Zidane Aamar Iqbal (born 27 April 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester United. Born in England, he represents the Iraq national team.
![]() Iqbal with Manchester United in 2021 | |||
Personal information | |||
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Full name | Zidane Aamar Iqbal[1] | ||
Date of birth | (2003-04-27) 27 April 2003 (age 19) | ||
Place of birth | Manchester, England[2] | ||
Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[2] | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Manchester United | ||
Number | 55 | ||
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 | ||
2022– | Iraq | 2 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:29, 4 October 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 09:11, 22 February 2022 (UTC) |
Born in Manchester, Iqbal joined the Manchester United 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.
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]
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]
Iqbal is eligible to represent England, Iraq and Pakistan at international level.[9]
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 team as the captain of his side.[14]
In January 2022, Iqbal was called up to the Iraq national team for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Iran and Lebanon.[15] He made his debut in a 1–0 loss to Iran on 27 January.[16]
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.[17]
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.[18]
Iqbal is Muslim and cites footballer Mesut Özil as an inspiration to him.[19][20]
Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
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Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Manchester United U21 | 2021–22 | — | — | — | — | — | 3[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 3 | 1 | ||||
2022–23 | — | — | — | — | — | 2[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||||
Total | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | ||||||
Manchester United | 2021–22 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
2022–23 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
Career total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Iraq | 2022 | 2 | 0 |
Total | 2 | 0 |
Manchester United F.C. – current squad | |
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