Zidane Iqbal is set to face France for Iraq in France vs Iraq at the World Cup on Tuesday. The 23-year-old midfielder goes into a group stage that already opened with Iraq’s 4-1 loss to Norway, so the match carries more weight than a single fixture.
Zidane Iqbal and Zinedine Zidane
Iqbal was named in honor of Zinedine Zidane, and the link has followed him into the World Cup. He said: "When I was younger, I didn't think much about it. But, as I got older, I discovered that there was a great, great player called Zinedine Zidane".
Born in Manchester, England, he now plays for FC Utrecht after coming through Manchester United. He began playing in 2017 at age 9 in the Manchester United academy and made his first-team debut four years later, a path that helped carry him to Iraq’s squad for this tournament.
Group I Pressure
Iraq are in the group of death with France, Norway and Senegal, and Iqbal’s own words fit that setting. "We are in the group of death. As a team, we are all fighters, so we can surprise some people. Nobody expects us to get out of the group stage, so we have less pressure. I probably prefer a group like this because you can test yourself against top-level players and compare your level with theirs. You always have to believe in yourself", he said.
That challenge is part of why his appearance stands out beyond the matchup itself. He became the first player of Pakistani origin to play in a World Cup, and he said: "The fact that I chose to play for Iraq does not mean that I am not a proud Englishman or a proud Pakistani. I feel that this is the right opportunity and, for me as a player, this is the right step in my career and an honor. But I am also proud of my heritage. I am proud to be English, Pakistani and Iraqi".
Monday in Group I
The selections play at 21h on Monday in Group I, with France and Iraq’s place in the group stage giving the result immediate value for both sides. For Iraq, the next step is simple: use the France match to see whether the belief Iqbal described can survive against one of the group’s hardest tests.
