Amjad Kalaf

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Amjad Kalaf
Amjad Kalaf in Al-Shorta kit after match with Al-Samawa, 26 April 2014.jpg
Kalaf with Al-Shorta in 2014
Personal information
Full name Amjad Kalaf Mansour Al-Muntafiq
Date of birth (1991-10-05) 5 October 1991 (age 30)
Place of birth Kut, Iraq
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Right Winger, Striker
Youth career
Al-Kut
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2007 Al-Kut
2007–2010 Al-Shorta (15)
2010 Erbil 0 (0)
2010–2016 Al-Shorta (43)
2017–2018 Al-Zawraa 38 (6)
2018–2019 Al-Talaba (2)
National team
2006–2007 Iraq U17 (0)
2009–2010 Iraq U20 7 (1)
2011–2014 Iraq U23 (3)
2009–2017 Iraq 30 (1)
Honours
Representing  Iraq
Men's football
WAFF Championship
Runner-up 2012 Kuwait Senior Team
AFC U-22 Championship
Winner 2014 Oman U22 Team
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Incheon Olympic Team
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Amjad Kalaf Mansour Al-Muntafiq (Arabic: امجد كلف منصور المنتفق; born 5 October 1991) is an Iraqi footballer who plays as a right winger and sometimes as a striker. He most recently played for Al-Talaba. In 2005, he became the youngest player ever to play in the Iraqi Premier League.[1]

Kalaf has represented Al-Kut, Al-Shorta, Al-Zawraa and Al-Talaba in the Iraqi Premier League. On the international level, Kalaf played for the Iraq national football team 30 times, scoring against the United Arab Emirates in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.

Kalaf played for Al-Shorta from 2007 to 2016, saving the club from relegation in 2011 with a brace against Al-Naft. He became the youngest player to captain Al-Shorta in a match in 2011, and was the club's top scorer and top assist-maker in their league title win in 2013. He also scored Al-Shorta's first two goals in the AFC Cup in 2014, and is the club's fifth-highest league scorer in history.

Club career[]

Al-Kut (2005–2007)[]

The striker is the youngest of three footballing brothers, Mohammed and Alaa, the sons of former army track and field athlete Kalaf Mansour. Born and brought up in the city of Kut, Kalaf signed for the team as a youth player.

Kalaf broke into the first team in the 2004–05 season under coach Nassir Maribi. On 14 January 2005, he made his debut in a 2004–05 Iraqi Premier League match against Al-Basra, becoming the youngest player ever to play a match in the Iraqi Premier League at just 13 years old.[2] That season, Al-Kut surprised everyone by finishing second in their group in the first stage with 8 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses, qualifying to the elite stage where they were brought back down to earth, losing all 4 matches.[3] This was still an historic achievement for Al-Kut.

Unlike the previous season, Al-Kut were not very successful in the 2005–06 Iraqi Premier League. They won just 1 match, drawing 3 and losing 8, finishing bottom of their group and being relegated to the Iraq Division One.[4] However it was a successful season on a personal level for Kalaf as he played a few games including the second half of a match against Misan on 25 November 2005 and the first 60 minutes of a match against Karbalaa on 3 March 2006. He caught the eye of Iraq U-17 coach Kadhim Khalaf who selected him for his 2006 AFC U-17 Championship squad.[5]

In the 2006–07 season, Al-Kut played in the Iraq Division One and failed to earn promotion back to the top division. However, Kalaf continued his impressive performances. He played a friendly for the Iraq U-17 team against his own club Al-Kut on 11 November 2006 and the match finished 0–0.[6] In this season he caught the eye of one of the biggest clubs in Iraq: Al-Shorta.

Al-Shorta (2007–2010)[]

Al-Shorta signed Kalaf from Al-Kut in 2007, ahead of the 2007–08 Iraqi Premier League. Kalaf was described as a "prodigy of all prodigies" and ended up breaking into the first team of one of Iraq's biggest and most successful clubs at just 16 years old.

Kalaf made his Al-Shorta debut in the first match of the 2007–08 season against Al-Shualah. He started the match on the bench, and within minutes of coming on, Kalaf scored an overhead kick to put Al-Shorta 3–0 ahead in the 46th minute.[7] He scored his second goal for the club in the very next match, the Baghdad derby between Al-Shorta and Al-Zawraa to help Al-Shorta to a 2–1 win.[8][9][10] He received the first red card of his Al-Shorta career when he was sent off in a 3–1 defeat to Al-Zawraa, a game where he played as a right-back and assisted a goal.[11] In total, Kalaf scored four goals in his debut season.[12]

In the 2008–09 season, and for the first time in his career, Kalaf was Al-Shorta's top scorer for the season with six goals, and he scored a further five in the following campaign.[13] [14] This caught the eye of Iraq manager Radhi Shenaishil who gave him his international debut in 2009.[15][16][17]

Erbil (2010)[]

On 18 September 2010, Erbil announced the signing of Amjad Kalaf from Al-Shorta, alongside the signings of Ous Ibrahim (also from Al-Shorta), Ali Mansoor (from Baghdad), Mohammed Gassid and Mustafa Ahmed (both from Al-Zawraa).[18] Four days later, the Iraq Football Association approved of the contract at their headquarters.[19]

However, Kalaf said he felt homesick outside of Baghdad and that he had stayed in contact with many Al-Shorta fans while in Erbil. Before Erbil entered their pre-season training camp, Kalaf called Al-Shorta manager Younis Abed Ali and asked him to return to the club. He then had a long conversation with Abdul Khaliq Masood, the vice president of Erbil, asking for his contract to be terminated.[20] Masood refused at first but eventually accepted Kalaf's request. In November, two months after signing for Erbil, Kalaf's contract was terminated. Former club Al-Shorta and fellow Baghdad club Al-Naft both made offers to Kalaf,[21] and Kalaf decided to rejoin Al-Shorta ahead of the start of the 2010–11 Iraqi Premier League.

Al-Shorta (2010–2016)[]

Kalaf scored goals in four consecutive matches between round 2 to round 5 of the 2010–11 Iraqi Premier League. On 5 February, Kalaf scored the winning goal against defending champions Duhok, and four days later he scored a brace in a 3–1 win over eventual runners-up of the league, Erbil. Kalaf suffered a serious injury which kept him out for months, and in his absence Al-Shorta's results plummeted as they went on a run of 1 win in 12 matches. This led to Al-Shorta finding themselves in a battle to avoid being relegated to the Iraq Division One for the first time in their history. Kalaf made his return on 1 July against Samarra, being substituted on in the second half, and scored within a few minutes to put Al-Shorta 1–0 up in a match they eventually won 3–1. In the final match of the season against Al-Naft, Al-Shorta needed a victory to avoid relegation. Al-Shorta won the match 2–0 with Kalaf scoring both of Al-Shorta's goals in the game to save them from drop.[22] For the second time in his career, Kalaf was Al-Shorta's top scorer for the season with 11 goals, despite being injured for a large period of it.[23]

In Al-Shorta's first match of the 2011–12 season, a 0–0 draw against Al-Sinaah, Kalaf wore the captain's armband because the club's captain Ali Hussein Jalil and the vice-captain Fareed Majeed were both not playing. Therefore, Kalaf set a new record for the youngest player ever to captain Al-Shorta in a match at just 20 years old.[24] Kalaf was Al-Shorta's top scorer for the second season in a row, again with 11 goals, with his team finishing seventh in the league table.[25] Al-Zawraa manager Radhi Shenaishil and Al-Shorta manager Mohammed Tabra both voted for Kalaf in their Team of the Season selections, but Kalaf did not make the final team chosen by Al-Batal magazine.[26]

Kalaf was linked with a move to close rivals Al-Zawraa in the summer transfer window of 2012 but he ended up staying at Al-Shorta due to his love for the club and its fans. On 16 June 2013, Kalaf featured in the 2013 Baghdad Cup final against Al-Zawraa and started the move which led to the cup-winning goal scored by Hussein Karim. This was Al-Shorta's first trophy in eleven years. In the final match of the league season, where Al-Shorta faced rivals Al-Talaba with a chance to clinch the league title, Nashat Akram gave Kalaf the captain's armband as a sign of respect for his great services to the club. Al-Shorta won the match 3–0 with two assists from Kalaf to become the Iraqi Premier League champions for the first time in 15 years. [27] As captain on the day, Kalaf was the first player to lift the trophy on the podium. Kalaf scored 9 goals for Al-Shorta that season, being the club's top scorer for the third consecutive season, and was also the club's top assist-provider with 11 assists.[28]

On 12 March 2014, Kalaf made history by scoring Al-Shorta's first two goals in a 3–1 win over Al-Wahda in the 2014 AFC Cup group stage - these were Al-Shorta's first two goals ever in the AFC Cup. Kalaf ended the 2013–14 season as Al-Shorta's second-highest top scorer with four goals, behind Mustafa Karim.[29] Al-Shorta topped the Iraqi Premier League standings for the second season in a row with a record of 12 wins, 7 draws and 2 losses, however the season was ended prematurely due to the war situation in the country.[30][31]

After the departure of Nashat Akram from the club, Kalaf was named as Al-Shorta's permanent captain. Kalaf was injured for a large part of the 2014–15 campaign, scoring two goals in the season. Both of the goals were in the 2015 AFC Cup group stage. The first was against Al-Hidd in a 2–2 draw and the second was against Taraji Wadi Al-Nes in a 6–2 victory.[32][33][34][35]

Kalaf's 2015–16 season was interrupted by injuries again. He scored an important goal in a 2–1 win over Al-Hedood which saw Al-Shorta qualify for the elite stage on the final day of the group stage. In the first match of the elite stage (the derby against Al-Talaba), Kalaf was substituted onto the field in the second half after just recovering from an injury, and he scored on 86 minutes to win the match 1–0 for his side. Kalaf was Al-Shorta's second-highest top scorer this season with four goals, one behind Ali Faez.

Kalaf scored his first goal of the 2016–17 season against Al-Bahri in a 2–1 win. He then bagged two goals in a 4–0 win over Al-Karkh at the end of October, and scored his fourth of the season with the only goal in a 1–0 win over Al-Kahrabaa in round 10. After a 2–0 loss to Karbalaa, Mohamed Youssef decided to terminate Kalaf's contract at the club in a controversial and highly-publicised decision. Kalaf was the club's top scorer for the season at the time. Kalaf turned up for Al-Shorta's next home game despite his release in order to cheer on his former teammates from the stands.

Al-Zawraa (2017–)[]

On 11 January 2017, Kalaf signed a contract with Al-Zawraa, fierce rivals of his former club Al-Shorta.[36] Kalaf supported Al-Zawraa as a youngster, and he has stated numerous times in the past how much respect he has for the club.

He made his debut on 14 January Vs Al-Hedood in an Iraqi league match as a second-Half substitute in a match Al-Zawraa won 1-0.[37] He scored his first goal on the following game against Zakho with a header in a match that ended 4-1 for the Baghdad Club. His first season ended with a 4th-place finish in the Iraqi league and they won the Iraq FA Cup, and they began the following season by winning the Iraqi Super Cup.

International career[]

Kalaf's first international tournament was the 2006 AFC U-17 Championship for the Iraq U-17 team, under coach Kadhim Khalaf who called him up after his impressive performances for Al-Kut. Kalaf played a part in all three of Iraq's games. Iraq were knocked out in the group stage with 2 draws and 1 loss.

Kalaf made his debut for the senior national team at the age of just 17 years old when Radhi Shenaishil called him up for a friendly with Saudi Arabia on 22 March 2009. Kalaf did not start the match but was subbed on for Halgurd Mulla Mohammed. 6 days later he made his second appearance, against South Korea, being subbed on for Herdi Nuraddin.

Kalaf scored his first goal at international level in 2010 AFC U-19 Championship qualification, scoring the opening goal in a 2–0 win over Oman. Kalaf received a red card in the same match. On 16 January 2012, Kalaf played for the Iraq U-23 team in a match against FC Anzhi Makhachkala, with the likes of Samuel Eto'o and Roberto Carlos featuring for the Russian side. Iraq lost 1–0,[38][39] but after the game Anzhi showed interest in Kalaf and got into contact with the player in an attempt to sign him, however the move never materialised and Kalaf remained at Al-Shorta.[40] Kalaf participated in the 2012 Matchworld Cup for the U-23 team which started two days after the match with Anzhi. Iraq played three matches in the tournament, winning one and losing two, finishing 6th out of 8 teams.[41]

Kalaf was called up for the Iraq senior team's 2012 WAFF Championship squad. He did not play the opening match, but was subbed onto the field on 52 minutes in the second match against Syria. He was subbed onto the field on 77 minutes in the semi-final, a 2–0 win over Oman, and was subbed on in the 74th minute of the final, but Iraq lost 1–0 to Syria and finished as the runners-up.[42] Kalaf participated in the 2013 Islamic Solidarity Games for the Olympic team, scoring the first goal in Iraq's opening match, a 3–2 defeat to Turkey. Iraq drew their next game 0–0 against Syria, before drawing their final match 2–2 against Saudi Arabia, with Kalaf scoring Iraq's second goal in that match.[43]

In the 2014 WAFF Championship, which actually started in 2013, Kalaf played the full 90 minutes in both of Iraq's matches, but both games finished 0–0 and Iraq were knocked out in the group stage. Kalaf's first trophy on the international stage was the 2013 AFC U-22 Championship, which was actually played in January 2014. In the opening match against Saudi Arabia, Kalaf assisted two goals, both scored by Marwan Hussein, as Iraq won 3–1. In the second match, Kalaf assisted another goal for Hussein as Iraq beat Uzbekistan 2–1. Kalaf did not feature in the final group match against China. In the quarter-finals, Iraq played Japan. With the scores locked at 0–0 with six minutes left of the match, Kalaf went on a bursting run and rounded the keeper to score the winning goal and put Iraq into the semi-finals where they defeated South Korea 1–0. In the final, Iraq beat Saudi Arabia 1–0 to become the champions. Kalaf was awarded the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award for the tournament.[44]

In the 2014 Asian Games tournament, Kalaf was one of Iraq's key players. He assisted a goal for Younis Mahmoud in the opening match, a 4–0 win against Nepal, before Iraq beat Japan 3–1 and Kuwait 3–0 to reach the knockout stage. In the round of 16, Iraq beat Tajikistan 4–2, with Kalaf assisting the opening goal with a cross converted by Humam Tariq. Iraq defeated Saudi Arabia 3–0 in the quarter-finals, but lost 1–0 to North Korea in the semi-finals after extra time. They beat Thailand 1–0 in the third place playoff to earn a bronze medal.[45]

Kalaf was called up for Iraq senior team's 22nd Arabian Gulf Cup squad in 2014. He was on the bench for all three matches, but was subbed onto the field in the second half of all three games. Iraq ended with 1 draw and 2 losses and were knocked out at the group stage.[46] After this disappointing tournament, Radhi Shenaishil was reappointed as Iraq manager and he called up Kalaf for his 2015 AFC Asian Cup squad. Shenaishil showed faith in Kalaf, and Kalaf started all three group matches, being subbed off late on in the last two. Iraq beat Jordan 1–0 and Palestine 2–0 and lost 1–0 against Japan to qualify for the quarter-finals. In the quarter-finals, Iraq drew 3–3 with Iran after extra-time and won 7–6 on penalties to qualify to the semi-finals. Kalaf was on the bench but was substituted onto the field in the 107th minute. He did not take a penalty in the shootout. Kalaf played all 90 minutes of the semi-final which Iraq lost 2–0 against South Korea. In the third place playoff against United Arab Emirates, Kalaf provided an assist for Iraq's first goal and then scored his first senior international goal to put Iraq 2–1 up, but Iraq ended up losing 3–2 to finish fourth. Kalaf was subbed off on 86 minutes in this match.[47]

Style of play[]

Kalaf's main attribute is his blistering pace. Described as "a gazelle on the wings", Kalaf (being the son of a former sprinter) has often made bursting, defence splitting runs down the right flank. He is also praised for his heading ability as he has scored many goals for Al-Shorta using his head, and his clinical finishing has allowed him to score more than a half-century of goals for his club.[48][49] When played on the wing, he is capable of creating goals by putting in low or high crosses into the penalty area, as demonstrated by the fact that all of his assists in the 2013 AFC U-22 Championship and 2014 Asian Games tournaments were from crosses.

Career statistics[]

Al-Shorta[]

As of match played 21 December 2016
Club Season League FA Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Al Shorta 2007–08 Iraqi Premier League 194 4 — — 204 4
2008–09 6 — — 6
2009–10 5 — — 5
2010–11 11 — — 11
2011–12 11 — — 11
2012–13 9 — — 9
2013–14 4 — 6 2 6
2014–15 0 — 4 2 2
2015–16 4 — — 4
2016–17 4 — — 4
Total 194 58 — 10 4 204 62

International[]

International goals
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 30 January 2015 Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle  United Arab Emirates 2–1 2–3 2015 AFC Asian Cup

Honours[]

Clubs[]

Al-Shorta
Al-Zawraa

International[]

Iraq U-23
Iraq

Individual[]

  • AFC U-22 Championship most valuable player: 2013

References[]

  1. ^ Al-Ghazal Al-Asmar scores against Al-Sulaimaniya Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  2. ^ Amjad Kalaf: Youngest Ever Iraqi League Player (in Arabic). Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  3. ^ Iraqi League 2004/2005 Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  4. ^ Iraqi League 2005/2006 Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  5. ^ (2014-12-29) PROFILE OF IRAQ’S 23-MAN 2015 ASIAN CUP SQUAD Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  6. ^ Kooora Forums (in Arabic). Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  7. ^ Goals from the 1st Round of the 2007/2008 Iraqi League Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  8. ^ Goals from the 2nd Round of the 2007/2008 Iraqi League
  9. ^ Goals from the 5th Round of the 2007/2008 Iraqi League Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  10. ^ Amjad Kalaf Goals in his Career (in Arabic). Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  11. ^ Iraqi League 2007/2008 First Stage Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  12. ^ Iraqi League 2007/2008 Elite Stage Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  13. ^ Iraqi League 2008/2009 Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  14. ^ "Al Shorta SC Website - History". Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  15. ^ List of Iraq International Matches and Lineups Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  16. ^ Iraqi League 2009/2010 First Stage Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  17. ^ Iraqi League 2009/2010 Elite Stage Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  18. ^ Official: Amjad Kalaf signs for Erbil Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  19. ^ Iraq FA approves player contracts Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  20. ^ "Amjad Kalaf interview 2012" (in Arabic). Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  21. ^ "Amjad Kalaf in negotiations with Al-Naft" (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 7 June 2007. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  22. ^ Iraqi League 2010/2011 Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  23. ^ Iraqi League 2010/2011 Top Scorers Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  24. ^ Iraqi League 2011/2012 Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  25. ^ Iraqi League 2011/2012 Top Scorers Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  26. ^ Team of the Season Iraqi League 2011/2012 Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  27. ^ Iraqi League 2012/2013 Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  28. ^ Iraqi League 2012/2013 Top Scorers Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  29. ^ Iraqi League 2013/2014 Top Scorers Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  30. ^ Iraqi League 2013/2014 Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  31. ^ 2014 AFC Cup Groups Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  32. ^ Iraqi League 2014/2015 Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  33. ^ Iraqi League 2014/2015 Elite Stage Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  34. ^ Iraqi League 2014/2015 Third Place Match Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  35. ^ 2015 AFC Cup Round of 16 Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  36. ^ "الشرطة تطلق سراح كلف والأخير يلتحق بسرب النوارس" (in Arabic). Sport Now. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  37. ^ "النوارس تجتاز أسوار الحدود بصعوبة ويتربع على قمة الدوري" (in Arabic). Sport Now. 14 January 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  38. ^ "Iraq 2012 Olympic Football Team Warm-up matches". 20 May 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  39. ^ "Anzhi: First Match, First Win". 16 January 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  40. ^ Amjad Kalaf Interview 2013 Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  41. ^ Dubai Match World Cup 2012 RSSSF Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  42. ^ WAFF Championship 2012 Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  43. ^ Islamic Solidarity Games Football 2013 Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  44. ^ "Kalaf claims MVP award". AFC. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  45. ^ Asian Games Soccer 2014 Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  46. ^ Gulf Cup 2014 Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  47. ^ Asian Nations Cup 2011 Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  48. ^ (2014-12-29) PROFILE OF IRAQ’S 23-MAN 2015 ASIAN CUP SQUAD Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  49. ^ (2012-90-29) MESSAGE FOR ZICO: AMJAD KELAF FOR BRAZIL GAME Retrieved 22 December 2018.

External links[]

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