Nashat Akram

Salahaddin

Nashat Akram started his senior career at Salahaddin FC and made his debut in the 1999–2000 season under the coach Ammo Baba. He scored his first goal for Salahaddin in a 6–1 win over Al-Samawa in the 1999–2000 Iraq FA Cup on 3 January 2000.

Al-Shorta

In 2000, aged 16, Nashat Akram transferred to Al-Shorta and made it into their first team, and from the first sight the analysts believed that Iraq would produce one of the most promising players in Asia. In 2001, he was loaned out to Al-Zawraa for their matches in the Asian Club Championship. In 2002, he became a regular starter with his team leading them to win the Umm al-Ma'arik Championship (later known as the Baghdad Championship) and reaching the Iraq FA Cup final; unfortunately for the young star, they finished 2nd. After his great performance with Al-Shorta, Nashat Akram was called up to the Iraq Youth Team and later nominated for Asian Young Footballer of the Year. Nashat's Al Shorta finished third on 2 of the 3 season he spent at the club, and were leading the league in his final season before it was cancelled due to war.

Al-Nassr

In 2003, he signed for Al-Nassr after their newly appointed coach Yugoslav Ljubiša Tumbaković was in awe of Nashat's performance in the Emir Faisal Abdullah Friendship Cup in Abha in the 5–1 demolition of his side. Nashat has since seen three of his coaches at Al-Nassr replaced, Ljubiša Tumbaković, the Romanian Mircea Rednic, and the Egyptian Mohsen…

Youth team

Nashat Akram made his name as the star player in Iraq's U-17s managed by Ammo Baba, who finished 2nd in their Asian Cup qualifiers group in July 2000. He was later called up by Adnan Hamad into the Iraq Under-19s. He was instrumental in the 6–0 demolition of Pakistan, setting up 2 goals in 6 minutes. He was a regular until he was replaced at half time against Korea Republic due to a tactical change; he later made appearances late on in games and created openings with his inspirational play. In part due to his efforts, Iraq won the AFC Youth Championship 2000 and qualified to the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina. Later he was nominated the Asian Young Footballer of the Year.

Iraq national team

He made his international debut for the Iraq national team on 5 October 2001 in a World Cup qualification match against Saudi Arabia in Amman at the age of only 17 years and 23 days. On 15 June 2008 Nashat Akram scored a goal against China in China, to make an important 2–1 win for Iraq and gave a hope for qualifying to the next stage. In the Asian World cup 2014 qualifiers, he provided a crucial assist to Younis Mahmoud against China. In the following game, he scored a double in Iraq's 3–1 victory over Jordan to allow Iraq to advance to the final round of qualifying, and he also scored a penalty in Iraq's 7–1 triumph over Singapore helping his country to seal the top spot in the group. He scored again, in Iraq's opening match in the final…

Nashats parents are from Babylon Governorate. Nashat is the second child after his oldest brother Haider Akram and before his youngest brother Hassan Akram. In the year 2009, Hassan was kidnapped by a terrorist group in Iraq but was freed by the Iraqi police. Nashat is married with Hawra Al-Nadawi, an Iraqi writer living in London and they have two children. His father died when he was a little child.

Al-Shorta

Iraqi Premier League: 2012–13 Baghdad Championship: 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03 Al-Shabab

Saudi Professional League: 2005–06 Al-Gharafa

Qatar Stars League: 2008–09 Emir of Qatar Cup: 2009 Twente

Eredivisie: 2009–10 Al-Wakrah

Qatari Stars Cup: 2011–12 Iraq

AFC U-19 Championship: 2000 WAFF Championship: 2002 West Asian Games: 2005 AFC Asian Cup: 2007 Individual

Best Foreign Player in the 2005–06 Saudi Premier League Most Valuable Player of the 2007 AFC Asian Cup Final Selected for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup All-Star XI Finished third place in the 2007 Asian Footballer of the Year award Asian Player of the Year at the 2009 International Football Awards Soccer Iraq Team of the Decade: 2010–2019