PROFILPELAJAR.COM

Ali Faez
	Faez playing for Iraq at 2019 AFC Asian Cup
Personal information
Full name	Ali Faez Atiyah
Date of birth	9 September 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth	Baghdad, Iraq
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Al-Talaba
Youth career
2009–2010	Al-Talaba
Senior career*
Years	Team
2010–2011	Al-Sinaa
2011–2013	Al-Karkh
2013–2015	Erbil SC
2015–2016	Al-Shorta
2016–2019	Çaykur Rizespor
2017–2018	→ Al-Shorta (loan)
2018–2019	→ Al-Kharaitiyat (loan)
2019–2021	Al-Shorta
2021–2022	Qadsia SC
2022–	Al-Talaba
International career‡
2009–2010	Iraq U17
2011–2013	Iraq U20
2012–2016	Iraq U23
2013–	Iraq
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 July 2021; ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 7 September 2021

Ali Faez Atiyah (Arabic: علي فايز عطية^[3] or فائز^[4] Iraqi Arabic [ˈʕɑli ˈfɑːjəz ʕɐˈt̪ˠɪjjɐ]; born 9 September 1994) is an Iraqi footballer and Olympian^[5] who plays as a defender for Iraq Stars League club Al-Najaf and the Iraq national team. He has established himself as a 'dead ball' specialist or setpiece taker.^[6]

Club career

The former graduate of the Ammo Baba Football School was born in 1994 and first made his league debut for Al-Sinaa and then Al-Karkh where he became a regular in one of the Iraqi league's youngest team before he moved north to four-time Iraqi league winners Erbil SC halfway through the 2012–2013 season for a 1+1⁄2-year deal worth 40m Iraqi dinars.^[7] before he joined Al Shorta.

Ali has played at every age group level for the Iraqi national team from U-14s to the senior team and by the age of just 21 had already represented Iraq at the Asian Cup, the WAFF Championship and the Gulf Cup.^[8]

In July 2016 Ali signed for Turkish Team Çaykur Rizespor. However, after a season which saw limited playing time and a relegation from the Süper Lig, Ali made his debut on August 20, 2016, as a center back playing the full 90 minutes against Konyaspor. Ali requested to leave the club, which was granted by a loan to former club Al Shorta.

In June 2018, he signed a one-year contract with Al Kharaitiyat SC.^[9]

Ali supported Al-Zawraa while he was growing up and cites Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso as his favourite player and is a Real Madrid fan.^[7] The defender, a dead-ball specialist, taking both free-kicks and penalties, can be deployed in the centre of defence, at right back and as a defensive midfielder.

International career

Ali is one of a select few to have played at every level for Iraq from Ishbal (Cubs) to the senior side after making his international debut last year in the 6–0 defeat to Chile in Copenhagen.^[7] On 14 August 2013, Ali played his first international match for Iraq against Chile in a friendly match.^[10] When he was handed his international debut by Serbian Vladimir Petrović in 2013 at the age of 18 years, 11 months and 5 days, he became one of the youngest players to represent Iraq.^[8] However, he was given a baptism of fire in his first game when he came up against Chilean stars Alexis Sánchez and Arturo Vidal – a game which ended in a 6–0 defeat at the Brøndby Stadion in Copenhagen.^[8] Ali scored his first goal for the senior side against Qatar in the Arabian Gulf Cup with a sublime free-kick.,^[11] he scored a penalty on the following match to score in two back-to-back games.^[12]

International goals

Scores and results list Iraq's goal tally first.^[13]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	26 December 2017	Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Kuwait City	Qatar	1–1	2–1	23rd Arabian Gulf Cup
2.	29 December 2017	Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Kuwait City	Yemen	2–0	3–0	23rd Arabian Gulf Cup
3.	10 September 2018	Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium, Al-Farwaniyah	Kuwait	2–1	2–2	Friendly
4.	30 December 2022	Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium, Basra	Kuwait	1–0	1–0	Friendly