Tehran: Ali Adnan made history when he became the first Iraqi player to star in Italy’s Serie A after moving to Udinese, via Turkey, back in 2015.
But the left-back’s ambition doesn’t stop there, as the-AFC.com found out when speaking to Adnan on his club career in Europe and the progress being made by the national team.
Family affair
Born into a family with a considerable footballing pedigree, Adnan was always destined to make an impact on the game in Iraq.
His father, Adnan Kadhim, was one of the leading players in the Iraqi league during the nation’s golden period of the 1970s and 1980s and was part of the country’s 1977 Asian Youth Championship-winning team.
His uncle, Ali Kadhim, meanwhile, was one of the most feared strikers in the region and still stands in fourth on Iraq’s all-time top scorers’ list. Not surprisingly, both men have had a major impact on the career of Adnan.
“Of course, this is something that’s very good for a player,” said Adnan. “My father and my uncle were players and it had a positive effect on me.
“But it brings difficulties because there was pressure to become like them. My uncle was one of the most famous stars of football in Iraq. I want to be like him, but I still have a long way to go.
“The pressure comes from outside. Inside my family I get advice and support from them all. My duty is to keep the name of my family shining.”
Sound advice
After starting his professional career with Baghdad FC, Adnan’s talent soon saw him stand out, even amongst the ranks of Iraq’s gifted under 20 team that qualified for the FIFA U20 World Cup in Turkey after finishing as runners-up at the AFC U19 Championship in the United Arab Emirates a year earlier.
Before long, he was making a return to the country where he had caught the eye of many, signing for Rizespor in 2013, based on the recommendations of his father and uncle.
“When I played for Iraq at the FIFA U20 World Cup, both of them told me: ‘This is a very important occasion. This will introduce you to the world, so you have to make good use of taking part in this competition,’” explained Adnan.
“I think I was a success in the U20s and the evidence of this is that many teams showed interest, but my father and my uncle told me: ‘You have to not join a big team. It might be difficult for you and you might not play. Go to a team like Rizespor and you will find the chance to play and this will develop your football.’
“I listened to them and I went to Rizespor. This is the most important advice I have had from anyone else and it’s how I managed to go to Udinese. It was the first step.”
Onwards and upwards
Although the learning curve was steep – “I didn’t know what professionalism meant because I moved from Iraq” – Adnan quickly settled, learned the language and started to make an impact.
By the end of his first season, he was already attracting interest from clubs beyond Turkey and at the end of his second he was moving again, this time to Italy’s Serie A and Udinese.
“In the first season with Rizespor, Udinese showed interest and came to the club asking for my transfer, but the club asked for a big amount,” he said.
“So it failed. In the second season I had some problems with the coach and he put me out of the team for many games and the interest became a little weaker than before.
“But Udinese continued to show interest in me. Roma also showed interest but the club wanted a lot of money. Then the club responded to the offer from Udinese and I agreed and I think joining Udinese is the second step towards moving to one of the big clubs.
“This is my ambition, but I have to do my best in Udinese. I am facing two choices, either to go forward or to stay where I am. I want to go forward. There’s no specific team, but the target is to play for a big club.”
National team ambition
And then there is Iraq, a country that has produced so many talented players despite the ongoing issues that have blighted the nation for so long.
After the Asian Cup-winning generation of Younus Mahmood and Nashat Akram, Adnan is leading the way for the country’s footballing future, even if he concedes that the current crop need time to establish their own legacy.
“This is a time of changing generations,” he noted. “It’s not a problem to bring one or two new players into a team, but when the majority of the stars of the team have retired then it’s difficult to compensate very quickly.
“I think we are going in the right way to create a new team for Iraq. [Mahmood and Akram] were great footballers, but they also needed time to be stars. It didn’t happen in one hour or one day. They needed time.”
Iraq’s FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 qualifying campaign may be all but over with the West Asians sat second from bottom in Group B, nine points off third-placed Uzbekistan with three games to play, but Adnan remains positive about the future ahead of the clash with Japan in Tehran on Tuesday.
Iraq defeat Thailand 4-0 to claim their first three points in Group B
“But now we have good talent and if they are given time and get to play games at a high standard and play good football they will be better than the others.
“We will have another Younus or another Nashat. But at this time we have a young team that needs experience and experience comes from playing football at the highest level. But I’m optimistic.”
Photos: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com