Ahmad Ibrahim Khalaf

Ahmad Ibrahim Khalaf Al-Qafaje (Arabic: احمد ابراهيم خلف الخفاجي‎, born February 25, 1992), known as Ahmad Ibrahim, is an Iraqi professional footballer who plays for Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and the Iraqi national team. He plays as a centre back.

Ahmad Ibrahim
Ibrahim during 2016 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Full name Ahmad Ibrahim Khalaf Al-Qafaje
Date of birth (1992-02-25) February 25, 1992
Place of birth Al-Qayyarah, Nineveh Province, Iraq
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position(s) Centre Back
Club information
Current team
 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
Number 4
Youth career
–2008 Al-Qayyarah
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008 Al-Shirqat
2008–2009 Salahaddin
2009–2014 Erbil 55 (1)
2013 → Al-Wasl (loan) 12 (0)
2014–2015 Ajman 29 (0)
2015–2016 Al-Dhafra 13 (0)
2016 Al-Shorta 0 (0)
2016–2017 Emirates 19 (1)
2017–2018 Al-Ettifaq 23 (0)
2018–2019 Al-Arabi 19 (1)
2019– Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
National team‡
2011–2016 Iraq U23 9 (0)
2010– Iraq 99 (4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14 January 2018
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 5 December 2019

Club career

Ahmed Ibrahim Khalaf Al-Khafaji was born in Al-Qayyarah in Nineveh Province, some 75 km south of the city of Mosul.[1] Ahmed starred for his local team Al-Qayyarah SC playing in defence and sometimes in midfield and was paid a handsome fee to turn out for the side.[1] With no top division club in his home province, Ahmed moved to Al-Sharqat where he started his top flight career before he was signed by Salah-Al-Deen and then Arbil, a move which opened the door for his international debut in 2010. Only two years after playing local football in Al-Qayyarah, Ahmed was lining up as a starter for the Iraqi national team against India in Sharjah and went onto be named in the 2011 Asian Cup squad.[1]

Youth career

Ibrahim started his career at Al-Sharqat before moving to Salah Al-Deen in 2008.

Arbil FC

In 2009, at the age of 17, Ahmad, along with teammate Karrie Tariq, went to Arbil FC on a one-year contract which was worth 60m Iraqi Dinars. Other than his short stint at Al Wasl, Ahmad remained at Arbil for 5 years until 2014.

Loan to Al Wasl

In January 2013, he signed a six-month loan deal with Emarati side Al-Wasl, who he remained with until the end of the 2012/13 season. He made 12 appearances for the club and returned to Arbil in the summer of 2013.

Ajman

In the summer of 2014, Ahmad left Arbil to sign for Emariti club Ajman. He spent the season at Ajman making 29 league appearances and proving himself to be one of their key players.

Al Dhafra

After just one season at Ajman, Ahmed signed for another team in the U.A.E., Al Dhafra, on a six-month deal which expired on the first of January 2016. He made 13 appearances for the side before he left at the start of 2016. After leaving Al Dhafra, he was a free agent for the remainder of the season.

Al Shorta

Following the Olympic games in Rio, Ahmad announced his return to the Iraqi Premier League by signing for Al Shorta but a clause in his contract stated that if an offer came in from a foreign club, he would be allowed to leave. Ahmad never ended up playing for Al Shorta as the clause was triggered.

Emirates Club

Emirates Club, another side in the U.A.E., activated that clause and Ahmad moved back to the U.A.E. to spend the 2016/17 season with Emirates. He signed for them on 27 September 2016 and made 11 appearances, scoring one goal. The team finished in 11th place, avoiding relegation by one point. The player was free to move after the season, since his contract ran out.

El Ettifaq

on 27 June 2017, Ahmed signed a one-year contract with an option to extend.[2] He made his debut against Al Ahli in the first round of 2017–18 Saudi Professional League on August 11, he provided an assist in the 2–1 win.[3]

International career

Iraq National Team

Ahmad is an established international for Iraq having already played nearly 65 matches for the national team before his 25th birthday. He is on track to become one of Iraq's most capped players and is a very important figure for the national team, being the first choice centre back. On November 11, 2010, Ahmed made his debut against India. Iraq won that match 2–0. He was brought into the squad at the last minute by coach Wolfgang Sidka replacing the injured Hussein Abdul Wahid and remained with the side ever since. On March 28, 2015, on his 50th cap, Ahmed scored his first goal for his country heading in from a corner by Yaser Kasim in a friendly match against DR Congo in the UAE. On March 28, 2017, in a World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia, Ahmad produced a world class goal line clearance which kept Iraq in the game. The clearance gained a lot of attention online.

Iraq Under-23 National Team

Ahmad Ibrahim was part of the squad that went to Brazil in the summer of 2016 for the Rio Olympics and was one of Iraq's standout players as his defending helped hold a Brazil team featuring Neymar, Gabriel Jesus, Marquinhos and Gabriel Barbosa to a 0-0 draw. Iraq only conceded one goal in the Olympics and despite being knocked out after the group stages, went out undefeated.

Iraq national football team goals
Scores and results list Iraq's goal tally first.[4]
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.28 March 2015Al-Rashid Stadium, Dubai DR Congo1–02–1Friendly
2.5 October 2017Basra Sports City, Basra Kenya2–02–1
3.24 December 2018Grand Hamad Stadium, Doha China PR1–02–1
4.15 October 2019Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh Cambodia4–04–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honors

Club
Erbil SC

International
Iraq

Individual
gollark: Technically, we haven't exactly left yet.
gollark: Also several thousand something of diving gear.
gollark: How terrible, you will have to stay in a 5 star hotel temporarily?
gollark: They pay for housing and stuff, same principle.
gollark: And yet the government pays you vast amounts of money. Very bourgeois.

References
  1. Mubarak, Hassanin. "Iraq Olympic Team Profile". Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  2. Soccer Iraq [@SoccerIraq] (27 June 2017). "📰" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. Soccer Iraq [@SoccerIraq] (11 August 2017). "📹" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. "Ibrahim Khalaf, Ahmed". National Football Teams. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
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