Zidane Iqbal
Zidane Ammar Iqbal, born 27 April 2003 in Manchester, England, is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Utrecht in the Dutch Eredivisie. Although he was born in England, he represents the Iraq national team and is eligible for England and Pakistan as well. He joined Manchester United’s academy at age nine after playing for Sale United and signed his first professional contract in April 2021.
Iqbal made his Manchester United first-team debut on 8 December 2021 in a Champions League match against Young Boys, coming on as an 89th-minute substitute. He became the first British-born South Asian to play for Manchester United, the first Iraqi to play for the club, and the first British South Asian to appear in the Champions League. In June 2023, he left Manchester United to join Utrecht on a four-year contract.
Internationally, Iqbal has represented Iraq at the under-23 level and made his senior debut on 27 January 2022 in a World Cup qualifier loss to Iran. He scored his first international goal on 26 March 2024 in a 5–0 win over the Philippines during 2026 World Cup qualifying. He obtained an Iraqi passport in May 2021 and has spoken about his Muslim faith. He is inspired by Mesut Özil and speaks English fluently, with some Punjabi and Arabic.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:03 (CET).