*** Welcome to piglix ***

Younis Mahmoud

Younis Mahmoud
Younis Mahmoud 2012 2.jpg
Younis Mahmoud in 2012
Personal information
Full name Younis Mahmoud Khalaf
Date of birth (1983-03-02) 2 March 1983 (age 34)
Place of birth Dibis, Kirkuk, Iraq
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position Striker
Youth career
1996–1998 Kahraba Al-Dibis
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2001 Kirkuk
2001–2004 Al-Talaba 33 (26)
2002 Al-Shorta (loan) 0 (0)
2003–2004 Al-Wahda (loan)
2004–2006 Al-Khor 49 (39)
2006–2011 Al-Gharafa 95 (72)
2008 Al-Arabi (loan) 6 (2)
2011–2013 Al-Wakrah 33 (16)
2013 Al-Sadd 7 (2)
2013 Al-Ahli 6 (3)
2015 Erbil 0 (0)
2015–2016 Al-Talaba 19 (3)
National team
2001–2002 Iraq U19 8 (4)
2002–2014 Iraq U23 38 (25)
2002–2016 Iraq 148 (57)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15 May 2016.
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 May 2016

Younis Mahmoud Khalaf (Arabic: يونس محمود خلف‎‎; born 2 March 1983 in Dibis, Kirkuk, Iraq), is a retired Iraqi footballer who played as a striker for the Iraq national football team, captaining the team for ten straight years, Mahmoud also played for a number of clubs including teams in Iraq, UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, breaking numerous records including becoming the first player in Qatar to score two hat-tricks in the same game.

Mahmoud's first official international goal came in the 89th minute of the final of the 2002 WAFF Championship, which Iraq went on to win. Three years later, Mahmoud scored in the final of the 2005 West Asian Games to lead his team to another tournament win, before becoming the national team captain a year later. In 2007, Mahmoud achieved the best honour of his career, leading his country to win the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, their first such success, scoring the winning goal in the final and also winning the Golden Boot and Most Valuable Player awards at the tournament. In the 2007 Ballon d'Or, Mahmoud finished in 29th place, becoming the only Iraqi player ever to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or.

He continued to feature prominently for the national team until 2016, playing in all three of Iraq's 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup matches and becoming the most-capped player in Iraq's history as well as their third-highest goalscorer ever. He is also the only player in history to score in four different (and consecutive) AFC Asian Cup tournaments (one goal in 2004, four goals in 2007, one goal in 2011 and two goals in 2015).


...
Wikipedia

...