Younis Mahmoud Khalaf (; born 3 February 1983) is an Iraqi 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

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

for the Iraq national team and is currently the second vice-president of the

Iraq Football Association The Iraq Football Association (IFA) () is the governing body of football in Iraq, controlling the Iraq national football team, Iraqi national team and the Iraqi football league system. The Iraqi Football Association was founded in 1948 and has be ...

. One of the country's greatest ever players, Mahmoud captained the team for ten consecutive years and became an icon of Asian football. He also played for a number of clubs in the

Iraqi Premier League The Iraq Stars League (), is the highest level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Iraqi Premier Division League. It is governed by the Iraqi Pro League Asso ...

, the

UAE Arabian Gulf League The UAE Pro League (), also known as the ADNOC Pro League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the highest level of the Emirati football league system. The first team to w ...

, the

Qatar Stars League The Qatar Stars League (; abbreviated as QSL), known as Ooredoo Stars League for sponsorship reasons, is the top level football league in Qatar football league system. Contested by 12 teams, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation wi ...

and the

Saudi Professional League The Saudi Pro League (SPL), also known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Saudi Arabia and the highest level of the Saudi football league system. The SPL is regarded as th ...

, winning three Golden Boots in Qatar and breaking numerous records. Mahmoud's first official international goal was an equaliser in the 89th minute of the final of the

2002 WAFF Championship The 2002 West Asian Football Federation Championship took part in Syrian Capital of Damascus. Iraq national football team, Iraq won the final against Jordan national football team, Jordan 3–2 after extra time coming back from 0–2 at half tim ...

, which Iraq then went on to win in extra-time. Three years later, Mahmoud scored in the final of the

2005 West Asian Games The 3rd West Asian Games were to be held from 7 to 17 April 2003 in Damascus, Syria. However, they were postponed and then cancelled. On 4 April 2002 the West Asian Games Federation decided that the Games would be held every four years, instead of ...

to lead his team to another title, before becoming the national team captain a year later. In 2007, Mahmoud achieved the best honour of his career, leading his country to win the

2007 AFC Asian Cup The 2007 AFC Asian Cup was the 14th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held from 7 to 29 July 2007. For the first time in its h ...

, their first such success, scoring the winning goal in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

and also winning the Golden Boot and Most Valuable Player awards at the tournament. In the

2007 Ballon d'Or 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has symbolic associations in religion, mythology, supers ...

, Mahmoud finished in 29th place, becoming the only Iraqi player ever to be nominated for the

Ballon d'Or The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual association football, football award presented by French magazine ''France Football'' since 1956 Ballon d'Or, 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season. Conceived ...

. Mahmoud played in all three of Iraq's

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth FIFA Confederations Cup, Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009, as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton ...

matches and scored in the final of the

Arabian Gulf Cup The Arabian Gulf Cup (, ''Kaʾs al-Khalīj al-ʿArabī''), also referred to simply as the Gulf Cup, is a biennial association football competition governed by the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation for its eight member nations. The history of ...

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, before retiring in 2016 as the most-capped player in Iraq's history and their third-highest goalscorer ever. He is also the only player in history to score in four different (and consecutive)

AFC Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second-oldest c ...

tournaments, with one goal in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, four in

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, one in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

and two in

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

Club career

Early career

Mahmoud started out as a basketball player, playing as a shooting guard for the Kahrabaa Al-Dibis basketball team. The team's football coach, Muwafaq Nouraddin, persuaded him to switch to football as there was more money involved in football in Iraq, so Mahmoud joined Shaabiya Al-Dibis and then began playing for Kahrabaa Al-Dibis football team in the fourth division of Iraqi football. He became a regular player for the side.

Kirkuk

In 1999, Mahmoud moved to

Kirkuk Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...

's biggest team,

Kirkuk FC Kirkuk Sports Club (, ) is a football club based in Kirkuk, Iraq. The team plays in Iraqi Second Division League. Kirkuk participated in the Iraqi Premier League for the first time in 1983–84, but was relegated for several seasons to the lowe ...

, and scored his first league goal for Kirkuk in Round 8 of the 1999–2000 Iraqi Premier League (then known as the Iraqi First Division League) in a 3–0 win over Al-Kadhimiya. He scored a penalty kick in Round 12 in a 6–1 loss against Al-Diwaniya and scored two goals in Round 13 in a 2–2 draw with Al-Ramadi. His fifth goal came in a 1–1 draw with

Al-Naft Al Naft Sports Club () is an Iraqi professional sports club based in the Adhamiyah District, East Districts of the Tigris River, Baghdad. Their football team plays in the highest division in Iraq which is the Iraq Stars League, which they have ne ...

in Round 35 (although the result was changed to a 3–0 defeat due to the fielding of an ineligible player), and he scored again in Round 39 in a 1–0 win over

Al-Karkh Al-Karkh or just Karkh (Arabic: الكرخ) is historically the name of the western half of Baghdad, Iraq, or alternatively, the western shore of the Tigris River as it ran through Baghdad. The eastern shore is known as al-Rusafa. Historically, ...

. Kirkuk failed to qualify for the 2000–01 Iraqi Premier League (then known as the Iraqi Elite League) and therefore played in the second-tier, but they managed to get promoted back to the top division at the first time of asking by winning the league, with Mahmoud being the second-highest scorer of the second-tier with 19 goals. At Kirkuk, he was discovered by scouts of

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

-based teams

Al-Shorta Al-Shorta Sports Club () is an Iraqi sports club based in Al-Rusafa, Iraq, Al-Rusafa, Baghdad. It has teams in 19 different sports, and the best known section of the club is the football team, whose origins date back to 1932. Al-Shorta was for ...

and

Al-Talaba Al-Talaba Sports Club () is an Iraqi professional sports club based in Al-Rusafa, Baghdad. Its football team competes in the Iraq Stars League, the top flight of Iraqi football. Founded in 1969, the club was named Al-Jamiea but became known a ...

, two of Iraq's biggest clubs, and he went on trial with Al-Shorta only to be turned down by their manager

Ahmed Radhi Ahmed Radhi Humaiesh Al-Salehi (, 21 April 1964 – 21 June 2020) was an Iraqi Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), striker. Nicknamed "Al-Saher" (The Magician) in his playing days and regarded as one ...

. After this, Mahmoud transferred to Al-Talaba.

Al-Talaba

Mahmoud's first match for Al-Talaba was the opening game of the

2001–02 Iraqi Elite League The 2001–02 Iraqi Elite League kicked off on 22 September 2001 and ended on 17 May 2002. Al-Talaba won their fifth league title, finishing six points ahead of Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and eleven ahead of Al-Shorta. They also won the Iraq FA Cup that sea ...

against his former club, Kirkuk. Al-Talaba won the match 8–0 and Mahmoud scored a hat-trick. Mahmoud won his first trophy with the club when Al-Talaba defeated

Al-Zawraa Al-Zawra'a Sports Club () is an Iraqi professional sports club based in Utayfia, Karkh District (near Tigris River), Baghdad. Their football team competes in the Iraq Stars League, the top-flight of Iraqi football. Al-Zawra'a have won the most ...

2–1 in the 2001 Baghdad Day Cup; Mahmoud scored Al-Talaba's second goal in the game. Al-Talaba's penultimate league game of the season was a 2–0 win over

, with Mahmoud scoring both of Al-Talaba's goals. This match secured Al-Talaba their fifth league title, as they won the league with 91 points; Mahmoud scored 13 goals in the league that season. Al-Talaba also won the

Iraq FA Cup The Iraq Cup (), commonly known as the Iraq FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in men's domestic Football in Iraq, Iraqi football organised by the Iraq Football Association. Firs ...

that season to secure the double. Mahmoud scored 6 goals in that competition and assisted the winning goal in the final. That season, Al-Talaba also reached the final of the

11th Umm al-Ma'arik Championship The 11th Umm al-Ma'arik Championship () was the eleventh occurrence of the Baghdad Championship. The competition was organised by the Iraq Football Association and the top eight teams of the 2000–01 Iraqi Elite League competed in the tournament. ...

, but they lost the final 1–0 to Al-Shorta; Mahmoud scored 4 goals in that competition. Mahmoud's Al-Talaba started the 2002–03 campaign by winning the

2002 Iraqi Perseverance Cup The 2002 Iraqi Perseverance Cup () was the 7th edition of the Iraqi Super Cup. The match was contested between Baghdad rivals Al-Talaba and Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya at Al-Shaab Stadium in Baghdad. It was played on 30 August 2002 as a curtain-raiser to th ...

(now known as Iraqi Super Cup) 2–1 against

Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya () is an Iraqi sports club based in Al-Rusafa, Iraq, Rusafa District, Baghdad that competes in the Iraq Stars League, the top-flight of Football in Iraq, Iraqi football. Founded in 1931, it is the oldest existing club in Iraq. ...

. The Iraqi Elite League was renamed 'Iraqi First Division League' for the 2002–03 season and Mahmoud scored 13 goals in the league that season before it was cancelled due to war. Al-Talaba won the Iraq FA Cup again and also lost the

12th Umm al-Ma'arik Championship The 12th Umm al-Ma'arik Championship () was the twelfth occurrence of the Baghdad Championship. The competition was organised by the Iraq Football Association and the top eight teams of the 2001–02 Iraqi Elite League competed in the tournament. ...

final to Al-Shorta again. They also played in the

2002–03 AFC Champions League The 2002–03 AFC Champions League was the twenty-second edition of Asia's premier football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and the first edition under the AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League Elite (abb ...

but were knocked out at the group stage; Mahmoud scored 2 goals in that tournament, both against

Turkmen Turkmen, Türkmen, Turkoman, or Turkman may refer to: Peoples Historical ethnonym * Turkoman (ethnonym), ethnonym used for the Oghuz Turks during the Middle Ages Ethnic groups * Turkmen in Anatolia and the Levant (Seljuk and Ottoman-Turkish desc ...

club

Nisa Aşgabat Nisa Aşgabat is a Turkmen professional football club based in Aşgabat. They relegated from the top division in Turkmen football in 2006 and currently play in the second division, the Birinji liga. Their home stadium is Nisa-Çandybil Stadium ...

. While an Al-Talaba player, Mahmoud also represented the Iraq Police team in the 2002 Arab Police Championship, a competition for Police teams in the

Arab world The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

, along with the rest of the Iraq youth team players. Iraq Police won all 4 matches they played and they conceded only 1 goal in the tournament. They won the competition finishing 7 points ahead of the 2nd-placed team. It was the 5th time that Iraq won the Arab Police Championship in its history.

Al-Wahda

After the start of the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

in 2003, football in Iraq was put on hold, so Mahmoud moved to

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

club Al-Wahda in October. He scored in the

2004 AFC Champions League The 2004 AFC Champions League was the 23rd edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament and the 2nd edition under the current AFC Champions League title. The title was won by Al-Ittihad who defeated Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in the final. ...

in a 3–0 win against Iraqi club

. A few months into his spell, he got into a verbal argument with the club's manager,

Rinus Israël Marinus "Rinus" David Israël (born 19 March 1942) is a Dutch former professional association football, football player and manager who is currently a scout. Nicknamed "Iron Rinus", he formed a solid defence line at Feyenoord with Theo Laserom ...

, who subsequently refused to play him in any matches from there on.

Al-Khor

After the

2004 AFC Asian Cup The 2004 AFC Asian Cup was the 13th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held from 17 July to 7 August 2004 in China. ...

, Mahmoud joined

club

Al-Khor Al Khor (; also spelled ''Al Khawr''), officially Al Khor and Al Thakhira, is a Municipalities of Qatar, municipality in northeastern Qatar. Al Khor (city), Al Khor City, the municipal seat, is located on the northeast coast of Qatar, around f ...

with his compatriots Haidar Jabar and

Qusay Munir Qusay Muneer Abboodi Al-Hussein (; born 12 April 1981 in Iraq) is a former footballer and currently head coach of Al-Diwaniya. Prior to his managerial career Muneer was an acclaimed central midfielder with more than 80 caps for the Iraqi Nation ...

. In the

2004–05 Qatar Stars League Statistics of Qatar Stars League for the 2004–05 season. Overview It was contested by 10 teams, and Al-Gharafa SC, Al-Gharafa won the league. Personnel Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Play ...

, Al-Khor finished in 3rd place and Mahmoud scored 19 goals, the 3rd-highest amount in the league. He broke three records in one game in an 8–0 victory over

Al-Shamal Al Shamal () is a municipality in Qatar. Its seat is Madinat ash Shamal and it is considered to be one of the major cities in Qatar, although its population is barely over 7,000. The seat's name translates to "city of the north". Ras Rakan, the ...

. Having scored 6 goals in the match, he became the only player to have scored two hat-tricks in a single league match. He also scored the fastest goal in a league match, taking 30 seconds to score after the game had started. Furthermore, he was the only player that season to score three goals in each half against two different goalkeepers. He assisted in the two other goals in the match. Al-Khor were knocked out of the 2005

Emir of Qatar Cup Emir of Qatar Cup (), also known as the Emir Cup, but changed to Amir Cup starting in 2019, is an association football tournament played every season by all first and second division teams in Qatar. The tournament is played in a knockout system, ...

at the quarter-final stage, losing on penalties to

Al-Sadd Al Sadd Sports Club () is a Qatari sports club based in the Al Sadd district of the capital city Doha. It is best known for its association football team, which competes in the top level of Qatari football, the Qatar Stars League. Locally, it i ...

after a 2–2 draw in which Mahmoud scored. Al-Khor won the

Qatar Crown Prince Cup The Qatar Cup (formerly known as Qatar Crown Prince Cup) is a tournament in men's football. It is played by the top 4 teams of the Qatar Stars League after each season. In 2013, the tournament was renamed Qatar Cup. Previous winners All-time ...

though with Mahmoud scoring 4 goals in that competition including 2 goals in the final which Al-Khor won 2–1. Al-Khor finished in a disappointing 7th position in the

2005–06 Qatar Stars League Statistics of Qatar Stars League for the 2005–06 season. Overview It was contested by 10 teams, and Al-Sadd won the championship. Personnel Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA The Fédération Internation ...

, but Mahmoud scored an impressive 20 league goals, the 2nd-highest amount in the league. They were again knocked out at the quarter-final stage of the Emir of Qatar Cup and Mahmoud scored 2 goals in that competition.

Al-Gharafa

Mahmoud transferred to

Al-Gharafa Al-Gharafa Sports Club () is a Qatari multi-sports club based in the Al Gharrafa district of Ar Rayyan, Al Rayyan municipality. The club is best known for its association football, football team, although it also has teams for other sports. The ...

in 2006 and he would stay there for the next 5 years. Al-Gharafa finished as runners-up of the

2006–07 Qatar Stars League Statistics of Qatar Stars League for the 2006–07 season. Overview It was contested by 10 teams, and Al-Sadd won the championship. Personnel Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hol ...

, and Mahmoud's 19 goals saw him take the Golden Boot award for the first time in his career. Al-Gharafa were runners-up of the Qatar Crown Prince Cup and Mahmoud scored 1 goal, in the semi-final. They were knocked out of the Emir of Qatar Cup in the semi-final, and Mahmoud scored 1 goal, in the quarter-final. Mahmoud started the season by winning the 2007

Sheikh Jassim Cup The Sheikh Jassim Cup () is an annual men's super cup competition in Qatari football held between the winner of the Qatar Stars League and the Emir of Qatar Cup. History The inaugural Sheikh Jassim Cup was held in 1977. Prior to the 2014 She ...

and scoring 2 goals in the final, both in extra-time. Mahmoud won his first

title in 2007–08 and scored 16 league goals, the 4th-highest amount in the league. Al-Gharafa lost the final of the Qatar Crown Prince Cup, with Mahmoud scoring 2 times in the semi-final. They also lost the final of the Emir of Qatar Cup, and Mahmoud scored 3 goals in that competition including 1 in the final. Al-Gharafa were knocked out of the group stage of the

2008 AFC Champions League The 2008 AFC Champions League was the 27th AFC Champions League, the top-level Asian club football tournament, and the 6th under the current AFC Champions League title. It was the last AFC Champions League before the competition expanded to 32 te ...

and Mahmoud scored 1 goal in that competition.

Al-Arabi

Mahmoud joined Al-Arabi at the start of the 2008–09 season on loan and with them won the

. He scored 2 league goals for Al-Arabi in the

2008–09 Qatar Stars League The 2008–09 Qatar Stars League season was the 36th edition of top level football in Qatar and started on the 13 September 2008. The season was played in 3 stages: The 2008–09 calendar released by the QFA saw the first phase run through 13 Se ...

Return to Al-Gharafa

Mahmoud returned to Al-Gharafa midway through the season and scored 1 goal for them in the 2008–09 Qatar Stars League, when they again won the league championship. He played in the Qatar Crown Prince Cup but they lost the semi-final to

Qatar SC Qatar Sports Club () is a sports club based in Doha, Qatar. It is best known for its football team which competes in the Qatar Stars League. The club was founded in 1961 with the merger of two Qatari football clubs, Al-Oruba and Al-Nasour. They ...

. However, they won the

2009 Emir of Qatar Cup The 2009 Emir of Qatar Cup was the 37th edition of a men's football tournament in Qatar. The tournament is played by the 1st and 2nd Level divisions of the Qatari football league structure. The top four sides of the Qatari League 2008–09, 2008 ...

, Mahmoud scoring 3 goals. With Al-Gharafa, Mahmoud won a third consecutive league title. He scored 21 goals which earned him the Golden Boot award again. He scored 4 goals in the 2009 Sheikh Jassim Cup, where Al-Gharafa were knocked out in the semi-finals, and 3 goals in the

2009 Qatari Stars Cup The 1st Qatari Stars Cup The Qatari Stars Cup is a Qatari football competition known as Ooredoo Cup due to sponsorship reasons. The knockout competition, which involves a round-robin structure, was first started in 2009 when the Qatar Star ...

(including 2 in the final) which Al-Gharafa won. In the

2010 Qatar Crown Prince Cup The 2010 Qatar Crown Prince Cup was the 16th edition of the cup tournament in men's football (soccer). It is played by the top-4 teams of the Qatar Stars League after the end of each season. 2010 Participants * Al-Gharrafa : 2009–10 Qatar Star ...

Final, Mahmoud scored 2 goals to lead Al-Gharafa to yet another cup win. Al-Gharafa were knocked out of the

2010 Emir of Qatar Cup The 2010 Emir of Qatar Cup was the 38th edition of a men's football tournament in Qatar. It was played by the 1st and 2nd level divisions of the Qatari football league structure. The top four sides of the 2009–10 Qatar Stars League season ent ...

at the quarter-finals, and the

2010 AFC Champions League The 2010 AFC Champions League was the 29th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 8th under the current AFC Champions League title. The final was held at the National ...

(in which Mahmoud scored 4 goals) at the quarter-finals too. His campaign started off with the 2010 Sheikh Jassim Cup where Al-Gharafa were knocked out at the group stage; Mahmoud scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...

in a 5–0 win over Al-Markhiya in that competition. In the

2010–11 Qatar Stars League The 2010-11 Qatar Stars League was the 38th edition of the top level football championship in Qatar and ran from September 2010 to April 2011. Teams Al-Shamal were relegated to the second-level league after finishing bottom in the 2009–10 Q ...

, Al-Gharafa finished in second place and Mahmoud won the Golden Boot award for the third time, with 15 league goals. Al-Gharafa were knocked out at the group stage of the

2010 Qatari Stars Cup The 2nd Qatari Stars Cup started on 18 November 2010. The ''Stars Cup'' is one of four competitions in the 2010–11 Qatari football season. 12 clubs are taking part in the tournament. They were divided into two groups of six teams, with the win ...

, but they won the

2011 Qatar Crown Prince Cup The 2011 Qatar Crown Prince Cup is the 17th edition of the cup tournament in men's football (soccer). It is played by the top-4 teams of the Qatar Stars League after the end of each season. 2011 Participants * Lekhwiya : 2010–11 Qatar Stars Lea ...

and lost the final of the

2011 Emir of Qatar Cup The 2011 Emir of Qatar Cup was the 39th edition of a men's football tournament in Qatar. It is played by the 1st and 2nd Level divisions of the Qatari football league structure. The top four sides of the 2010–11 Qatar Stars League season enter ...

(where Mahmoud scored 1 goal in the quarter-final). In the

2011 AFC Champions League The 2011 AFC Champions League was the 30th edition of the top-level Asian club association football, football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 9th under the current AFC Champions League title. The winners, ...

, Al-Gharafa were knocked out at the group stage, where Mahmoud scored a hat-trick against

Al-Jazira Jazira, al-Jazira, Jazeera, al-Jazeera, etc. are all transcriptions of Arabic meaning "the island" or "the peninsula". The term may refer to: Business * Jazeera Airways, an airlines company based in Kuwait Locations * Al-Jazira, a traditional ...

Al-Wakrah

In 2011, Mahmoud signed for

Al-Wakrah Al Wakrah () is the capital city of the Al Wakrah Municipality in Qatar. Al Wakrah's eastern edge touches the shores of the Persian Gulf and Qatar's capital Doha is situated immediately north of the city. Governed by Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Jassi ...

, who had finished in 7th place in the league the previous season. Al-Wakrah were knocked out of the

2011 Sheikh Jassim Cup The 2011 Sheikh Jassim Cup was the 33rd edition of the league cup competition for football teams from Qatar. Al-Arabi are the defending champions. Groups 18 clubs from the Qatar Stars League and Qatari 2nd Division were drawn into 4 groups. T ...

at the group stage, and they finished in 7th place again in the

2011–12 Qatar Stars League The 2011–12 Qatar Stars League was the 39th edition of top-level football championship in Qatar. The season started on 1 September 2011 and finished on 13 April 2012. Lekhwiya were the defending champions. Teams Al-Sailiya were relegated to ...

; Mahmoud scored 8 goals in the league. Mahmoud earned his first honour with Al-Wakrah when they won the 2011 Qatari Stars Cup, with Mahmoud scoring 1 goal in the semi-final (and also missing a penalty). In the

2012 Emir of Qatar Cup The 2012 Emir of Qatar Cup was the 40th edition of a men's football tournament in Qatar. It was played by the 1st and 2nd level divisions of the Qatari football league structure. The top four sides of the 2011–12 Qatar Stars League season ente ...

, Al-Wakrah lost the quarter-final to Mahmoud's future club Al-Sadd. Al-Wakrah were knocked out at the group stage of the Sheikh Jassim Cup again in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

. Mahmoud scored 8 league goals for Al-Wakrah this season. They were knocked out at the group stage of the

2012–13 Qatari Stars Cup The 2012–13 Qatari Stars Cup is the 4th edition of the league cup competition in Qatar. It started on 6 October 2012. It features 12 teams from the Qatar Stars League divided into two groups, with the winner and runner-up of each group advancin ...

Al-Sadd

On 8 February 2013, days after Al-Wakrah were knocked out of the Qatari Stars Cup, Mahmoud signed for

, joining until the end of the 2012–13 season. He made his league debut on 11 February 2013, in Al-Sadd's 3–0 win over Al-Sailiya. Mahmoud scored 2 league goals for Al-Sadd in the 2012–13 season and Al-Sadd won the league as Mahmoud achieved his fourth Qatar Stars League title. Mahmoud equalled Nasser Kamile's record for goals in the Qatar Crown Prince Cup after scoring against

Al-Rayyan Al Rayyan (; also spelled ''Ar Rayyan'') is the third-largest municipalities of Qatar, municipality in Qatar. Its primary settlement is the Al Rayyan (city), city of the same name, which occupies the entire eastern section and is a part of the Do ...

in the semi-final on 26 April. He scored what would be his 10th goal, tying him with Kamile, who participated in the tournament since its inception in 1995. Mahmoud went on to score in the final of that competition too, but Al-Sadd lost the match 3–2 to

Lekhwiya SC Al-Duhail Sports Club (), formerly Lekhwiya SC, is a Qatari sports club, best known for its football team, which plays in the Qatar Stars League. The club is based in the Duhail district in the city of Doha and plays its home games at Abd ...

. Mahmoud also scored in the semi-final of the

2013 Emir of Qatar Cup The 2013 Emir of Qatar Cup was the 41st edition of a men's football tournament in Qatar. It was played by the 1st and 2nd level divisions of the Qatari football league structure. The draw for the competition was on 1 April 2013. The cup winner ...

, and Al-Sadd reached the final, only to lose it 2–1 against Al-Rayyan.

Al-Ahli

On 16 September 2013, Mahmoud signed for

side Al-Ahli, signing a 4-month contract with the club. He made his league debut on 23 September 2013, in Al-Ahli's 5–1 win over

Al-Nahda The Nahda (, meaning 'the Awakening'), also referred to as the Arab Awakening or Arab Enlightenment, was a cultural movement that flourished in Arab-populated regions of the Ottoman Empire, notably in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Tunisia, during ...

, scoring Al-Ahli's opening 2 goals. Just over a month later, he scored his 3rd (and final) goal for the club in a 5–2 victory over Al-Shoulla. Younis ended his contract 2 weeks before the official end of it.

Erbil

In February 2015, after the

2015 AFC Asian Cup The 2015 AFC Asian Cup was the 16th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in Australia from 9 to 31 January 201 ...

, Mahmoud returned to Iraq to play for

Erbil Erbil (, ; , ), also called Hawler (, ), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is the capital of the Erbil Governorate. Human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC. At the h ...

, but only in

AFC Cup The AFC Champions League Two (abbreviated as the ACL Two or ACL2) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation. It is the second-tier competition of Asian club football, ranked below the AFC C ...

games, because he did not want to compete in the

against his former club

. On 15 April, he made his debut for the club against

FC Ahal Ahal Änew Football Club (), or simply Ahal FK, is a Turkmen professional football club based in the Änew, Ahal Province. Founded in 1989, the club played its first-ever top flight season in 1992. The club plays its home matches at the 20,000 ...

and scored 2 goals in the match (a header and a Panenka penalty), but could not prevent his side from being defeated 3–2 in the game. He was given the captain's armband for Erbil's next AFC Cup match against

FC Istiklol Football Club Istiklol () is a Tajik professional football club owned by Maldivian Conglomerate Maziya. Founded in 2007, the club competes in the Ligai Olii Tojikiston, the top flight of Tajik football league system. It was founded to commemo ...

, but the game finished goalless and Erbil crashed out of the tournament at the group stage.

Al-Talaba

On 12 September 2015, Mahmoud returned to play for his former club

. He was given the captain's armband and the number 9 shirt and he scored 3 goals in the

2015–16 Iraqi Premier League The 2015–16 Iraqi Premier League (known as the Fuchs Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 42nd season of the Iraqi Premier League since its establishment in 1974. The season started on 15 September 2015 and concluded on 22 May 2016. ...

(against

, Al-Samawa and Naft Al-Wasat) as Al-Talaba finished the league in 3rd position (their highest league position for 6 years). At the end of the season, Mahmoud announced his retirement from football.

Ballon d'Or nomination

Younis Mahmoud is the only Iraqi player in history to have made the

shortlist, when he finished 29th in

. In that year, he was the only outfield player who did not play in European clubs among players of the list, and was the only Asian player to get points.

Kaká Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (; born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká () or Ricardo Kaká, is a Brazilian former professional Association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. In his prime at A.C. Milan, AC Mil ...

won the Ballon d'Or that year, while Mahmoud earned two points, finishing ahead of 21 world-renowned players including the likes of

Samuel Eto'o Samuel Eto'o Fils (; born 10 March 1981) is a Cameroonian Association football, football administrator and former Football player, player who is the current president of the Cameroonian Football Federation. He is often regarded as one of the ...

David Beckham Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham ( ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Primarily a right winger and known for his range of passing, cross ...

and

Robin van Persie Robin van Persie (; born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch football coach and former professional association football, footballer who is the head coach of Eredivisie club Feyenoord. He is regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and was ...

International career

In March 2002, while many were questioning his temperament and lack of experience, coach

Adnan Hamad Adnan Hamad Majid Al-Abbassi (; born 1 February 1961) is an Iraqi football manager and former player, who last managed Saudi Pro League club Al-Orobah. Career Playing career Adnan was born in Samarra, Iraq, the son of a wealthy land-owning fam ...

named Mahmoud in his squad for

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 ...

's training camp in Italy and gave him his first start against

Serie B The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...

club

Cagliari Calcio Cagliari Calcio, commonly referred to as Cagliari (), is an Football in Italy, Italian football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia, that plays in Serie A, the first tier of Italian football. The club currently plays home matches at the 16,416-sea ...

and he later went on to score. Mahmoud's full international debut was against

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 ...

in a friendly in

on 19 July 2002. His 1st goal came in the final of the

in the 89th minute to take the game to extra-time, where Iraq won through

Haidar Mahmoud Haidar Mahmoud Majid (; born 19 September 1973) is an Iraqi football coach and former player. As a player, Mahmoud played as a right-back, representing Iraq in the 1996 and 2000 AFC Asian Cup. He also played club football with Al Zawraa for 10 y ...

's golden goal. In his next match for Iraq, a

qualifier, he scored 4 goals against

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

and then went on to score a hat-trick against

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. He scored 6 goals for the Olympic team in the 2003 Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Friendship Cup, including a hat-trick against

Al-Nassr Al-Nassr Football Club () is a professional football club based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The club competes in the Saudi Pro League, the top tier of the Saudi football league system. Al-Nassr is one of only three clubs to have participated ...

and the only goal in the final against

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

, as Iraq won the cup. His achievements in 2003 saw him get nominated for the

Asian Young Footballer of the Year The Asian Young Footballer of the Year award, officially known as the AFC Youth Player of the Year award, is presented to the best young football player in Asia. It has been awarded by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) since 1995. It is usually ...

. He was part of Iraq's 2004 Olympic Games qualifying squad and scored goals against

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

and

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

as Iraq managed to qualify. Mahmoud scored 1 goal in the 2004 Asian Cup against

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, and in the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

finals, Iraq finished in 4th place and Mahmoud scored 1 goal, against

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. Iraq participated in the

and Mahmoud scored 3 goals in the tournament, including a goal in the final which Iraq went on to win to claim the gold medal. In

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, Iraq participated in the

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...

and reached the final but lost to

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

; Mahmoud scored 3 goals in the tournament. In 2006, Mahmoud became the Iraq captain, taking over from

Razzaq Farhan Razzaq Farhan Mussa (; born 1 July 1974) is a former Iraqi Association football, footballer and Olympic athlete who is currently the assistant manager of the Iraq national football team. Razzaq Farhan is an instinctive goalscorer, whose speed ...

. 2007 was one of the best years of Mahmoud's career; he scored 1 goal in the

2007 WAFF Championship The 2007 West Asian Football Federation Championship was held in Jordan's capital Amman. Iran won the final against Iraq 2–1. The 6 entrants were Iraq, Iran, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and host nation Jordan. The finals took place between 16 a ...

where Iraq finished as runners-up, and he scored 4 goals in the

including the winning goal in the final as Iraq won their 1st ever Asian Cup. Mahmoud won the top scorer award and the MVP award in the tournament, and nominated for the 2007 Asian Footballer of the Year award and the

, becoming the first Iraqi player in history to be nominated for the prestigious

award. 2 years later, he won his final trophy for Iraq, the 2009 UAE International Cup, and that year he also participated in the

, playing all 3 of Iraq's games. He scored in his 3rd consecutive Asian Cup tournament with a goal against

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

in the

2011 AFC Asian Cup The 2011 AFC Asian Cup was the 15th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in Qatar from 7 to 29 January 2011. It was the secon ...

. Mahmoud scored 7 goals in qualification for the

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...

but Iraq finished bottom of their group in the final round and failed to qualify. At the start of 2013, Iraq participated in the

21st Arabian Gulf Cup The 21st Arabian Gulf Cup () was the twenty-first edition of the biennial football competition. It took place in Bahrain in January 2013. The competition was originally scheduled to be hosted in the city of Basra, Iraq, but was moved to Bahrain ...

and Iraq finished as runners-up; Mahmoud scored 2 goals in the tournament including Iraq's only goal in the final: a 2–1 defeat to the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

after extra-time. Mahmoud led Iraq to qualify for the

by scoring 4 goals in the qualifying rounds including 2 goals in the decisive match against

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. He participated as one of Iraq's overaged players in the

2014 Asian Games The 2014 Asian Games (), officially known as the 17th Asian Games () and also known as Incheon 2014 (), were a pan-Asian multi-sport event held from 19 September to 4 October 2014 in Incheon, South Korea. On 17 April 2007, Incheon was awarded ...

and he scored 4 goals in the tournament as Iraq won the bronze medal. In the 2015 Asian Cup, Iraq finished in 4th place and Mahmoud scored 2 goals (against

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

and Iran which saw him become the only player to score in 4 consecutive Asian Cup tournaments). On 28 March 2015, Iraq played a friendly match against

DR Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

and the match saw Mahmoud become Iraq's most-capped player of all-time. Mahmoud continued to be a key player for Iraq during their

2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded t ...

qualifying campaign and he scored 4 goals in Iraq's group including a free-kick against

Chinese Taipei "Chinese Taipei" is the term used in various international organizations and tournaments for groups or delegations representing the Republic of China (ROC), a country commonly known as Taiwan. Due to the One China principle stipulated by the ...

to send Iraq to the final round. He announced his retirement from football on 23 August 2016. Overall, Mahmoud scored 57 goals in 148 international matches.

Controversy

In March 2004, Younis Mahmoud got into a scuffle with the Iraqi coaching staff led by German

Bernd Stange Bernd Walter Stange (born 14 March 1948) is a German football manager who last managed the Syria national team. During his playing career, he played for Chemie Gnaschwitz, Vorwärts Bautzen, and HSG DHfK Leipzig as a defender. Playing care ...

, who left his position after the match. He was angry at the coach after being left on the bench until the 74th minute of the draw against

at the

2006 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification competition was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation – the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America ...

Personal life

Younis Mahmoud is an

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Musli ...

. He has married three times. His younger brother Omar Mahmoud is also a footballer.

Career statistics

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

Honours

Kirkuk *

Iraqi First Division League The Iraqi First Division League is a Association football, football league that is the third tier of the Iraqi football league system, which was founded in 1974. The league consists of 20 teams split into two groups in the first stage. The top fou ...

: 2000–01 Al-Talaba *

: 2001–02 *

: 2001–02, 2002–03 *

Iraqi Super Cup The Iraqi Super Cup (), previously called Iraqi Perseverance Cup (), is a super cup tournament in Iraqi football. Founded in 1986 as a two-team competition, the current version has been contested since 2025 by six teams: the top four teams from t ...

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

Al-Khor *

: 2005 Al-Gharafa *

: 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10 *

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

: 2007 *

Qatari Stars Cup The Qatari Stars Cup is a Qatari football competition known as Ooredoo Cup due to sponsorship reasons. The knockout competition, which involves a round-robin structure, was first started in 2009 when the Qatar Stars League structure was amen ...

Al-Arabi *

: 2008 Al-Wakrah *

: 2011–12 Al-Sadd *

2012–13 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 ...

Iraq *

WAFF Championship The West Asian Football Federation Championship (), or simply WAFF Championship, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF), the ...

West Asian Games The West Asian Games (abbreviated as the WAG) is a multi-sport event held among the athletes from West Asia. The West Asian Games was first organised in Tehran, Iran and was considered as the first of its kind. The success of the Games led to th ...

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

Individual *

top scorer: 2006–07, 2009–10,

2010–11 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 ...

most valuable player:

joint top scorer:

* Asian Footballer of the Year nominee (2nd place): 2007 *

nominee (29th place):

Premio internazionale Giacinto Facchetti The ''Premio internazionale Giacinto Facchetti – Il bello del calcio'' ("Giacinto Facchetti International Award – The beauty of football") is a recognition established in 2006 awarded annually to a football personality for their fair play and s ...

: 2007 * Soccer Iraq Team of the Decade: 2010–2019

References

External links

* *
Profile
on Iraqsport * at Iraqi Football website {{DEFAULTSORT:Mahmoud, Younis 1983 births Living people Iraqi Sunni Muslims People from Kirkuk Governorate Iraqi men's footballers Men's association football forwards Al-Talaba SC players Al Wahda FC players Al-Khor SC players Al-Gharafa SC players Al-Arabi SC (Qatar) players Al-Wakrah SC players Al Sadd SC players Al-Ahli Saudi FC players Erbil SC players Iraq Stars League players UAE Pro League players Qatar Stars League players Saudi Pro League players Olympic footballers for Iraq Iraq men's international footballers Footballers at the 2004 Summer Olympics 2004 AFC Asian Cup players Footballers at the 2006 Asian Games 2007 AFC Asian Cup players 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2011 AFC Asian Cup players Footballers at the 2014 Asian Games 2015 AFC Asian Cup players Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Asian Games silver medalists for Iraq Asian Games bronze medalists for Iraq Asian Games medalists in football AFC Asian Cup–winning players FIFA Men's Century Club Iraqi expatriate men's footballers 21st-century Iraqi sportsmen Iraqi expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates Iraqi expatriate sportspeople in Qatar Iraqi expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia Expatriate men's footballers in the United Arab Emirates Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia

Club career

Early career

Kirkuk

Al-Talaba

Al-Wahda

Al-Khor

Al-Gharafa

Al-Arabi

Return to Al-Gharafa

Al-Wakrah

Al-Sadd

Al-Ahli

Erbil

Al-Talaba

Ballon d'Or nomination

International career

Controversy

Personal life

Career statistics

Honours

See also

References

External links