Meet the Iraq player set to make history for Pakistan

A former Manchester United prospect will make men’s World Cup history if he steps on to the pitch for Iraq on Tuesday – but not for the country he is representing.

The moment will instead be monumental for fans in Pakistan, a nation of more than 240 million people – the fifth largest population in the world – whose football team have never reached a World Cup.

In fact, they have won just one qualifying game in their entire history.

Placed 198th in the Fifa world rankings, the South Asian country sits among the 15 worst-performing nations in the sport, and its people have never been able to cheer on anyone who represents them on the biggest stage.

Until now.

Utrecht’s former Manchester United midfielder Zidane Iqbal, representing Iraq, is poised to become the first player of Pakistani heritage to play in a men’s World Cup.

He says he was “surprised” when he found out about the honour – but his heritage is something he is proud of.

“To be honest, I didn’t even know it myself,” he told BBC Sport. “I followed the account that posted it [that he was the first player of Pakistani heritage to play at a men’s World Cup] and sent it to my dad straight away. I think we were both surprised. When I tried to qualify for the World Cup with Iraq, I didn’t think of anything like this.

“My dad is Pakistani. He’s my father, the man I respect the most in my life, who helped me so much in my career.

“I play for Iraq, grew up in England, but my dad was born in Pakistan. My grandad was a first-generation there, so I have a lot of respect for that side of my family.”

Iqbal was born and raised in Manchester. He is Pakistani through his father and Iraqi through his mother. The talented midfielder says he takes pride in representing both nations and shows this when he takes to the pitch by wearing both countries’ flags on his boots.

Asked why he chose to play in boots that showcase his heritage, the 23-year-old reiterated his “respect” for both sides of his family’s background.

“I wear the Iraqi flag on my left side and the Pakistani flag on my right side,” he said. “I think that’s because I respect both sides.

“When people ask me what I feel more connected to, I can’t answer. For me, they’re both equal. It’s about respect and something I carry with a lot of pride.”

This is not the first achievement Iqbal has had in regard to his background. Known to keen-eyed English football fans as a player who came through the Manchester United academy, he became the first British South Asian for almost 20 years to play in the Champions League.

The Iraq international hopes his story can serve as inspiration for the next generation.

“I’m still young, but I’ll be the first Pakistani player to play in the World Cup, so hopefully a few kids that aspire to be a footballer will look at that and believe they can do it too, because football is a hard journey,” he said.

“I think if you ask any professional, it’s not easy at all and everyone has their ups and downs.

“A lot of commitment and hard work is needed. So hopefully when kids see people trying to be a professional footballer, or me, they see those of South Asian heritage or even of any heritage, that you can make it from any background, any area, wherever you’re from, any religion. Hopefully they see that, and it inspires them.”

Ahmed Shahzad, who runs the social media account Pakistani Talents, which highlights the growth of football in the nation and how players of Pakistani heritage around the world are developing, gave an insight into how many football fans in the country will be supporting Iqbal and Iraq at the World Cup.

“Every Pakistani football fan knows about Zidane Iqbal,” Shahzad told BBC Sport. “Historically, there’s been very little Pakistani representation at the top level of football, especially on the global stage like the World Cup – the highest global stage.

“And that is a big inspiration for a lot of young Pakistanis, even locally and in the diaspora – the British Pakistanis – and seeing someone openly embrace their identity, as Zidane Iqbal does about competing at the highest level, makes football feel a lot more believable for us of Pakistani backgrounds who play football and want to make it in football.

“I see a lot of people saying that Pakistan now has a nation to support at the World Cup, and they won’t be just backing Zidane Iqbal, they will be backing Iraq to go as far as they can in that tournament.”

Iraq endured a gruelling 21-game qualifying run – the most fixtures of any nation – which included numerous different rounds and play-offs to become the last team to secure their place at the tournament.

It is an accomplishment that is long overdue for the Asian country after their only other appearance came 40 years ago at Mexico 1986, when they finished bottom of their group and scored just one goal.

If they make it out of the group stage, Iqbal believes his country will “shock the world” as they are set to come up against two-time winners France, a Norway side led by world-class talents Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland, and Africa Cup of Nations finalists Senegal.

“I think we’ve got a free shot,” said Iqbal. “We go there, it’s our first World Cup in 40 years. Funnily enough, that 1986 World Cup was in Mexico, and now this World Cup is in Mexico. I think that’s beautiful as well.

“But for us, I think we’re going there with no pressure. We’re the underdogs. I think if we lose, people expect us to lose. If we win, we shock the world.

“Of course, we’re all going to work hard. I think we’re all excited and when you’re excited and you work hard, anything can happen in football. So, let’s wait and see what happens.”