Zidane Iqbal

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Zidane Iqbal
Personal information
Full name Zidane Aamar Iqbal[1]
Date of birth (2003-04-27) 27 April 2003 (age 18)
Place of birth Manchester, England[2]
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Manchester United
Number 73
Youth career
2007–2012 Sale United
2012– Manchester United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021– Manchester United 0 (0)
National team‡
2021– Iraq U23 3 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13:42, 4 August 2021 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 9 October 2021

Zidane Aamar Iqbal (Arabic: زيدان عمار إقبال; born 27 April 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for English Premier League club Manchester United. Born in England, he is a youth international for Iraq.

Early life[]

Born in Manchester to a Pakistani father and Iraqi mother, Iqbal played for local side Sale United before being scouted by Manchester United.[3][4][5]

Club career[]

Iqbal signed his first professional contract with Manchester United in April 2021.[6][7] 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.[8] Thus, he became the first British-born Asian to play for the club.[9]

International career[]

Iqbal is eligible to represent England, Iraq and Pakistan at international level.[4]

In May 2021, he received an Iraqi passport, and has represented Iraq at youth international level.[10][11] 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.[12]

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.[13] On 8 October, Iqbal scored his first goal for the Iraq U23 as the captain of his side.[14]

Style of play[]

A midfielder with a lot of flair, Iqbal plays in either a box-to-box or number 10 role.[11][15]

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.[16]

Iqbal is Muslim and cites fellow Muslim footballer Mesut Özil as an inspiration to him.[5][17]

Career statistics[]

As of match played 8 December 2021[18]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Manchester United U21 2021–22 — — — — 3[a] 1 3 1
Manchester United 2021–22 Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 1[b] 0 — 1 0
Career total 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 4 1
  1. ^ Appearance(s) in the EFL Trophy
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in the UEFA Champions League

References[]

  1. ^ "Premier League clubs publish 2020/21 retained lists". premierleague.com. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b Zidane Iqbal at WorldFootball.net
  3. ^ Khoso, Shahal (7 January 2020). "British-Pakistani Zidane Iqbal Makes It To Manchester United's U-23 Squad". parhlo.com. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  4. ^ a b Wilson, Scott (8 March 2020). "Man United fans are getting excited about 16-year-old Zidane Iqbal after Under-18s performance". givemesport.com. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  5. ^ a b Holt, Matthew (3 August 2021). "Iqbal Enjoying the 'Rollercoaster Ride'". manutd.com. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  6. ^ Luckhurst, Samuel (7 April 2021). "Manchester United teenager Zidane Iqbal signs professional contract". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  7. ^ Kumari, Priyanca (9 April 2021). "Sports: Pakistani-Origin Zidane Iqbal Signs Professional Contract with Manchester United". britasia.tv. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  8. ^ Stone, Simon (8 December 2021). "Man Utd 1-1 Young Boys: Youthful United side held in final Champions League group game". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  9. ^ Varley, Ciaran (9 December 2021). "Zidane Iqbal becomes Manchester United's first British South Asian player". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  10. ^ "لاعب مانشستر يونايتد "زيدان إقبال" يتسلم الجواز العراقي" [Manchester United player Zidane Iqbal receives Iraqi passport]. shafaq.com (in Arabic). 20 May 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  11. ^ a b Feliciano, Daniel (10 July 2021). "Manchester United video suggests Zidane Iqbal may be the next David Beckham in the making". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  12. ^ "مانشستر يونايتد يرفض التحاق زيدان بمنتخب الشباب" [Manchester United refuse Zidane to join the youth team]. ina.iq (in Arabic). 10 June 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  13. ^ "3 لاعباً في قائمة منتخبنا الأولمبي لبطولة غرب آسيا" [Iraqi Olympic team squad]. Iraq FA (in Arabic). 1 October 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Zidane Iqbal captains Iraq under-23s and scores". United In Focus. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  15. ^ Egerton, Nathan (28 April 2021). "Man Utd literally have their own Zidane – and he even scores goals like Zizou". planetfootball.com. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  16. ^ "A New Content Series will be Released to Support South Asian Heritage Month". thefa.com. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  17. ^ Wood, Liam (3 August 2021). "Manchester United academy star Zidane Iqbal names his football idol". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  18. ^ Zidane Iqbal at Soccerway. Retrieved 8 December 2021.

External links[]

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