Academy graduate Zidane Iqbal was proud to make his debut for Iraq as he talked about his important milestone. Manchester United winger Zidane Iqbal made his debut for Iraq on Thursday and it was a dream come true for the young lad.
Iqbal made history when he became the first footballer of South Asian descent to play for Manchester United in December, and the teenager has now taken another big step forward in his young career.
Iqbal made his Manchester United debut as a late substitute in their Champions League match against BSC Young Boys, which also saw Charlie Savage make his first-team debut.
This season, he has also played in the Premier League 2, the Papa John’s Trophy, and the Europa Youth League, scoring in all three competitions.
He was picked as a substitute for Iraq when they traveled to Iran, to face the group leader in a World Cup qualifying match. With his team behind 1-0, he came on to replace Hasan Matrook for the final eight minutes, but they were unable to score an equalizer.
Zidane Iqbal was proud of his achievement as he said to the club’s official website:
“It’s another milestone. I’m going to hit, my first-team debut for Iraq. I’m looking forward to it and it’s a big game, so hopefully, we can win. Me choosing to play for Iraq doesn’t mean I’m not a proud Mancunian or a proud Pakistani. I just feel this is the right opportunity for me as a player, the right step in my career, and an honor, but it definitely doesn’t take away the fact that I’m a Mancunian and a Pakistani as well.”
Iraq will no longer be able to qualify for the World Cup straight from their group, but they still have a chance to qualify for the inter-confederation Cup playoffs for a guaranteed place in World Cup 2022.
They’ll play Lebanon away from home on February 1, and a loss in that game will certainly kill their chances of making it to the tournament.
Iraq has only qualified for the World Cup finals once before, in 1986, when they reached the group stages but lost all three games and got knocked out of the tournament.
