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Amjad Kalaf

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Amjad Kalaf
Kalaf withAl-Shortain 2014
Personal information
Full name Amjad Kalaf Mansour Al-Muntafiq
Date of birth (1991-10-05)5 October 1991(age 33)
Place of birth Kut,Iraq
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Right winger,Striker
Youth career
Al-Kut
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2007 Al-Kut
2007–2010 Al-Shorta (15)
2010 Erbil 0 (0)
2010–2016 Al-Shorta (43)
2017–2018 Al-Zawraa 38 (6)
2018–2019 Al-Talaba (2)
Total – (66+)
International career
2005–2007 Iraq U17 (2)
2009–2010 Iraq U20 7 (1)
2011–2014 Iraq U23 (3)
2009–2017 Iraq 30 (1)
Medal record
RepresentingIraq
Men'sfootball
WAFF Championship
Runner-up 2012 Kuwait Senior Team
AFC U-22 Championship
Winner 2013 Oman U22 Team
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Incheon Olympic Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Amjad Kalaf Mansour Al-Muntafiq(Arabic:أَمْجَد كَلَف مَنْصُور الْمُنْتَفِق;born 5 October 1991) is an Iraqi former professionalfootballerwho played as aright wingerand sometimes as astriker.[1][2]

Kalaf representedAl-Kut,Al-Shorta,Al-ZawraaandAl-Talabain the Iraqi Premier League. On the international level, Kalaf played 30 matches forIraq,scoring against theUnited Arab Emiratesin the2015 AFC Asian Cup.

Kalaf played for Al-Shorta from 2007 to 2016, saving the club from relegation in 2011 with a brace against Al-Naft. He was the club's top scorer and top assist-maker in their league title win in 2013. He also scored Al-Shorta's first two goals in theAFC Cupin 2014, and is the club's sixth-highest league scorer in history.

Club career

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Al-Kut (2005–2007)

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The forward is the youngest of three footballing brothers, Mohammed and Alaa, the sons of former army track and field athlete Kalaf Mansour. Born and brought up in the city ofKut,Kalaf signed for the team as a youth player.

Kalaf broke into the first team in the 2004–05 season under coach Nassir Maribi. On 14 January 2005, at 13 years of age, he made his debut in a2004–05 Iraqi Premier Leaguematch againstAl-Basra,becoming the youngest player ever to play a match in theIraqi Premier Leagueat that time (this record was broken byMohanad Aliin 2014).[3]That season,Al-Kutsurprised everyone by finishing second in their group in the first stage with 8 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses, qualifying to the elite stage, where they lost all 4 matches.[4]This was an historic achievement forAl-Kut.

Unlike the previous season,Al-Kutwere not very successful in the2005–06 Iraqi Premier League.They won just 1 match, drawing 3 and losing 8, finishing bottom of their group and being relegated to theIraqi First Division League.[5]Kalaf played a few games including 50 minutes of a match againstMisanon 25 November 2005,[6]22 minutes of a match againstNaft Al-Junoobon 27 January 2006[7]and the first 60 minutes of a match againstKarbalaaon 3 March 2006.[8]Kalaf was also part of theIraq U-17squad and was selected by coach Kadhim Khalaf for the2006 AFC U-17 Championship.[9][10]

In the 2006–07 season,Al-Kutplayed in theIraqi First Division Leagueand failed to earn promotion back to the top division. Kalaf played a friendly for theIraq U-17team against his own clubAl-Kuton 11 November 2006 and the match finished 0–0.[11]In this season he caught the eye of one of the biggest clubs inIraq:Al-Shorta.

Al-Shorta (2007–2010)

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Al-Shortasigned Kalaf fromAl-Kutin 2007 on a two-year contract, ahead of the start of the2007–08 Iraqi Premier League.At just 16 years old, Kalaf made hisAl-Shortadebut in the first match of the 2007–08 season againstAl-Shualah.He started the match on the bench, and within minutes of coming on as a substitute, Kalaf scored an overhead kick to put Al-Shorta 3–0 ahead in the 46th minute.[12]He scored his second goal for the club in the very next match, theBaghdad derbybetween Al-Shorta andAl-Zawraato helpAl-Shortato a 2–1 win.[13][14][15]He received the first red card of his Al-Shorta career when he was sent off in a 3–1 defeat to Al-Zawraa, a game where he played as a right-back and assisted a goal.[16]In total, Kalaf scored four goals in his debut season, and he extended his contract at the club after the end of the league campaign.[17]

In the 2008–09 season, Kalaf wasAl-Shorta's top scorer for the season for the first time, scoring six goals, and he scored a further five in the following campaign.[18][19]This caught the eye ofIraqmanagerRadhi Shenaishilwho gave him his international debut in 2009.[20][21][22]

Erbil (2010)

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On 18 September 2010,Erbilannounced the signing of Amjad Kalaf fromAl-Shorta,alongside the signings ofOus Ibrahim(also from Al-Shorta), Ali Mansoor (fromBaghdad),Mohammed Gassidand Mustafa Ahmed (both fromAl-Zawraa).[23]Four days later, theIraq Football Associationapproved of the contract at their headquarters.[24]

However, Kalaf said he felt homesick outside ofBaghdadand that he had stayed in contact with manyAl-Shortafans while inErbil.BeforeErbilentered their pre-season training camp, Kalaf calledAl-ShortamanagerYounis Abed Aliand asked him to return to the club. He then had a long conversation withAbdul Khaliq Masood,the vice president ofErbil,asking for his contract to be terminated.[25]Masood refused at first but eventually accepted Kalaf's request. In November, two months after signing forErbil,Kalaf's contract was terminated. Former clubAl-Shortaand fellow Baghdad clubAl-Naftboth made offers to Kalaf,[26]and Kalaf decided to rejoin Al-Shorta ahead of the start of the2010–11 Iraqi Premier League.

Al-Shorta (2010–2016)

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Kalaf scored goals in four consecutive matches between round 2 to round 5 of the2010–11 Iraqi Premier League.On 5 February, Kalaf scored the winning goal against defending championsDuhok,and four days later he scored a brace in a 3–1 win over eventual runners-up of the league,Erbil.Kalaf suffered a serious injury which kept him out for months, and in his absence Al-Shorta's results plummeted as they went on a run of 1 win in 12 matches. This led to Al-Shorta finding themselves in a battle to avoid being relegated to theIraqi First Division Leaguefor the first time in their history. Kalaf was substituted on in the second half againstSamarraon 1 July and scored within a few minutes to put Al-Shorta 1–0 up in a match they eventually won 3–1. In the final match of the season againstAl-Naft,Al-Shorta needed a victory to avoid relegation. Al-Shorta won the match 2–0 with Kalaf scoring both of Al-Shorta's goals in the game to save them from the drop.[27]For the second time in his career, Kalaf wasAl-Shorta's top scorer for the season with 11 goals, despite being injured for a large period of it.[28]

InAl-Shorta's first match of the 2011–12 season, a 0–0 draw againstAl-Sinaah,Kalaf wore the captain's armband because the club's captain Ali Hussein Jalil and the vice-captainFareed Majeedwere both not playing. Therefore, Kalaf set a new record for the youngest player ever to captain Al-Shorta in a match at just 20 years old (this record was broken byDhurgham Ismailin 2012).[29]Kalaf was Al-Shorta's top scorer for the second season in a row, again with 11 goals, with his team finishing seventh in the league table.[30]Al-ZawraamanagerRadhi Shenaishiland Al-Shorta manager Mohammed Tabra both voted for Kalaf in their Team of the Season selections, but Kalaf did not make the final team chosen by Al-Batal magazine.[31]

Kalaf was linked with a move to close rivalsAl-Zawraain the summer transfer window of 2012 but he ended up staying atAl-Shortadue to his love for the club and its fans. On 16 June 2013, Kalaf featured in the2013 Baghdad Cupfinal againstAl-Zawraaand started the move which led to the cup-winning goal scored by Hussein Karim. This was Al-Shorta's first trophy in eleven years. In the final match of the league season, where Al-Shorta faced rivalsAl-Talabawith a chance to clinch the league title,Nashat Akramgave Kalaf the captain's armband as a sign of respect for his great services to the club. Al-Shorta won the match 3–0 with two assists from Kalaf to become theIraqi Premier Leaguechampions for the first time in 15 years.[32]As captain on the day, Kalaf was the first player to lift the trophy on the podium. Kalaf scored 9 goals forAl-Shortathat season, being the club's top scorer for the third consecutive season, and was also the club's top assist-provider with 10 assists.[33]

On 12 March 2014, Kalaf made history by scoring Al-Shorta's first two goals in a 3–1 win overAl-Wahdain the2014 AFC Cup group stage;these were Al-Shorta's first two goals ever in theAFC Cup.Kalaf ended the 2013–14 season as Al-Shorta's second-highest league top scorer with four goals, behindMustafa Karim.[34]Al-Shorta topped theIraqi Premier Leaguestandings for the second season in a row with a record of 12 wins, 7 draws and 2 losses, however the season was ended prematurely due to the war situation in the country.[35][36]

After the departure of Nashat Akram from the club, Kalaf was named as Al-Shorta's permanent captain. Kalaf was injured for a large part of the 2014–15 campaign, scoring two goals in the season. Both of the goals were in the2015 AFC Cup group stage.The first was against Al-Hidd in a 2–2 draw and the second was againstTaraji Wadi Al-Nesin a 6–2 victory.[37][38][39][40]

Kalaf's 2015–16 season was interrupted by injuries again. He scored an important goal in a 2–1 win overAl-Hedoodwhich sawAl-Shortaqualify for the elite stage on the final day of the group stage. In the first match of the elite stage (the derbyagainstAl-Talaba), Kalaf was substituted onto the field in the second half after just recovering from an injury, and he scored on 86 minutes to win the match 1–0 for his side. Kalaf was Al-Shorta's second-highest top scorer this season with four goals, one behindAli Faez.

Kalaf scored his first goal of the 2016–17 season againstAl-Bahriin a 2–1 win. He then bagged two goals in a 4–0 win overAl-Karkhat the end of October, and scored his fourth of the season with the only goal in a 1–0 win overAl-Kahrabaain round 10. After a 2–0 loss toKarbalaa,Mohamed Youssefdecided to terminate Kalaf's contract at the club in a controversial and highly-publicised decision. Kalaf was the club's top scorer for the season at the time. Kalaf turned up forAl-Shorta's next home game despite his release in order to cheer on his former teammates from the stands.

Al-Zawraa (2017–2018)

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On 11 January 2017, Kalaf signed a contract withAl-Zawraa,fierce rivals of his former clubAl-Shorta.[41]Kalaf supported Al-Zawraa as a youngster and had previously expressed his admiration for the club.

He made his debut on 14 January againstAl-Hedoodin an Iraqi Premier League match as a second-half substitute in a match Al-Zawraa won 1–0.[42]He scored his first goal in the following game againstZakhowith a header in a match that ended in a 4–1 win for the Baghdad club, and later scored a last-minute winner againstAl-Talabain theBaghdad derby.His first season ended with a fourth place finish in the league and victory in theIraq FA Cup Final,which was followed by winning theIraqi Super Cuptitle. In the following season, Kalaf scored a late equalising goal against his former clubAl-Shortain theBaghdad derbyand helped Al-Zawraa to win the2017–18 Iraqi Premier Leaguetitle. In total, Kalaf scored eight goals during his time with Al-Zawraa (six in the league, one in theFA Cupand one in theAFC Cup).

Al-Talaba (2018–2019)

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Kalaf joinedAl-Talabain the 2018–19 season. He scored his first goal on 3 December with a last-minute equaliser againstNaft Al-Wasatin the league, and later scored againstAl-Karkhin theFA Cupand againstNaft Al-Junoobin the league. Kalaf left the club in November 2019 citing unpaid wages.

International career

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Kalaf's first international participation was for theIraq U-17 teamin 2005, when he was called up by coach Kadhim Khalaf for the qualifiers for the2006 AFC U-17 Championship.Kalaf scored his first goal againstChinain the 2006 Tehran International Championship. Kalaf played a part in all three of Iraq's games at the2006 AFC U-17 Championship,where Iraq were knocked out in the group stage with 2 draws and 1 loss. Also in 2006, Kalaf scored againstLebanonin the qualifiers for the Arab Junior Cup.

In 2008, Kalaf was called up for theIraq school football teamfor the Pan Arab School Games in Jordan, and Kalaf scored two goals against Kuwait in the group stage, with Iraq eventually finishing fourth in the tournament. Qatar offered Kalaf a path to naturalisation after his impressive performance for the Iraq school team, but Kalaf refused.

Kalaf made his debut for the seniorIraq national teamat the age of just 18 years old whenRadhi Shenaishilcalled him up for a friendly withSaudi Arabiaon 22 March 2009. Kalaf did not start the match but was subbed on forHalgurd Mulla Mohammed.6 days later he made his second appearance, againstSouth Korea,being subbed on for Herdi Nuraddin.

Kalaf scored the opening goal in a 2–0 win overOmanin2010 AFC U-19 Championship qualification;Kalaf received a red card in the same match. On 16 January 2012, Kalaf played for theIraq U-23 teamin a match againstFC Anzhi Makhachkala,with the likes ofSamuel Eto'oandRoberto Carlosfeaturing for the Russian side. Iraq lost 1–0,[43][44]but after the game Anzhi showed interest in Kalaf and got into contact with the player in an attempt to sign him, however the move never materialised and Kalaf remained atAl-Shorta.[45]Kalaf participated in the2012 Matchworld Cupfor theU-23 teamwhich started two days after the match with Anzhi. Iraq played three matches in the tournament, winning one and losing two, finishing 6th out of 8 teams.[46]

Kalaf was called up for the Iraq senior team's2012 WAFF Championshipsquad. He did not play the opening match, but was subbed onto the field on 52 minutes in the second match againstSyria.He was subbed onto the field on 77 minutes in the semi-final, a 2–0 win overOman,and was subbed on in the 74th minute of the final, but Iraq lost 1–0 to Syria and finished as the runners-up.[47]Kalaf participated in the2013 Islamic Solidarity Gamesfor theOlympic team,scoring the first goal in Iraq's opening match, a 3–2 defeat toTurkey.Iraq drew their next game 0–0 againstSyria,before drawing their final match 2–2 againstSaudi Arabia,with Kalaf scoring Iraq's second goal in that match.[48]

In the2013 WAFF Championship,Kalaf played the full 90 minutes in both of Iraq's matches, but both games finished 0–0 and Iraq were knocked out in the group stage. Kalaf's first trophy on the international stage was the2013 AFC U-22 Championship,which was actually played in January 2014. In the opening match againstSaudi Arabia,Kalaf assisted two goals, both scored byMarwan Hussein,as Iraq won 3–1. In the second match, Kalaf assisted another goal for Hussein as Iraq beatUzbekistan2–1. Kalaf did not feature in the final group match againstChina.In the quarter-finals, Iraq playedJapan.With the scores locked at 0–0 with six minutes left of the match, Kalaf went on a bursting run and rounded the keeper to score the winning goal and put Iraq into the semi-finals where they defeatedSouth Korea1–0. In the final, Iraq beat Saudi Arabia 1–0 to become the champions. Kalaf was awarded the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award for the tournament.[49]

In the2014 Asian Gamestournament, Kalaf was one of Iraq's key players. He assisted a goal forYounis Mahmoudin the opening match, a 4–0 win againstNepal,before Iraq beat Japan 3–1 andKuwait3–0 to reach the knockout stage. In the round of 16, Iraq beatTajikistan4–2, with Kalaf assisting the opening goal with a cross converted byHumam Tariq.Iraq defeated Saudi Arabia 3–0 in the quarter-finals, but lost 1–0 toNorth Koreain the semi-finals after extra time. They beatThailand1–0 in the third place playoff to earn a bronze medal.[50]

Kalaf was called up for Iraq senior team's22nd Arabian Gulf Cupsquad in 2014. He was on the bench for all three matches, but was subbed onto the field in the second half of all three games. Iraq ended with 1 draw and 2 losses and were knocked out at the group stage.[51]After this disappointing tournament,Radhi Shenaishilwas reappointed as Iraq manager and he called up Kalaf for his2015 AFC Asian Cupsquad. Shenaishil showed faith in Kalaf, and Kalaf started all three group matches, being subbed off late on in the last two. Iraq beatJordan1–0 andPalestine2–0 and lost 1–0 againstJapanto qualify for the quarter-finals. In the quarter-finals, Iraq drew 3–3 withIranafter extra-time and won 7–6 on penalties to qualify to the semi-finals. Kalaf was on the bench but was substituted onto the field in the 107th minute. He did not take a penalty in the shootout. Kalaf played all 90 minutes of the semi-final which Iraq lost 2–0 against South Korea. In the third place playoff againstUnited Arab Emirates,Kalaf provided an assist for Iraq's first goal and then scored his first senior international goal to put Iraq 2–1 up, but Iraq ended up losing 3–2 to finish fourth. Kalaf was subbed off on 86 minutes in this match.[52]Kalaf returned to the national team in 2017 when he was called up byRadhi Shenaishilfor theFIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Style of play

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Kalaf's main attribute is his blistering pace. Described as "a gazelle on the wings", Kalaf (being the son of a former sprinter) has often made bursting, defence splitting runs down the right flank. He is also praised for his heading ability as he has scored many goals forAl-Shortausing his head, and his clinical finishing has allowed him to score more than a half-century of goals for his club.[53][54]When played on the wing, he is capable of creating goals by putting in low or high crosses into the penalty area, as demonstrated by the fact that all of his assists in the2013 AFC U-22 Championshipand2014 Asian Gamestournaments were from crosses.

Career statistics

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International

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International goals
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 30 January 2015 Newcastle Stadium,Newcastle United Arab Emirates 2–1 2–3 2015 AFC Asian Cup

Honours

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Al-Shorta

Al-Zawraa

Iraq U-23

Iraq

Individual

References

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  1. ^"AFC U23 Asian Cup MVPs: Where are they now".Asian Football Confederation. 24 May 2022.
  2. ^Al-Ghazal Al-Asmar scores against Al-SulaimaniyaRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  3. ^Amjad Kalaf: Youngest Ever Iraqi League Player(in Arabic). Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  4. ^Iraqi League 2004/2005Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  5. ^Iraqi League 2005/2006Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  6. ^Al-Kut vs Misan, 2005
  7. ^Al-Kut vs Naft Al-Junoob, 2006
  8. ^Al-Kut vs Karbalaa, 2006
  9. ^(2014-12-29)PROFILE OF IRAQ’S 23-MAN 2015 ASIAN CUP SQUADRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  10. ^Mohammed Kalaf interview
  11. ^Kooora Forums(in Arabic). Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  12. ^Goals from the 1st Round of the 2007/2008 Iraqi LeagueRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  13. ^Goals from the 2nd Round of the 2007/2008 Iraqi League
  14. ^Goals from the 5th Round of the 2007/2008 Iraqi LeagueRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  15. ^Amjad Kalaf Goals in his Career(in Arabic). Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  16. ^Iraqi League 2007/2008 First StageRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  17. ^Iraqi League 2007/2008 Elite StageRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  18. ^Iraqi League 2008/2009Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  19. ^"Al Shorta SC Website - History".Archived fromthe originalon 27 May 2010.Retrieved7 April2016.
  20. ^List of Iraq International Matches and LineupsRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  21. ^Iraqi League 2009/2010 First StageRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  22. ^Iraqi League 2009/2010 Elite StageRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  23. ^Official: Amjad Kalaf signs for ErbilRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  24. ^Iraq FA approves player contractsRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  25. ^"Amjad Kalaf interview 2012"(in Arabic).Retrieved11 April2020.
  26. ^"Amjad Kalaf in negotiations with Al-Naft"(in Arabic). Archived fromthe originalon 7 June 2007.Retrieved22 December2018.
  27. ^Iraqi League 2010/2011Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  28. ^Iraqi League 2010/2011 Top ScorersRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  29. ^Iraqi League 2011/2012Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  30. ^Iraqi League 2011/2012 Top ScorersRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  31. ^Team of the Season Iraqi League 2011/2012Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  32. ^Iraqi League 2012/2013Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  33. ^Iraqi League 2012/2013 Top ScorersRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  34. ^Iraqi League 2013/2014 Top ScorersRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  35. ^Iraqi League 2013/2014Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  36. ^2014 AFC Cup GroupsRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  37. ^Iraqi League 2014/2015Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  38. ^Iraqi League 2014/2015 Elite StageRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  39. ^Iraqi League 2014/2015 Third Place MatchRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  40. ^2015 AFC Cup Round of 16Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  41. ^"الشرطة تطلق سراح كلف والأخير يلتحق بسرب النوارس"(in Arabic). Sport Now. 9 January 2017.Retrieved22 December2018.
  42. ^"النوارس تجتاز أسوار الحدود بصعوبة ويتربع على قمة الدوري"(in Arabic). Sport Now. 14 January 2017.Retrieved22 December2018.
  43. ^"Iraq 2012 Olympic Football Team Warm-up matches".20 May 2011.Retrieved22 December2018.
  44. ^"Anzhi: First Match, First Win".16 January 2012.Retrieved22 December2018.
  45. ^Amjad Kalaf Interview 2013Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  46. ^Dubai Match World Cup 2012RSSSFRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  47. ^WAFF Championship 2012Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  48. ^Islamic Solidarity Games Football 2013Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  49. ^"Kalaf claims MVP award".AFC.26 January 2014.Retrieved22 December2018.
  50. ^Asian Games Soccer 2014Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  51. ^Gulf Cup 2014Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  52. ^Asian Nations Cup 2011Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  53. ^(2014-12-29)PROFILE OF IRAQ’S 23-MAN 2015 ASIAN CUP SQUADRetrieved 22 December 2018.
  54. ^(2012-90-29)MESSAGE FOR ZICO: AMJAD KELAF FOR BRAZIL GAMERetrieved 22 December 2018.
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