Nashat Akram

Nashat Akram
Akram with Al-Gharafa in 2008
Personal information
Full name Nashat Akram Abid Ali
Date of birth (1984-09-12) 12 September 1984 (age 40)
Place of birth Al Hillah, Babylon, Iraq
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1993–1997 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
1997–1998 Al-Zawraa
1998–1999 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2000 Salahaddin (0)
2000–2003 Al-Shorta (7)
2001Al-Zawraa (loan) 0 (0)
2003–2004 Al-Nassr (1)
2004–2007 Al-Shabab (8)
2007–2008 Al-Ain (3)
2008–2009 Al-Gharafa 23 (7)
2009–2010 Twente 10 (0)
2010–2011 Al-Wakrah 11 (5)
2011–2012 Lekhwiya 8 (1)
2012 Al-Wakrah 11 (2)
2012–2013 Al-Nasr 11 (3)
2013–2014 Al-Shorta 21 (7)
2014 Dalian Aerbin 3 (0)
2014 Al-Shorta 2 (0)
2015 Erbil 0 (0)
Total (44)
International career
2000 Iraq U17 3 (1)
2000–2001 Iraq U20 11 (0)
2001–2013 Iraq 113 (17)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Iraq
AFC Asian Cup
Winner 2007 Indonesia/Malaysia/
Thailand/Vietnam
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 April 2015

Nashat Akram Abid Ali Al-Eissa (Arabic: نشأت أكرم عبد علي العيسى; born 12 September 1984) is an Iraqi former professional footballer. Popularly dubbed "The Maestro", he usually played as a playmaker or as an attacking midfielder and was known for his exceptional vision and excellent passing ability, as well as his ability to score goals from long range.

Akram was Iraq's most promising young prospect in the early 2000s, and became an integral part of the Iraq national team as he helped them win the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, winning the man of the match award in the final and being voted for the Team of the Tournament as well as finishing in third place in the AFC Footballer of the Year award in 2007. At Iraqi club level, he won the Iraqi Premier League title and three Umm al-Ma'arik Championship titles with Al-Shorta.

He also won league titles with Saudi club Al-Shabab, Qatari club Al-Gharafa and Dutch club FC Twente. Akram almost signed for Premier League club Manchester City in 2008,[1] but work permit issues meant that he was not allowed to join, while he was also linked with clubs such as Sunderland and Málaga in his career.[2]

  1. ^ FIFA.com – Akram impresses Eriksson at City
  2. ^ "Akram claims Black Cats talks". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 6 June 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2007.