Maziar Kouhyar

Born in Badakhshan Province in Afghanistan, Kouhyar moved to England as a two-year-old due to conflict in his home country. His parents settled in Handsworth suburb of Birmingham and his father worked as a pizza delivery driver, before returning to Afghanistan to work as an interpreter, leaving his mother to bring up the four children. At the age of eleven he was spotted by a Coventry City scout after attending a Saturday football session with his cousin, and joined the club's youth system.

Walsall

After being released from Coventry at the age of sixteen, he played in Sunday league football, before being spotted by a Walsall scout whilst playing in a local Powerleague. After a trial, he subsequently joined the club. He went on to sign a two-year scholarship with the club, progressing to sign his first professional deal in February 2016, on a one-year contract with the option of a further year. He made his professional debut in August 2016, in a 2–0 defeat to Chesterfield, replacing Kieron Morris as a substitute. He scored his first goal for Walsall in an EFL Trophy tie against Grimsby Town on 30 August 2016. On 9 December 2016 he signed a new contract with Walsall until the summer of 2019. He left Walsall due to a knee injury, and began working in a fried chicken shop. In a November 2020 interview following his departure from the club, Kouhyar spoke out against abuse he had received during his time with the club in which he had been labelled a "terrorist" by a…

In October 2016, he received his first call-up to the Afghanistan national team for the friendly against Malaysia. While he was on international duty with the national team, he picked up an injury which cost him three months without playtime and required knee surgery. Kouhyar made his formal debut for Afghanistan in a friendly 2–0 loss to Oman on 30 August 2017. In 2018 he rejected a call-up for a home match against Palestine as his family did not want him to travel to Kabul. Kouhyar scored for Afghanistan U23 in March 2022, scoring the first goal in an eventual 3–0 friendly victory over Kuwait Under-23.

Club

As of match played 12 August 2025

International

As of match played 10 June 2025

Outside of football, Kouhyar attends an accountancy evening course.