Adnan Ahmed
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Adnan Farooq Ahmed (
Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
: ; born 7 June 1984) is a former professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a
midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
. Born in England, he represented the Pakistan national team. He had an 11-year career in football, including a six-year international career in which he scored four goals and won 27 caps. Considered one of the best
midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
s from Pakistan in the 2010s, Ahmed was renowned for his ball control, technique, creativity, and passing. Ahmed came through the youth academy at
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
before going on to turn professional for
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...
in 2003. After three years, he
transfer Transfer may refer to: Arts and media * ''Transfer'' (2010 film), a German science-fiction movie directed by Damir Lukacevic and starring Zana Marjanović * ''Transfer'' (1966 film), a short film * ''Transfer'' (journal), in management studies * ...
red to
Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ...
. After a two-year spell, which included
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
s to
Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system. The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...
and Port Vale, he signed with Hungarian club
Ferencvárosi TC Ferencvárosi Torna Club, commonly known as Ferencváros (), Fradi, FTC is a Hungary, Hungarian professional Association football, football club based in Ferencváros, Budapest, that competes in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, the top flight of Hunga ...
in 2009. A year later, he moved to Iran for a brief spell with Aboumoslem. He returned to England and, in October 2011, joined Bradford Park Avenue. He switched to
Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
in May 2012 and returned to Nelson after a brief spell with
Droylsden Droylsden is a town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, east of Manchester and west of Ashton-under-Lyne, with a population at the 2011 Census of 22,689. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, in the mid-19th cen ...
in 2013. He helped Nelson to win the
North West Counties League The North West Counties Football League is a football league in the North West of England. Since 2019–20, the league has covered the Isle of Man, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria, northern Staffordshire, northern ...
Division One title in 2013–14.


Early life

Ahmed was born in
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
and lived in
Barnoldswick Barnoldswick (pronounced ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Borough of Pendle, Lancashire, England. It lies within the boundaries of the Historic counties of England, historic West Riding of Yorkshire, West Ri ...
,
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
during his early life, attending Moorland School in
Clitheroe Clitheroe () is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Ribble Valley, Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England; it is located north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for to ...
. Ahmed is a British Asian of Pakistani descent. His family originate from Gujrat in Pakistan.


Club career


Huddersfield Town

Initially part of Bury
youth academy In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team if they show en ...
, as well as a two-year stint at Manchester United Academy afterwards, Ahmed chose to join
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...
where he turned professional. Despite making a few appearances for the club in league and cup competitions since turning professional, Ahmed's career has been hampered by persistent injury troubles. Ahmed has the unfortunate distinction of being the very first player to be sent off at the
Keepmoat Stadium The Eco-Power Stadium (formerly known as Keepmoat Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Doncaster, England, with a capacity of 15,231. It cost approximately £20 million to construct, as part of the wider Lakeside Sports Complex that it ...
, the new home of
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
. He was shown the
red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction. Red card may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers * Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or di ...
for a two-footed challenge on Rovers' Mark McCammon, the scorer of the very first goal in the stadium during Huddersfield's 3–0 defeat on 1 January 2007. In January 2007, Ahmed went to Lincoln City, who had shown an interest in him, on a one-week trial with Huddersfield
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy (2012–2014), both of which ar ...
saying "It will be a good experience for him and will hopefully make him appreciate what he's got here". However, no deal was done between the clubs and as a result the player returned to Huddersfield. He was released from the club in May 2007.


Tranmere Rovers

On 25 May 2007, it was announced that Ahmed had joined
Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ...
side on a free transfer, becoming manager Ronnie Moore's first summer signing of 2007. He made his debut coming on as a substitute in the second half at home in a 1–1 draw with Yeovil Town on 1 September 2007. However, competition for places in midfield saw him make just five further appearances during his debut season with the club. Because of a lack of any real first-team opportunities, Ahmed went on
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
to
Conference National The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National League (English football), National Le ...
side
Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system. The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...
at the end of October 2008, making his first-team debut in a 2–0 defeat away to
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...
on 1 November 2008. He became an instant hit with the Mansfield fans scoring a
penalty Penalty, The Penalty, Penalization, Penalisation, Penalize or Penalise may refer to: Sports * Foul (sports) ** Penalty (golf) ** Penalty (gridiron football) ** Penalty (ice hockey) ** Penalty (rugby) ** Penalty (rugby union) ** Penalty kick (assoc ...
in the 3–0 win against Salisbury City, also scoring a diving header against Weymouth to set up a 2–1 victory. After returning to Tranmere, he joined Port Vale on trial. He went on loan to Vale on 21 January 2009. Ahmed opened his account with the "Valiants" by scoring the match winner in a 2–0 win at Macclesfield Town on 25 February 2009. He returned to Tranmere in late March after Vale manager Dean Glover rejected the opportunity to extend his loan, despite impressing fans with his performances.


Ferencváros

In July 2009, having impressed the coaching staff during pre-season trial matches at Hungarian team
Ferencvárosi TC Ferencvárosi Torna Club, commonly known as Ferencváros (), Fradi, FTC is a Hungary, Hungarian professional Association football, football club based in Ferencváros, Budapest, that competes in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, the top flight of Hunga ...
, Ahmed signed a two-year deal with the team to play in
Nemzeti Bajnokság I The Nemzeti Bajnokság (, ), also known as NB I or Fizz Liga after its title sponsor, OTP Bank's webshop subsidiary, is a professional association football league in Hungary and the highest level of the Hungarian football league system. Twelve ...
. He played his first competitive game for the team in a 2–0 win over
Diósgyőri VTK Diósgyőri Vasgyárak Testgyakorló Köre, more commonly Diósgyőri VTK () is a professional Association football, football club, part of the Hungarian sports club from Diósgyőr district of Miskolc. Founded in 1910 by the local working clas ...
in the 2009–10 Hungarian League Cup on 29 July 2009. After one season, he was released from the team, having played 20 games in all competitions with 1 goal in a 4–2 win against
Kecskeméti TE Kecskeméti Testedző Egyesület, commonly known as Kecskeméti TE or simply Kecskemét, is a sports club based in Kecskemét, Hungary. It is most famous for its Association football, football section which competes in the Nemzeti Bajnokság II ...
in the Hungarian League Cup on 23 September 2009. In July 2010 he went on trial at
Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the Scottish football league system, top-level league competition for professional Association football, football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Foo ...
side
Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
, but was not offered a
contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...
.


Aboomoslem

In September 2010, after taking part in training sessions and trials, Adnan was given a one-year contract with
Mashhad Mashhad ( ; ), historically also known as Mashad, Meshhed, or Meshed in English, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. ...
-based Iranian club Aboumoslem for the
2010–11 Azadegan League The 2010–11 Azadegan League was the 20th season of the Azadegan League and tenth as the second highest division since its establishment in 1991. The season featured 19 teams from the 2009–10 Azadegan League, three new teams relegated from th ...
season. He made his first-team debut in a 1–0 home win over Iranjavan Bushehr on 7 October 2010. However, at the start of 2011, Adnan left the side and returned to England as a
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
after playing just five games for Aboomoslem.


Nelson & Droylsden

Ahmed signed with
Northern Premier League Premier Division The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English football league system. Geographically, the league c ...
club Bradford Park Avenue in October 2011. He scored a stoppage-time winner on his debut, helping Avenue to defeat
Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
2–1 on 2 November. In May 2012, he joined
Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
in Division One of the
North West Counties League The North West Counties Football League is a football league in the North West of England. Since 2019–20, the league has covered the Isle of Man, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria, northern Staffordshire, northern ...
. In November 2013, Ahmed rejoined Nelson after a short spell playing for
Conference North The National League North, officially known as Vanarama National League North for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football league in England. National League North is the second division of the National Leagues and step 2 o ...
side
Droylsden Droylsden is a town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, east of Manchester and west of Ashton-under-Lyne, with a population at the 2011 Census of 22,689. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, in the mid-19th cen ...
. He helped the "Admirals" to the Division One title in the 2013–14 season. He made three appearances at the start of the 2014–15 campaign but did not feature after mid-August. However, Ahmed re-joined Nelson once again in January 2016. He balanced part-time football with working as operating director of his father's bedroom furniture company.


International career

Ahmed received his first formal call up to the
Pakistan national football team The Pakistan national football team () represents Pakistan in men's international Association football, football in FIFA-authorized events and is controlled by the Pakistan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Pakistan. Paki ...
for their World Cup 2010 qualification against
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
on 22 October 2007 in
Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
, where he made his debut in a hefty 7–0 loss, and 28 October 2007 for the return leg in
Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
,
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
which surprisingly finished goal-less between the two sides, although Iraq went through the next round on aggregate scores. Adnan scored his first goal for Pakistan in a humiliating 7–1 loss against
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup qualification. Ahmed took part in the 2008 SAFF Cup, where he scored a goal against arch-rivals
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
in a disappointing 2–1 loss and ended Pakistan's chances of going past the group stage. Ahmed scored two goals in
2010 AFC Challenge Cup qualification The 2010 AFC Challenge Cup qualification phase saw five teams advance to the finals to join three automatic qualifiers in the final tournament in Sri Lanka. Qualification consisted of two sections. * A playoff between the 19th and 20th ranked entra ...
against
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
1–1 draw and against
Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...
6–0. Still, in the end, they finished second and could not qualify for
2010 AFC Challenge Cup The 2010 AFC Challenge Cup was the third edition of the tournament which was held from 16–27 February 2010 in Sri Lanka. India, the defending champions, fielded their India national under-23 football team, under-23 team for this tournament ...
. He showed very good performance and skill. Ahmed also took part in the 2009 SAFF Cup hosted by
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
, but it was again a disappointment as Pakistan crashed out in the group stages once again; Ahmed played two games in which he missed a late crucial penalty in the 1–0 loss against
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. After missing out on the Pakistan squad for the
2010 Asian Games The 2010 Asian Games (), officially known as the XVI Asian Games () and also known as Guangzhou 2010 (), were a regional multi-sport event held from November 12 to 27, 2010 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China (although several events commenced ear ...
football tournament, Adnan returned to the senior team for the
2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
Group B held in Malaysia where he played in all 3 games and starred in midfield despite Pakistan once again disappointing in another qualification tournament.


Personal life

After retirement, Ahmed set up a football academy alongside
Nathan Ellington Nathan Levi Fontaine Ellington (born 2 July 1981) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a striker. Ellington started his playing career with non-League side Tooting & Mitcham United. Having played once for the club, he s ...
.


Career statistics


Club statistics


International

:''Scores and results list Pakistan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ahmed goal.''


Honours

Nelson * North West Counties Football League First Division: 2013–14


See also

* British Asians in association football * List of Pakistan international footballers born outside Pakistan


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmed, Adnan 1984 births Living people Footballers from Burnley English people of Pakistani descent British Asian footballers English men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Pakistani men's footballers Pakistani expatriate men's footballers Pakistan men's international footballers Pakistani expatriate sportspeople in England Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players Tranmere Rovers F.C. players Mansfield Town F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players Expatriate men's footballers in Hungary Ferencvárosi TC footballers Pakistani expatriate sportspeople in Hungary Expatriate men's footballers in Iran F.C. Aboomoslem players Bradford (Park Avenue) A.F.C. players Nelson F.C. players Droylsden F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players Nemzeti Bajnokság I players Northern Premier League players 21st-century English sportsmen 21st-century Pakistani sportsmen