“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.”
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 Ronaldo
Iqbal 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 first-team debut in the Champions League against Young Boys.
“It was probably one of the best days of my life,” he admits. “I did not expect to come on. I just thought I would warm up, sit down and watch the game.” Instead, he was introduced for the final moments. “The ball took forever to go out as well!” And made history.
Iqbal was not only the first South Asian to play for United but the first to play in the Champions League. “I just focused on football, not to be the first of this or that, just because it was a dream of mine,” he admits. “But it is nice knowing that you can inspire kids.”
Iqbal playing for Manchester United at Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2022
While that taste of first-team action at United was the obvious highlight, the pinnacle of his career at the club, it was the day-to-day experiences that have stayed with him too. Iqbal had the opportunity to train alongside an all-time great in Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Seeing someone that you had played with on FIFA and stuff to then train with was crazy. Just watching and trying to learn from him, just him being around. It is hard to describe because he is probably one of the greatest of all time, if not the greatest.”
What has he taken from seeing Ronaldo work? “Just his mentality, how focused he is, how seriously he takes things. But he is also a very nice, calm guy. When people ask me how he is and does he speak to the guys, he does. He is like everyone else. He is chill.”
Making the move to Utrecht
The decision to leave Manchester United was his own. A loan move was an option but Iqbal was ready for the next step. “I thought I needed to go out somewhere and prove myself.” The Netherlands just felt right. “The best league for me to go to. Technical.”
His time at Utrecht has been disrupted by two injuries. “But I have come back stronger from both of them.” Importantly, he has been exposed to the sort of experiences, both in the Eredivisie and in Europe, that have accelerated his game to the next level.
“It is a lot different,” he explains. “The stadiums are full. You are playing for points. There is more pressure from the fans to perform. If you do not play well then you are going to know about it. When you are playing for the U21s, it is family and friends in the stands.”
For instance, he adds: “Our tunnel to the changing room has glass windows on each side, so we can see the fans. If you are losing at half-time or not having a good game, some players can get some abuse. I have matured a lot as a player and as a person.”
Iqbal in Europa League action for Utrecht
It is that off-field aspect that has tested him most. Moving abroad just after turning 20 was a massive step. “When you get there, reality hits you. You need to do this and that. The cereal and the milk in the fridge is not just going to be there at the weekend.”
Now 23 years old, he is open about the fact that it has been challenging. “When you wake up on your day off and the house is empty, that is the main thing.” But he is proud of the way that he taken on that challenge. “Living by myself, I have grown up a lot.”
After three years away, the call of home is growing. Iqbal has one year left on his deal but a return to England is a possibility. “I just miss it here. We will see what happens.” However, before all that, there is the small matter of the greatest show on earth.
Iraqi midfielder Iqbal in action during qualifying for the World Cup
‘We have got the group of death’
The draw was not necessarily kind. “We have got the group of death,” says Iqbal with a wry smile. Iraq begin their campaign against Erling Haaland’s Norway before taking on the might of France. “Their team is amazing.” The final group game is against Senegal.
Iraq coach Graham Arnold is fond of calling this schedule the group of excitement or the group of opportunity instead and that is how Iqbal likes to look at the situation too. “As a team, we are all fighters. So, we might be able to shock some people,” he argues.
“No one is expecting us to get out of the group so we have got less pressure on us. I probably prefer a group like this because you get to test yourself against high-level players and you can compare your level to theirs. You always have to back yourself.”
Iraq’s journey to this World Cup has been an arduous one. “We have broken that 40-year curse.” Now, their lad from Manchester just wants a special moment. “Football isn’t played on paper. There have been upsets in the past before. Why can’t we do it?”
