David Najem (Dari: داوید نجم; born May 26, 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for USL Championship club New Mexico United and the Afghanistan national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David Najem[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1992-05-26) May 26, 1992 (age 30) | ||
| Place of birth | Clifton, New Jersey, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Full-back, Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2013 | New York Red Bulls | ||
| 2006–2010 | Paramus Catholic High School | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2013 | Columbia Lions | 64 | (10) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2015 | FC Eintracht Bamberg | 37 | (2) |
| 2016–2017 | New York Red Bulls II | 45 | (1) |
| 2018–2019 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 17 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | New Mexico United | 25 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2019– | Afghanistan | 9 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 8, 2021 | |||
Najem grew up in Clifton, New Jersey and attended Paramus Catholic High School, where he set school career records for both goals and points.[2]
Najem was a member of the New York Red Bulls Academy since the age of 14 and played with the U-23 team during his college career. He attended Paramus Catholic High School, where he captained the team for two seasons and set the school record for career goals scored with 54. In 2010, Najem enrolled at Columbia University, and played four seasons with the men's soccer team. During his senior year in 2013, he was awarded as the Ivy League Offensive player of the year, tallying five goals and six assists.[3]
After graduating from Columbia, Najem went on trial with lower division clubs in Germany and eventually signed with FC Eintracht Bamberg from the Regionalliga Bayern league in 2014.[4][5]
On May 19, 2016, Najem returned to the United States to sign with New York Red Bulls II. Najem will partner up with manager, John Wolyniec who formerly played for the New York Red Bulls and coached him in the academy.[6] Najem made his official debut for the club coming on as a late match substitute in a 1–0 victory against FC Montreal.[7] After starting in every match during the clubs playoff run, on October 23, 2016, Najem helped the club to a 5–1 victory over Swope Park Rangers in the 2016 USL Cup Final.[8]
Najem signed with the Tampa Bay Rowdies on January 11, 2018.[9]
In January 2020, Najem joined New Mexico United.[10]
He made his debut for Afghanistan national football team on June 7, 2019 in a friendly against Tajikistan, as a starter.[11]
David's brother, Adam, is also a professional soccer player who currently plays for FC Edmonton and the Afghanistan national team.[12][13]
| Club[14] | Season | League | League Cup | Domestic Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| FC Eintracht Bamberg | 2013–14 | Regionalliga Bayern | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
| 2014–15 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 1 | ||
| Total | 37 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 2 | ||
| New York Red Bulls II | 2016 | USL | 15 | 0 | 4[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 30 | 1 | 3[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | — | 34 | 1 | |||
| Total | 45 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 1 | ||
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2018 | USL | 5 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2019 | USL Championship | 11 | 1 | 1[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 2[lower-alpha 3] | 1 | 14 | 2 | |
| Total | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 2 | ||
| New Mexico United | 2020 | USL Championship | 11 | 0 | 2[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 14 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 123 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 135 | 5 | ||
| Year | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 5 | 0 |