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Pakistani-Origin Footballer Makes History by Playing for Manchester United

Zidane Iqbal became the first British South Asian footballer to represent Manchester United when interim manager, Ralf Rangnick, handed him a debut in a Champions League game on Wednesday night.

Born to a Pakistani father and Iraqi mother, Zidane, 18, replaced Jesse Lingard in the closing stages of the match against Young Boys at Old Trafford. Although the spoils were shared with a 1-1 scoreline, Red Devils topped Group F.

The teenager is an academy graduate and has been with Manchester United for more than a decade. The attacking midfielder signed his first professional contract with the club earlier this year in April. He is well regarded by coaches and has been a regular for the U23s despite being one of the youngest squad members.

He is eligible to play for England, Pakistan, and Iraq at the senior international level. Though England and Pakistan haven’t approached him yet, he received his first call up to Iraq U23s in September 2021.

He was instrumental in the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Championship last month, helping Iraq to make it to the semi-finals before losing to Saudi Arabia.

Zidane Iqbal is the first British South Asian footballer to represent an English club in the Champions League in 19 years. Newcastle United’s Michael Chopra was the last British South Asia footballer to play for an English side in the Champions League in the 2002-03 season.

He is also one of the five British South Asian footballers contracted in the Premier League. Leicester City’s Hamza Choudhury, Aston Villa’s Arjan Raikhy, Tottenham’s Dilan Markanday, and Wolves Kam Kandola are the other four.



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