Emad Mohammed
Encyclopedia
Emad Mohammed Ridha is an Iraq
i football
striker who currently plays for Sepahan
in Iran Pro League and the Iraq national football team
. Emad Mohammed has been a regular starter for Iraq
ever since he played for the youth national team. Emad Mohammed ended his international career with the Iraqi national team on July 19 2011 just before the national team's first World Cup (2014) qualification games with Yemen. He later came out of retirement for international duty when the legendary Zico was appointed coach of the Iraqi National team.
As a youth, Mohammed was inspired by his eldest brother, Khaled, who played for a local club. But it was Emad who quickly proved to be the family's greatest footballing talent. Indeed, by the age of 15, he has already been brought into the Iraq U-16 national team by coach Adnan Hamad.
Under the tutelage of Hamad, Mohammed developed quickly and eventually graduated to the national U-19 side. The Karbala-born striking prodigy impressed throughout the AFC Youth Championship 2000, scoring four times, including twice in the final against Japan as Iraq won the Asian title, after that he was offered a transfer contract to Italian giants AC Milan but was denied by son of Iraqi president back then Uday Saddam Hussein; who was the president of the Iraqi FA
.
Mohammed's meteoric rise to fame soon earned him a lucrative contract with Qatari giants Al-Gharrafa. Then, in 2005, he signed a deal with Iranian club Foolad before joining giants Sepahan just a year later.
Having thrived at continental level, Mohammed also showed himself to be capable of making an impact on the global stage when he played a key role in Iraq's fairy tale run to the semi-finals at the Olympic Football Tournament Athens 2004. After opening his account in the opening 4-2 victory over Portugal a result which helped pave the way to the last eight, the striker further showcased his predatory instincts in the quarter-final match against Australia, where he scored the only goal with a spectacular bicycle-kick.
Although he did not feature in the Iraq squad that won the AFC Asian Cup in 2007, Mohammed did make his presence felt that same year at the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan, scoring two goals in the opening four minutes in Sepahan's 3-1 win over Waitakere United.
He was left out of Iraq's opening 1-1 draw with China in Asia's third round of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, but has reclaimed his regular place in the five subsequent outings. The talented hitman duly proved his worth with two goals, again haunting Australia by netting the only goal before going on to score the equaliser in Iraq's 2-1 away win against China.
Mohammed's 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa dream was brought to an abrupt end when Iraq failed to reach Asia's final qualifying round after their loss to Qatar last June. Yet disappointed as he was, with the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009 just around the corner, the Iraqi marksman has a fresh chance to showcase his talent to the world.
On June 25, 2007 Emad renewed his contract with Sepahan for another season in a deal thought to be worth in the region of $600,000.
He had a good season with Sepahan in Persian Gulf Cup 2006-07 where he was the top scorer for Sepahan in the league and ACL
. In Persian Gulf Cup 2009-10, he had perhaps his best season thus far in his career, scoring 19 goals and becoming the top goal scorer for the season and the champion of the Iran Pro League with Sepahan.
On June 17, 2010, Emad arrived in Cairo
and signed an unannounced-value 3-year-contract with Egypt
ian giants Zamalek SC in a mammoth deal after refusing his previous Iranian club and Al-Ahly
temptations.
|-
|2004-05||Al-Wakra
||Qatar Stars League||30||11||0||0||-||-||30||11
|-
|2005-06||Foolad||rowspan="5"|Persian Gulf Cup||14||8||0||0||5||0||19||8
|-
|2006-07||rowspan="4"|Sepahan
||21||9||2||0||10||3||33||12
|-
|2007-08||26||8||1||1||4||1||31||10
|-
|2008-09
||29||14||1||0||5||2||35||16
|-
|2009-10||28||19||1||0||4||0||33||19
|-
|2010–11||Zamalek||Egyptian Premier League
||2||0||0||0||0||0||2||0
|-
|2010-11||Shahin Bushehr||rowspan="3"|Persian Gulf Cup||11||3||0||0||-||-||11||3
|-
|2010-11||rowspan="2"|Sepahan||-||-||-||-||2||1||2||1
|-
|2011–12||7||3||1||0||0||0||8||3
|-
30||11||0||0||-||-||30||11
136||65||6||1||30||7||174||72
2||0||0||0||0||0||2||0
168||74||6||1||30||7||200||82
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
striker who currently plays for Sepahan
Sepahan
Sepahan Esfahan is an Iranian football club based in Isfahan, Iran. They compete in Iran's top flight known as Persian Gulf League and hold most of the records in the PGL under their belt. Sepahan are the latest champions of the PGL in 2010–11 season for the record third time in the ten-year PGL...
in Iran Pro League and the Iraq national football team
Iraq national football team
The Iraqi national football team represents Iraq in international football and is controlled by the Iraq Football Association. They won the 2007 Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup tournament.-The Golden Generation:...
. Emad Mohammed has been a regular starter for Iraq
Iraq national football team
The Iraqi national football team represents Iraq in international football and is controlled by the Iraq Football Association. They won the 2007 Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup tournament.-The Golden Generation:...
ever since he played for the youth national team. Emad Mohammed ended his international career with the Iraqi national team on July 19 2011 just before the national team's first World Cup (2014) qualification games with Yemen. He later came out of retirement for international duty when the legendary Zico was appointed coach of the Iraqi National team.
Career
At first glance, Emad Mohammed does not appear to have the physical prowess to which young, aspiring strikers often aspire. However, that has not stopped the diminutive forward giving nightmares to opposition defenders. Small but stocky, blessed with lightning pace and an eye for goal, Mohammed is the epitome of the traditional Asian striker, relying on agility and intelligence more than physical stature.As a youth, Mohammed was inspired by his eldest brother, Khaled, who played for a local club. But it was Emad who quickly proved to be the family's greatest footballing talent. Indeed, by the age of 15, he has already been brought into the Iraq U-16 national team by coach Adnan Hamad.
Under the tutelage of Hamad, Mohammed developed quickly and eventually graduated to the national U-19 side. The Karbala-born striking prodigy impressed throughout the AFC Youth Championship 2000, scoring four times, including twice in the final against Japan as Iraq won the Asian title, after that he was offered a transfer contract to Italian giants AC Milan but was denied by son of Iraqi president back then Uday Saddam Hussein; who was the president of the Iraqi FA
Iraq Football Association
The Iraqi Football Association is the governing body of football in Iraq, controlling the Iraqi national team and the Iraq Super League. It was founded in 1948, and has been a member of FIFA since 1950 and the Asian Football Confederation since 1971....
.
Mohammed's meteoric rise to fame soon earned him a lucrative contract with Qatari giants Al-Gharrafa. Then, in 2005, he signed a deal with Iranian club Foolad before joining giants Sepahan just a year later.
Having thrived at continental level, Mohammed also showed himself to be capable of making an impact on the global stage when he played a key role in Iraq's fairy tale run to the semi-finals at the Olympic Football Tournament Athens 2004. After opening his account in the opening 4-2 victory over Portugal a result which helped pave the way to the last eight, the striker further showcased his predatory instincts in the quarter-final match against Australia, where he scored the only goal with a spectacular bicycle-kick.
Although he did not feature in the Iraq squad that won the AFC Asian Cup in 2007, Mohammed did make his presence felt that same year at the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan, scoring two goals in the opening four minutes in Sepahan's 3-1 win over Waitakere United.
He was left out of Iraq's opening 1-1 draw with China in Asia's third round of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, but has reclaimed his regular place in the five subsequent outings. The talented hitman duly proved his worth with two goals, again haunting Australia by netting the only goal before going on to score the equaliser in Iraq's 2-1 away win against China.
Mohammed's 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa dream was brought to an abrupt end when Iraq failed to reach Asia's final qualifying round after their loss to Qatar last June. Yet disappointed as he was, with the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009 just around the corner, the Iraqi marksman has a fresh chance to showcase his talent to the world.
On June 25, 2007 Emad renewed his contract with Sepahan for another season in a deal thought to be worth in the region of $600,000.
He had a good season with Sepahan in Persian Gulf Cup 2006-07 where he was the top scorer for Sepahan in the league and ACL
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League is the premier Asian club football competition hosted annually by Asian Football Confederation . The tournament is contested among the top thirty-two clubs from the top 10 Asian leagues, two of which must qualify through the playoffs...
. In Persian Gulf Cup 2009-10, he had perhaps his best season thus far in his career, scoring 19 goals and becoming the top goal scorer for the season and the champion of the Iran Pro League with Sepahan.
On June 17, 2010, Emad arrived in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
and signed an unannounced-value 3-year-contract with Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian giants Zamalek SC in a mammoth deal after refusing his previous Iranian club and Al-Ahly
Al-Ahly
Al-Ahly Sports Club , commonly known as simply Al-Ahly, is an Egyptian sporting club. Founded in April 1907, Al-Ahly was named in 2000 by the Confederation of African Football as the "African Club of the Century"...
temptations.
Club Career Statistics
- Last Update: 28 September 2011
|-
|2004-05||Al-Wakra
Al-Wakra
Al-Wakrah Sports Club is a Qatari professional football club. They are based in Al Wakrah and play at the Al-Wakrah Stadium.-Honours:*Qatari League: 2*Qatar Crown Prince Cup: 1*Qatar Sheikh Jassem Cup: 4-Individual Honours:...
||Qatar Stars League||30||11||0||0||-||-||30||11
|-
|2005-06||Foolad||rowspan="5"|Persian Gulf Cup||14||8||0||0||5||0||19||8
|-
|2006-07||rowspan="4"|Sepahan
Sepahan
Sepahan Esfahan is an Iranian football club based in Isfahan, Iran. They compete in Iran's top flight known as Persian Gulf League and hold most of the records in the PGL under their belt. Sepahan are the latest champions of the PGL in 2010–11 season for the record third time in the ten-year PGL...
||21||9||2||0||10||3||33||12
|-
|2007-08||26||8||1||1||4||1||31||10
|-
|2008-09
Persian Gulf Cup 2008-09
The following is the standings of the Persian Gulf Cup's 2008/09 football season. This season will be the 8th season since the establishment of the Iran Pro League . Persepolis are the defending champions.-Teams:...
||29||14||1||0||5||2||35||16
|-
|2009-10||28||19||1||0||4||0||33||19
|-
|2010–11||Zamalek||Egyptian Premier League
Egyptian Premier League
The Egyptian Premier League is an Egyptian professional league for football clubs and represents the top flight of Egyptian football. The championship consists of nineteen competing teams in a home and away league system. It is currently known as the Etisalat Egyptian Premier League, after the...
||2||0||0||0||0||0||2||0
|-
|2010-11||Shahin Bushehr||rowspan="3"|Persian Gulf Cup||11||3||0||0||-||-||11||3
|-
|2010-11||rowspan="2"|Sepahan||-||-||-||-||2||1||2||1
|-
|2011–12||7||3||1||0||0||0||8||3
|-
30||11||0||0||-||-||30||11
136||65||6||1||30||7||174||72
2||0||0||0||0||0||2||0
168||74||6||1||30||7||200||82
- Assist Goals
Season Team Assists 06–07 Sepahan 3 07–08 Sepahan 1 08–09 Sepahan 1 09–10 2009–10 Persian Gulf CupThe 2009–10 Persian Gulf Cup began on August 8, 2009 and ended on May 19, 2010. This was the ninth Iran Pro League season since its establishment...Sepahan 1 10-11 Shahin Bushehr Shahin Bushehr F.C.Shahin Pars Junubi Bushehr Football Club is an Iranian football club based in Bushehr, Iran. They compete in the Iranian Premier League and hold home games at Shahid Beheshti Stadium.-Shahin F.C. :Shahin F.C...4 11-12 Sepahan 0
Country
- 2002 WAFF Champions
- 4th place in 2004 Athens OlympicsFootball at the 2004 Summer OlympicsThe football tournament at the 2004 Summer Olympics started on 11 August, , and ended on 28 August.The men's tournament is played by U-23 national teams, with up to three over age players allowed per squad...
- 2005 West Asian GamesFootball at the 2005 West Asian GamesThe 2005 West Asian Games was the third West Asian Games, an international tournament for West Asian countries and territories. It was hosted by Doha, Qatar...
Gold medallist.
Club
- Iran's Premier Football LeagueIran's Premier Football LeagueThe Iran Pro League , is a professional football league competition for clubs located at the highest level of the Iranian football league system.The league system resembles the system being used in England currently...
- Winner: 1
- 2009/10 with Sepahan
- Winner: 1
- Hazfi CupHazfi CupThe Hazfi Cup is a knockout cup competition in Iranian football, run by the Iranian Football Federation. The competition wasn't regarded important by clubs until the IRIFF decided to award one of Iran's four AFC Champions League spots to the champion....
- Winner: 1
- 2006/07 with Sepahan
- Winner: 1
Individual
- Iraq Super LeagueIraq Super LeagueIraqi Premier League is the highest league in the league system of Iraqi football and currently contains the top 20 Iraqi football clubs. It is translated into English as "The Premier League"...
young player (1998–1999). - Iraqi player of the year in 2000.
- Top scorer of AFC Youth Championship 2000AFC Youth Championship 2000The 2000 AFC Youth Championship was held between November 12 and 26 in Iran. It was won by Iraq 2-1 over Japan.-Participants: Iran The teams that reached the semi-final qualified for the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina....
(4 goals). - Runner-up top scorer of FIFA Club World Cup 2007 with Sepahan
- Best scorer of SepahanSepahanSepahan Esfahan is an Iranian football club based in Isfahan, Iran. They compete in Iran's top flight known as Persian Gulf League and hold most of the records in the PGL under their belt. Sepahan are the latest champions of the PGL in 2010–11 season for the record third time in the ten-year PGL...
2008-2009 (14 goals) - 2009/10 Iran Pro League top goalscorer with 19 goals with Sepahan
Famous matches
- Iraq Youth team vs. Japan Youth team --- (AFC Youth Championship 2000AFC Youth Championship 2000The 2000 AFC Youth Championship was held between November 12 and 26 in Iran. It was won by Iraq 2-1 over Japan.-Participants: Iran The teams that reached the semi-final qualified for the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina....
) -- Emad scored twice including the golden goal to clinch the Asian Youth Championship title. - Al-ZawraaAl-ZawraaAl-Zawra'a Sport Club is an Iraqi football club based in Karkh, Baghdad. Al-Zawraa is considered to be one of the best Iraqi football clubs in history, as it has won 12 national titles...
vs. Al-Ain --- (Asian Club Championship 2000) -- Emad scored 2 goals to help Al-Zawraa beat Al-Ain 2-1 in the first round of the Asian Club Championship 2000. - Al-Gharafa vs. Pakhtakor --- (AFC Champions League 2002-03AFC Champions League 2002-03The 2002–03 AFC Champions League was the 22nd edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament and the 1st edition under the current AFC Champions League title...
qualifications) -- Al-Gharafa won 4-3, Emad Mohammed score all 4 goals. - Iraq Olympic team vs. Australia Olympic team --- (Men's Olympic Football Tournament 2004) -- Emad scores off a bicycle kick to help Iraq advance to the semifinals.
- SepahanSepahanSepahan Esfahan is an Iranian football club based in Isfahan, Iran. They compete in Iran's top flight known as Persian Gulf League and hold most of the records in the PGL under their belt. Sepahan are the latest champions of the PGL in 2010–11 season for the record third time in the ten-year PGL...
vs. Waitakere UnitedWaitakere UnitedWaitakere United is a football club based in Waitakere City, New Zealand. They are one of the franchises in the ASB Premiership. They play their home games at Fred Taylor Park in Kumeu.-History:...
--- (2007 FIFA Club World Cup2007 FIFA Club World CupThe 2007 FIFA Club World Cup was a football tournament played in Japan from 7 December to 16 December 2007. It was the fourth FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament organised by FIFA for the winners of each confederation's top continental club tournament....
) -- Sepahan won 3-1 and Emad Mohammed scored 2 goals in the first 4 minutes of the match. - IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
vs. AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
--- (2010 FIFA World Cup qualification2010 FIFA World Cup qualificationThe qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament...
)--Emad kept Iraq's hopes of qualifying to the 2010 World Cup alive by scoring a magnificent goal in the 28th minute and saving them from elimination.