he was called up to the Iraq under-20 team for the 2021 Arab Cup U-20. However, he was refused to travel by Manchester United, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]

In September 2021, Iqbal received his first call up to the Iraq U23s for a training camp in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He made his debut on 4 September against the UAE U23s, making the starting line-up. In October 2021, Iqbal was named as part of the 23-man Iraq U23 squad for the 2021 WAFF U-23 Championship in Saudi Arabia.[15] On 8 October, Iqbal scored his first goal for the Iraq U23 team as the captain of his side.[16]

In January 2022, Iqbal was called up to the Iraq national team for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Iran and Lebanon.[17] He made his debut in a 1–0 loss to Iran on 27 January.[18]

Style of play

Iqbal is a midfielder with lots of flair, and is fairly versatile. His main position is as a central midfielder however he has been deployed as a defensive midfielder and attacking midfielder before.[19]

Personal life

As one of a small number of British Asians in association football, Iqbal was part of an FA content series to support South Asian Heritage Month in 2021.[20]

Iqbal is Muslim, and cites Mesut Özil as an inspiration for him.[21][22]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 16 September 2023[23]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Manchester United U21 2021–22 —————3[lower-alpha 1]131
2022–23 —————3[lower-alpha 1]030
Total ————6161
Manchester United 2021–22 Premier League 0000001[lower-alpha 2]0—10
2022–23 Premier League 00000000—00
Total 00000010—10
Utrecht 2023–24 Eredivisie 1000———10
Career total 100000106181
  1. Appearances in the EFL Trophy
  2. Appearance in the UEFA Champions League

International
As of match played 7 September 2023[24]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Iraq 202220
202320
Total40

References
  1. "Premier League clubs publish 2020/21 retained lists". premierleague.com. 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  2. Zidane Iqbal at WorldFootball.net
  3. "Who is Zidane Iqbal? Manchester United teenager profiled after Champions League call-up". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. 8 December 2021. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  4. Luckhurst, Samuel (7 April 2021). "Manchester United teenager Zidane Iqbal signs professional contract". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  5. Kumari, Priyanca (9 April 2021). "Sports: Pakistani-Origin Zidane Iqbal Signs Professional Contract with Manchester United". britasia.tv. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  6. Stone, Simon (8 December 2021). "Man Utd 1-1 Young Boys: Youthful United side held in final Champions League group game". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  7. Varley, Ciaran (9 December 2021). "Zidane Iqbal becomes Manchester United's first British South Asian player". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  8. "Zidane Iqbal becomes first British South Asian to play in the UEFA Champions League". skysports.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  9. Bostock, Adam (23 June 2023). "Iqbal's emotional post as he departs United". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  10. Marshall, Adam (26 June 2023). "Iqbal transfer confirmed". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  11. "Zidane Iqbal: Manchester United youngster called up by Iraq". BBC Sport. 23 January 2022. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  12. "لاعب مانشستر يونايتد "زيدان إقبال" يتسلم الجواز العراقي" [Manchester United player Zidane Iqbal receives Iraqi passport]. shafaq.com (in Arabic). 20 May 2021. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  13. Feliciano, Daniel (10 July 2021). "Manchester United video suggests Zidane Iqbal may be the next David Beckham in the making". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  14. "مانشستر يونايتد يرفض التحاق زيدان بمنتخب الشباب" [Manchester United refuse Zidane to join the youth team]. ina.iq (in Arabic). 10 June 2021. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  15. "3 لاعباً في قائمة منتخبنا الأولمبي لبطولة غرب آسيا" [Iraqi Olympic team squad]. Iraq FA (in Arabic). 1 October 2021. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  16. "Zidane Iqbal captains Iraq under-23s and scores". United In Focus. 9 October 2021. Archived from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  17. "Zidane Iqbal: Iraq set to hand Manchester United teenager international debut away in Iran". Sky Sports. 20 January 2022. Archived from the original on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  18. "Zidane Iqbal becomes 32nd international player in Manchester United squad". Manchester Evening News. 27 January 2022. Archived from the original on 4 February 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  19. "Zidane Iqbal Positions". FootballCritic. Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  20. "A New Content Series will be Released to Support South Asian Heritage Month". thefa.com. 27 July 2021. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  21. Holt, Matthew (3 August 2021). "Iqbal Enjoying the 'Rollercoaster Ride'". manutd.com. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  22. Wood, Liam (3 August 2021). "Manchester United academy star Zidane Iqbal names his football idol". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  23. Zidane Iqbal at Soccerway. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  24. "Zidane Iqbal". national-football-teams.com (in German). Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
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