“It is going to be a dream come true and I cannot wait,” Zidane Iqbal tells Sky Sports. He is going to the World Cup and is understandably excited. The former Manchester United midfielder has helped Iraq qualify for the first time in 40 years.That 1986 appearance was long before his time. “The 2010 World Cup is the first I can remember.” Not even the headbutt by his namesake Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 final? “I have seen the clips but I was only three!” Now Iraq get to make memories of their own.
“The amount of messages, the support we have had is crazy.” Iqbal, now playing for Utrecht but born and raised in Manchester, is eligible through his Iraqi mother and has become a firm favourite having scored a crucial goal against Indonesia during qualifying.
“Honestly, it was an unbelievable feeling,” he recalls. “It was just surreal scoring that goal because that is what I was waiting for.” Unfortunately, that alone was not enough to get Iraq to the World Cup. They still needed a play-off win over Bolivia to end their exile.Iqbal sat that game out on the bench. Just back from long-term injury, the coach only planned to use him if absolutely necessary. As it is, his team-mates got the job done. He actually found it harder to watch. “When you are playing, the adrenaline takes over.”
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Iqbal celebrates in Mexico after Iraq’s World Cup qualification
The celebrations were special with Iqbal donning a sombrero that night in Mexico amid joyous scenes. He talks of the Iraq team being “one big family” and receiving messages from around the world. He understands that this can be a life-changing experience.
As a result, the focus since has been on getting himself in peak condition for the World Cup. “Making sure I can be at 100 per cent.” Even on his days off, he has been having one-on-one sessions in Manchester, determined to ensure it is a summer to remember.
Iraq will have to be workmanlike at this World Cup but Iqbal is the one capable of providing the spark. “I like to play football,” he says. “I like to dribble. I like to play forward and link up the play.” That is what took him all the way to the Manchester United first team.Memories of Man Utd and RonaldoIqbal signed for Manchester United at the age of eight and spent a dozen years at the club. “I can say that I lived my childhood dream,” he says. In 2021, at the age of just 18, he made his…
2026-06-15 10:00:00
