Ahmed Radhi
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ahmed Radhi Hmaiesh Al-Salihi | ||
| Date of birth | April 21, 1964 | ||
| Place of birth | Baghdad, Iraq | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Al-Shorta | |||
| Al-Zawra'a | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1982–1984 | Al-Zawra'a | 60 | (38) |
| 1984–1990 | Al-Rasheed | 128 | (69) |
| 1990–1993 | Al-Zawra'a | 71 | (54) |
| 1993–1997 | Al-Wakrah | 20 | (16) |
| 1997–1999 | Al-Zawra'a | 59 | (34) |
| National team | |||
| 1982–1997 | Iraq | 73 | (42) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Ahmed Radhi Hmaiesh Al-Salehi (Arabic: أحمد راضي هميش الصالحي, born on April 21, 1964 in Baghdad, Iraq, but originally from Basra) is a former Iraqi football player and a current politician. Widely regarded as Iraq's best player of all-time, Radhi scored the only Iraqi goal in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, a low shot to the corner of the net against Belgium in the 2-1 defeat. He was voted the 1988 Asian Footballer of the Year.
Career
Ahmed Radhi was perhaps one of the most outstanding Iraqi goalscorers of his generation.
He was a striker capable of scoring any kind of goal whether a volley from 35 yards, a free-kick or an easy tap-in. He starred at the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico, scoring Iraq’s first & only goal in the World Cup in a 2-1 defeat against Belgium, he was also denied a goal in Iraq’s first World Cup game against Paraguay when the referee blew his whistle a split-second before his header crossed the line.
After the finals, his club Al-Rasheed were offered $1m by Uruguayan giants Nacional for their star player, but it was quickly rejected. With Al-Rasheed, he won 3 Iraqi league and two cup titles and a record three Arab Club Championships.
With Iraq he won 2 Arab Cups, 1 Pan-Arab Games & a Gulf Cup, while he also represented Iraq in the Olympics in 1988. In 1988, was voted Asian player of the year and 9th best Asian player of the century in 1999.[1]
Radhi's international career came to a bitter end in 1997; when he failed to save Iraq from a shocking first-round elimination in the 1998 World Cup Asian qualifiers. Two years later, Radhi ended his career as a footballer in 1999, after he led local side Al-Zawra'a to another league title.
In October 2007, he was nominated by the opposition Iraqi Accord Front to the Council of Representatives of Iraq, replacing Abd al-Nasir al-Janabi, who had resigned to join the insurgency.[2]
International goals
- Scores and results list Iraq's goal tally first.
.svg.png){kind=small}
Achievements
- Chosen in the Asia's Top 10 Players of the Century list by IFFHS.[3]
- Asian Footballer of the Year 1988
- Top scorer of the 1988 Arab Nations Cup in 1988
- Top scorer of the Iraq Super League in 1986 and 1991
- Top scorer of the Qatari League in 1994
Iraqi League 5 times with 3-Rashid (1987-1988-1989) Zora 2 (1991-1999) Cup Iraq 6 times with Rasheed 2 (1987-1988) with Zora 4 (1991-1993-1998-1999) and Championship 1 - 1991 Arab Cup with 3-Rashid (1987-1988-1989)
References
- ↑ Hassanin Mubarak. "Player Database". www.iraqsport.com.
- ↑ Soccer star joins parliament, San Diego Union Tribune, 2007-10-05, accessed on 2008-01-06
- ↑ Asia's best Players of the Century
External links
- Player's profile - fifa official website
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Adnan Dirjal |
Iraq captain 1993 - 1996 |
Succeeded by Laith Hussein |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mubarak Mustafa |
Qatari League top scorers 1994 |
Succeeded by Mohammed Salem Al-Enazi |
| Preceded by No Award |
Asian Footballer of the Year 1988 |
Succeeded by Kim Joo-Sung |
| Preceded by N/A |
Arab Nations Cup top scorers 1988 |
Succeeded by N/A |
| Preceded by Abandoned due to War |
Iraq Super League top scorers 1986 |
Succeeded by Raheem Hameed |
| ||||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||||
%3B_Flag_of_Syria_(1963-1972).svg.png){kind=small}
| ||||||||