Mahdi Karim Ajeel (Arabic: مهدي كريم عجيل, born December 10, 1983 in Iraq) is a former Iraqi footballer.[1] He last played as a winger for Al-Talaba in Iraq and the Iraq national football team.
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Mahdi Karim Ajeel | |||||||||||||||
Date of birth | (1983-12-10) December 10, 1983 (age 38) | |||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Baghdad, Iraq | |||||||||||||||
Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | |||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Winger, Right Back | |||||||||||||||
Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
1995–1996 | Al-Shorta | |||||||||||||||
1996–1997 | Al-Khutoot | |||||||||||||||
1997–1998 | Al-Sulaikh | |||||||||||||||
1998–1999 | Al-Shabab | |||||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
1999–2000 | Al-Shabab | ? | (?) | |||||||||||||
2000–2002 | Al Naft | ? | (?) | |||||||||||||
2002–2005 | Al Talaba | ? | (?) | |||||||||||||
2005–2007 | Apollon Limassol | 43 | (10) | |||||||||||||
2007–2008 | Al Ahly Tripoli | 18 | (11) | |||||||||||||
2008–2009 | Al-Khor | 19 | (3) | |||||||||||||
2009–2013 | Erbil SC | |||||||||||||||
2013–2015 | Al-Shorta | (2) | ||||||||||||||
2015–2017 | Al-Talaba | |||||||||||||||
National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||
2001–2018 | Iraq | 110 | (11) | |||||||||||||
Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||
2022– | Iraq (team manager) | |||||||||||||||
Honours
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 28 February 2018 |
Mahdi Kareem Ajeel's successful conversion to a right winger came initially came as a result of his failure claim a more central striking role in the face of competition from the likes of Younis Mahmoud. Kareem's club career began with Al Naft, where he displayed his predatory instincts by scoring regularly for the local powerhouses. However, his career as a centre-forward effectively ended when he moved to Al Talaba in 2002.
With Alaa Kadhim, Younis Mahmoud and Ahmed Salah all in their prime and ahead of Kareem in the pecking order for a starting place, the youngster found himself switched to the right wing. Not that it took long for the versatile player to adapt to his new position; indeed, it was on the wing that Kareem really came into his own.
Having thrived in his new role at the club level, he quickly broke into the Iraqi Olympic team under Adnan Hamad. There, he formed one half of a dynamic wing duo with Hawar Mulla Mohammed, whose surging down the left flank were as significant as Kareem's in breaking down opposition defences. Both figured prominently with the Iraq junior side as they came through Asia's hard-fought qualifying round to book an appearance at the 2004 Athens Olympics, where they would stun the watching world by storming into the last four.
The high point of Kareem's international career arrived later in the year when Iraq won their first continental title at year's AFC Asian Cup. He also figured prominently in Iraq's qualifying campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, scoring four times in the 7–0 victory over Pakistan. This display helped earn him a move to Al Ahly Tripoli, where he has scored 11 times in 18 appearances. Then he went to the Qatari Club Al-Khor, where he had a great season. In 2009, Iraq played disastrous Gulf Cup. After that he moved to the Iraqi club Arbil FC. He made great matches in the AFC Cup against Al-Kuwait, where he also scored a goal.
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
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1. | 8 June 2005 | King Abdullah Stadium, Amman | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
2. | 1 March 2006 | Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium, Al Ain | ![]() | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
3. | 11 October 2006 | Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium, Al Ain | ![]() | 2–1 | 4–2 | 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
4. | 22 October 2007 | Punjab Stadium, Lahore | ![]() | 2–0 | 7–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
5. | 3–0 | |||||
6. | 6–0 | |||||
7. | 7–0 | |||||
8. | 17 May 2008 | Abbasiyyin Stadium, Damascus | ![]() | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
9. | 9 June 2009 | University of the Western Cape Stadium, Cape Town | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
10. | 18 November 2009 | Tahnoun bin Mohamed Stadium, Al Ain | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2009 UAE International Cup |
11. | 11 November 2010 | Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah | ![]() | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
Iraq squad – 2004 AFC Asian Cup | ||
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Iraq men's football squad – 2004 Summer Olympics – fourth place | ||
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Iraq squad – 2007 AFC Asian Cup winners (1st title) | ||
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Iraq squad – 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup | ||
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Iraq squad – 2011 AFC Asian Cup | ||
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