Abdullah Iqbal

Abdullah Iqbal
Personal information
Date of birth (2002-07-27) 27 July 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth Copenhagen, Denmark
Height 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Mjällby
Number 5
Youth career
2009–2016 B.93
2016 Brøndby
2017–2021 B.93
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2024 B.93 91 (1)
2024– Mjällby 4 (0)
International career‡
2023– Pakistan U23 2 (0)
2022– Pakistan 14 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 August 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:00, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

Abdullah Iqbal (Urdu: عبداللہ اقبال; born 27 July 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Allsvenskan club Mjällby. Born in Denmark, he represents the Pakistan national team. He is regarded as one of the best centre backs to play for Pakistan.[1]

Club career

B.93

Youth career

Iqbal joined the youth academy of B.93 at the age of seven. He remained at the club until age fourteen before joining Brøndby IF for one year.[2] Following his stint with the Superliga team, he returned to B.93 and eventually captained the under-19 side.[3]

2021–23

He was promoted to the first team in 2021 and debuted in a 2–1 victory over Brabrand IF.[3] Iqbal was then part of the squad that nearly earned promotion to the 1st Division in 2022 before ultimately falling short.[4] In the next season, he scored the opener in the 2–1 away victory against Esbjerg, which achieved the promotion to the 1st Division.[5][6][7]

2023–24 season

In the 2023–24 Danish 1st Division, Iqbal was a key player for the team, playing most games in central defence, and few as left back.[8] In the initial league round he played 17 games out of 21 games for the club amidst his international duty. In the relegation round, he helped the club avoid the relegation. In 1 June 2024, he was named player of the year for the club, after the last match of the season against Hillerød.[8]

Mjällby

"Abdullah is a player that we have had our eye on for a longer period and that we identified would clearly fit into our way of working on and off the pitch. He is a very strong, physical and fast centre-back with a very fine left foot. I would like to warmly welcome Abdullah to Mjällby AIF."

Mjällby sporting director Hans Larsson.[9]

On 8 August 2024, Swedish top-tier Allsvenskan club Mjällby signed Iqbal for an amount of €200,000 until the 2028 season.[9][10][11] He arrived as replacement for centre-back Colin Rösler, who had departed to Malmö.[12][13][14][15]

International career

Iqbal received his first senior international call-up for a friendly against Nepal on 16 November 2022.[16][17] He went on to make his debut in the eventual 0–1 defeat.[18] In June he represented Pakistan in Mauritius Four Nation Cup and then in the 2023 SAFF Championship.[19] In October 2023 he represented Pakistan U23 in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers.[20] In June 2024, Iqbal captained the senior team for the first time in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification against Saudi Arabia and Tajikistan.[21]

Personal life

Iqbal was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and is of Pakistani descent.[2][22]

Career statistics

International

As of 11 June 2024[23]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Pakistan 2022 1 0
2023 10 0
2024 3 0
Total 14 0

Honors

B.93

References

  1. ^ Sohail, Shahrukh (16 June 2024). "FOOTBALL: STEADY AS SHE GOES". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b Vandborg, Claus. "Abdullah Iqbal er ugens profil" (in Danish). Boldklubben af 1893. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b "B.93 profile" (in Danish). Boldklubben af 1893. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  4. ^ Murphy, Cillian. "B93 tæt på comeback men snublede til slut" (in Danish). bold.dk. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  5. ^ "Esbjerg tæt på ny sæson i 2. division - TV 2". sport.tv2.dk (in Danish). 11 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Hamrende vigtig 1-2 sejr i Esbjerg efter en gyser af kamp". B.93 i 2. division (herrer) og Kvalifikationsligaen (kvinder) (in Danish). 11 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  7. ^ "Så er der fest på Østerbro: B.93 er klar til 1. division trods chok". bold.dk (in Danish). 17 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Spillerprofiler (I)". Boldklubben af 1893 (in Danish). Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Välkommen till Mjällby AIF, Abdullah Iqbal – Mjällby AIF" (in Swedish). 8 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Pakistani footballer Abdullah Iqbal joins Mjällby AIF in €200,000 deal". The Express Tribune. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Pakistani footballer Abdullah Iqbal acquired by Sweden's Mjällby AIF". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Avis: Mjällby henter Rösler-afløser i B.93". bold.dk (in Danish). 7 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Klart: Mjällby värvar Iqbal". Fotbolldirekt. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  14. ^ Abolhosseini, Farzam (7 August 2024). "Afsløring: Mjällby nærmer sig køb af B.93-profil". Tipsbladet.dk. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  15. ^ Avdic, Anel (7 August 2024). "Allsvenska klubben nära sin ersättare". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Denmark-based quartet called up as Pakistan name squad for Nepal friendly". Dawn. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  17. ^ "Diaspora players join Pakistan football squad in Nepal". geosuper.tv. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  18. ^ Ale Magar, Dil Kumar. "Bista's late strike fires Nepal to victory against Pakistan". Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  19. ^ "Overseas Stars Join Pakistan Football Squad in Mauritius".
  20. ^ "PFF unveils squad for AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers in Bahrain". The Nation. 4 September 2023.
  21. ^ "Saudi Arabia thrash Pakistan". e.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  22. ^ "Abdullah Iqbal - Soccer player profile & career statistics - Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  23. ^ "NFT profile". National Football Teams. Retrieved 24 March 2023.