Meet the Iraq player set to make history for Pakistan
Summary
Zidane Iqbal, a football player born in England with Iraqi and Pakistani heritage, is set to make history as the first man of Pakistani descent to play in the men's FIFA World Cup while representing Iraq. This is significant for Pakistan, a country with over 240 million people, whose own national team has never qualified for the World Cup.Key Facts
- Zidane Iqbal grew up in Manchester and trained at Manchester United’s academy.
- He plays for FC Utrecht and represents Iraq internationally.
- He has mixed heritage: his father is Pakistani, and his mother is Iraqi.
- Pakistan's national team has never qualified for the men’s World Cup and is ranked 198th in the world.
- Iqbal will be the first player of Pakistani background in a men’s World Cup.
- He wears boots showing both the Iraqi and Pakistani flags to honor both sides of his family.
- Iqbal hopes to inspire young players of all backgrounds to pursue football professionally.
- He also holds the distinction of being the first British South Asian in nearly 20 years to play in the UEFA Champions League.
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