 Amiri withAfghanistan in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Zohib Islam Haroon Fakhruddin Amiri[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1990-02-15)15 February 1990 (age 35) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kabul, Afghanistan | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2005 | Aga Khan Sports Academy[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Shoa | 20 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Kabul Bank | 50 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Ferozi | 20 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2014 | Mumbai | 58 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Dempo | 16 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014 | →FC Goa (loan) | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | DSK Shivajians | 14 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Chennai City FC | 10 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | New Radiant | 15 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019 | A.S. Blainville | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Gokulam Kerala | 12 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | A.S. Blainville | 21 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Real Kashmir | 14 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | A.S. Blainville | 31 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Abu Muslim | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 270 | (40) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2024 | Afghanistan | 71 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Zohib Islam Haroon Fakhruddin Amiri (Dari:ذهیب اسلام هارون فخرالدین امیری; born 15 February 1990) is an Afghan former professionalfootballer who played as acentre-back.[3] Over his two-decade career, he became a pivotal figure inAfghan football, representing clubs across Asia and North America while captaining theAfghanistan national team. Known for his defensive resilience and leadership, Amiri earned 71 caps and scored six goals for his country. He captained Afghanistan to their historic2013 SAFF Championship victory, solidifying his legacy as one of Afghanistan's most iconic footballers.
Amiri was born on 15 February 1990[4] to an ethnicHazara family inKabul, with his family originally hailing fromBamyan.[5] Growing up he played football often on the streets ofChar Qala in eastern Kabul, using a homemade ball made of rolled up fabric stitched together.[5] During theTaliban rule he often witnessed executions at the national stadium.[6]
After rising tensions in Kabul, Amiri's family moved toKarachi inPakistan as refugees, where he eventually joined an amateur team at the age of twelve at the Agha Khan Sports Academy,[2] along with his elder brothers, as a striker.[5][7][8][9] AfterHamid Karzai took over as president of Afghanistan, his family returned to Afghanistan in March 2005 for a cousin's wedding, joining a local club named Shoa FC.[5][10][11]
After playing for Shoa FC, he played forKabul Bank from 2007 until 2009, which provided financial stability to players during the war in Afghanistan.[2] He later played atFerozi from 2009 until 2011.
Amiri joined Mumbai FC in 2011, and quickly became one of the star players at the club. Following his impressive performances during the2012–13 I-League he received the award for the fan's players on the season.[6] Despite reviving this prestigious award his contract with Mumbai FC was not renewed and Amiri began thinking of moving to Bahrain or Oman to play club football, but ultimately decided to stay in India.[12]
On 11 January, Amiri along withTolgay Özbey signed for Indian clubDempo on a one-year contract, and received shirt number 18.[13][14][15] He made his debut against Rangdajied United and scored. On 7 April he was involved in an ugly brawl in a match between Dempo SC and his former club Mumbai FC.[16]
On 30 May both Amiri and Özbey signed extensions with Dempo.[15]
On 4 April 2015, he scored two goals, including one only one minute from time to salvage a 2–2 draw withSporting Goa.[17]
In January 2016, Amiri announced signing a contract with Indian football clubDSK Shivajians.[18] He finished the season withDSK Shivajians last but did not relegate with his team because other clubs withdraw from the league.
In January 2017, Amiri joinedChennai City FC in the IndianI-League.[19][20] He left after disagreement with the coach.[21]
In January 2018, Amiri signed for Maldivian clubNew Radiant, which played at the top tierDhivehi Premier League.[22]
In 2019, he briefly played withA.S. Blainville in the CanadianPremière ligue de soccer du Québec, playing in cup matches, earning a red card in one.[23]
On 2 November 2019, it was announced that Amiri joinedGokulam Kerala for2019 i league.[24]
Amiri also played with Blainville in the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
"I have had offers from the middle east, and also parts of Asia. But I never wanted to come out of my comfort zone. I have already settled down in India, and whichever city I play in, I cherish it. Going to another country will require myself to devote time to learn the language, culture, adapt to the food and a lot of other stuff – there will always be new challenges.
I am aware of the Indian culture, celebrate Indian festivals, love the food, speak the same language, watch the movies, hang around with my Indian friends, and am extremely proud of having been in India. I am welcomed everywhere and have been lucky to have made good buddies over the years."
In 2021, ahead of the2021–22 I-League season, Amiri joinedReal Kashmir. He also appeared with the club in2021 IFA Shield.
Amiri made his third return to Blainville in 2021, playing for the club until 2024.[26] He lastly returned to his home country, joiningAfghanistan Champions League clubAbu Muslim in October 2024, helping the side to clinch the2024–25season title.[27] Amiri officially announced his retirement from football at the end of the season, after a controversial 8–0 victory against Adalat Farah which secured the league title for his team at the end of the competition amid allegations of match-fixing.[27]
Amiri made his debut in the2005 SAFF Gold Cup againstMaldives.[10] He was part of theAfghanistan squad for the2011 SAFF Championship, where they reached the final for the first time. Wearing number 3 he contributed many memorable performances, including scoring one of the goals in Afghanistan's biggest ever victory overBhutan.[28]
_vs_Jeje_Lalpekhlua_(in_blue_uniform).jpg)
Two years later Amiri served as captain for Afghanistan at the2013 SAFF Championship, and was the rock of which the Afghan defense was built on. He scored goals in a 3–0 win overBhutan[29] and a 3–1 win overSri Lanka.[30] He played a crucial role as Afghanistan made it to thefinal for a second consecutive time an achieved a 2–0 victory againstIndia.[31]
In May 2014 Amiri captained the squad to the2014 AFC Challenge Cup in the Maldives. On 22 May he scored the first goal of the game with a bullet header in Afghanistan's 3–1 victory overTurkmenistan at the2014 AFC Challenge Cup. This was also Afghanistan's first every victory at theAFC Challenge Cup in eight attempts.[32] After Afghanistan's 0–0 draw withLaos that confirmed their progression out of the group stage, an accident occurred while the Afghan players were being driven back to their hotel. Amiri suffered minor injuries, along withFaisal Sakhizada,Ahmad Hatifi,Balal Arezou, andMustafa Azadzoy, the latter of which will have to take three weeks off to recover, missing the semi-finals againstPalestine. Former coachMohammad Yousef Kargar and current coachErich Rutemöller also suffered minor injuries.[33][34][35][36]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 2006 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 71 | 6 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 December 2011 | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium,New Delhi, India |  Bhutan | 2–0 | 8–1 | 2011 SAFF Championship |
| 2 | 2 September 2013 | Halchowk Stadium,Kathmandu, Nepal | Bhutan | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2013 SAFF Championship |
| 3 | 4 September 2013 | Halchowk Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal |  Sri Lanka | 2–1 | 3–1 | |
| 4 | 14 May 2014 | Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium,Kuwait City, Kuwait |  Kuwait | 1–3 | 2–3 | Friendly |
| 5 | 22 May 2014 | Addu Football Stadium,Addu City, Maldives |  Turkmenistan | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2014 AFC Challenge Cup |
| 6 | 10 October 2017 | Pamir Stadium,Dushanbe, Tajikistan |  Jordan | 2–2 | 3–3 | 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
Afghanistan
Real Kashmir
