Radhi (right) in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ahmed Radhi Humaiesh Al-Salehi | ||
| Date of birth | (1964-04-21)21 April 1964 | ||
| Place of birth | Baghdad,Iraq | ||
| Date of death | 21 June 2020(2020-06-21) (aged 56) | ||
| Place of death | Baghdad, Iraq | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1979–1980 | Al-Shorta[1] | ||
| 1980–1981 | Al-Zawraa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1981–1985 | Al-Zawraa | (11) | |
| 1985–1989 | Al-Rasheed | (43) | |
| 1989–1993 | Al-Zawraa | (78) | |
| 1993–1997 | Al-Wakrah | 30+ | (11+) |
| 1997–1998 | Al-Zawraa | (7) | |
| 1998 | Al-Arabi | 1 | (1) |
| 1998 | Dibba Al-Hisn | ||
| 1998–1999 | Al-Zawraa | (7) | |
| International career | |||
| 1982–1997 | Iraq | 121 | (62) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1999–2001 | Al-Shorta | ||
| 2001 | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | ||
| 2001–2002 | Iraq U20 | ||
| 2002–2003 | Al-Zawraa | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ahmed Radhi Humaiesh Al-Salehi (Arabic:أَحْمَد رَاضِي هَمِيش الصَّالِحِيّ, 21 April 1964 – 21 June 2020) was an Iraqifootballer who played as astriker. Nicknamed "Al-Saher" (The Magician) in his playing days and regarded as one of Iraq's and Asia's best players of all time, Radhi scored the onlyIraqi goal at theFIFA World Cup in its1986 edition, a low shot to the corner of the net againstBelgium in a 2–1 defeat. He was voted theAsian Footballer of the Year in 1988.
Radhi started to make a name for himself after he was forced to switch childhood clubAl-Zawraa for new powerhouseAl-Rasheed, the club founded and owned bySaddam Hussein's eldest sonUday. Alongside fellow legendAdnan Dirjal, Radhi led the club to reaching the1988–89 Asian Club Championship final, losing to Qatari sideAl Sadd on away goals.[2] He later had a four-year spell atAl-Wakrah in Qatar before finishing his career with Al-Zawraa.
Radhi was given his debut forIraq againstJordan on 21 February 1982 byAmmo Baba, who acknowledged his talent and supported the player in his first years of senior football. Coach Baba however left Radhi out of the 1984 Summer Olympics squad citing a lack of effort by the player.[2] He then scored 8 goals in World Cup qualification, leading Iraq to a first World Cup finals, in Mexico in 1986.
With Iraq he won 2 Arab Cups, 1 Pan-Arab Games & a Gulf Cup, while he also did represent Iraq in theOlympics in 1988, scoring a goal each in games against Zambia and Guatemala. In 1988, he was votedAsian player of the year and 9th best Asian player of the century in 1999.[3]
Radhi had three daughters and one son.[4]
He fled Iraq in 2006 because of the sectarian violence and moved with his family to the Jordanian capitalAmman, but returned to Iraq in 2007 for a career in politics.[5] In October 2007, he was nominated by the oppositionIraqi Accord Front to theCouncil of Representatives of Iraq, replacingAbd al-Nasir al-Janabi, who had resigned to join the insurgency.[6]
He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2014 and 2018 elections with the National Alliance, a coalition of Sunni and Shia figures.
Radhi was admitted into Al Nuaman General Hospital inAdhamiyah on 13 June 2020 after contractingCOVID-19.[7] He left the hospital only to be readmitted on 18 June after his condition worsened. On 21 June, Radhi was pronounced dead at the age of 56 following complications fromCOVID-19 during thepandemic in Iraq.[8][9]
Details about his death were later revealed, that he was about to be taken to be treated inJordan, but delays in finalizing his medical report postponed the proposed flight. However, the death happened after Radhi removed hisartificial ventilation to go to the restroom by himself, later on the medical staff found him dead.[10] His resting place is the Karkh Cemetery inAbu Ghraib.[11]
| Club | Season | Qatar Stars League | Qatar Sheikh Jassem Cup | Crown Prince Cup | Qatar Emir Cup | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Assist | ||
| Al-Wakrah Sport Club | 1993–94 | |||||||||||||
| 1994–95 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | +7 | +6 | ||||
| 1995–96 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 7 | ||
| 1996–97 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 4 | ||
| Career total | ||||||||||||||
| Club | Season | Qatar Stars League | Qatar Sheikh Jassem Cup | Crown Prince Cup | Qatar Emir Cup | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Assist | ||
| Al-Arabi Sports Club | 1997–98 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | |
| Career total | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | ||