NEW! “Zidane Iqbal: Things You Might Not Know About The 18 Year Old Footballer”


NEW! “Zidane Iqbal: Things You Might Not Know About The 18 Year Old Footballer”

Zidane Iqbal

Manchester United played Young Boys in their final Group Stage game of the Champions League on Wednesday night. It was a historic game in many ways as Manchester United’s interim manager Ralf Rangnick gave first-team debuts to 7 academy graduates in the Champions League.

ADVERTISEMENT

Zidane Iqbal was the player that stood out the most as he made history becoming the first British South Asian player to play for Manchester United’s history. The game ended in a 1-1 draw but the fans loved to see a spectacle of the academy graduates in action in one of the biggest games of their lives.

10 Facts to know about Zidane Iqbal:

1. Iqbal became the first British South Asian player to play for Manchester United:

Zidane Iqbal
Zidane Iqbal

Zidane Iqbal was named on the bench for Manchester United’s game against Young Boys in the last game of the Champions League Group Stage. Fans from all around the world waited for him to come on to the pitch to make his debut as it would be a historic night.

Iqbal replaced Jesse Lingard in the 2nd half to make his debut for the Red Devils, becoming the first South Asian player to play for the club. He was wearing number 73 and played really well after being introduced.

ADVERTISEMENT

Igbal signed a professional contract with the club not too long ago. Not many must have expected him to make his debut for his beloved club so early in his career.

Also Read: UEFA Champions League: Manchester United vs Young Boys player ratings as…

2. Iqbal was promoted from the Manchester United U-18’s to the U-23’s this season:

Zidane Iqbal
Zidane Iqbal

Zidane Iqbal joined Manchester United aged just 9 and rose through the Manchester United academy with some brilliant performances. He was a part of the Red Devils’ U-18 squad last year before signing a professional contract for the club.

But after an impressive season, Manchester United’s academy manager Neil Wood promoted the youngster to the U-23’s this season.

ADVERTISEMENT

Iqbal has played an important role for the team chipping in with goals and assists. That earned him his first professional contract with the Red Devils.

Iqbal’s rise has been phenomenal and nothing short of an amazing achievement. He certainly has potential to go all the way and reach great heights with Manchester United in the future.

3. Iqbal’s parents are not of British origin:

Zidane Iqbal's Family
Zidane Iqbal’s Family

Zidane Iqbal was born in Manchester. But his father is Pakistani and his mother is an Iraqi. Iqbal is of South Asian descent and it was because of his father that Zidane started playing football.

Zidane’s father made him join their local side Sale United when he was young and since then, the wonderkid hasn’t looked back.

ADVERTISEMENT

Iqbal became the first British South Asian player to sign a professional contract with Manchester United earlier this year. Iqbal has since then stated that it was because of his dad that he started playing football and that his love for the game grew.

4. Iqbal is eligible to play for England, Iraq and Pakistan:

Zidane Iqbal vs Young Boys
Zidane Iqbal vs Young Boys

Zidane Iqbal is currently playing the Iraq Youth Team but the 18 year old is eligible to play for both, Pakistan and England.

This is because Iqbal was born in Manchester, hence making him eligible to play for England. But the 20 year old’s father is a Pakistani and his mother is an Iraqi. This makes the youngster eligible to play for any one of those nations too.

The 20 year old has currently opted to play for Iraq Youth Team but he might even consider changing teams in the future if there is an opportunity. Fans really hope to see the youngster play for England one day and make history.

ADVERTISEMENT

Also Read: Famous football analyst feels Michael Carrick has made a ‘foolhardy’ decision…

5. Iqbal is inspired by ex-Arsenal player Mesut Ozil:

Mesut Ozil
Mesut Ozil

Zidane Iqbal has not tried to hide the fact that he is inspired by ex-Arsenal player Mesut Ozil. The youngster has publicly spoken about this and said that he aims to be as successful as the former German international.

When asked about why Ozil was his inspiration, the 18 year old said, ” Mesut Ozil, because he’s a Muslim like me as well. Just seeing another Muslim footballer is a good thing.”

The youngster also added,” The journey is different for everyone, and I can tell you it’s not easy. It’s like a rollercoaster, up and down. You just have to enjoy the ride and whatever’s meant to be is meant to be.’’

ADVERTISEMENT