Amir Ibragimov

Amir Ibragimov
Personal information
Date of birth (2008-04-02) 2 April 2008 (age 16)
Place of birth Buynaksk, Dagestan, Russia[1]
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Manchester United
Youth career
Sheffield United
Manchester United
International career‡
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023 England U15 1 (0)
2024– England U16 2 (1)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18 July 2024

Amir Ibragimov (born 2 April 2008) is a footballer who plays as a forward for Manchester United. Born in Russia, he has represented England at youth international level.

Club career

Born in a Muslim Avar family in Dagestan, Russia, Ibragimov's family moved to England when he was eleven years old, and he started his career in the academy of Sheffield United.[2][3]

He later moved to Manchester United, captaining both the under-14 and under-15 sides during his progression through the academy.[4] While playing for the Manchester United under-15 side against Tottenham in March 2022, Ibragimov won a penalty after dribbling into the Tottenham penalty area. However, as he did not believe he was fouled, he passed the resulting penalty into the Tottenham goalkeeper's hands, a gesture which garnered national attention.[5] He signed his first contract, a pre-scholarship deal, with the club in August 2022.[6][7]

On 21 January 2023, having scored for Manchester United's under-16 team in their 1–0 win against Liverpool's under-16s, he appeared for Manchester United's under-18 team in the same day, featuring in a 3–2 win, with Liverpool being the opponents again.[8][9] In April 2023, he trained with the Manchester United first team squad for the first time.[10]

He started for the first team in a behind-closed doors 3-1 friendly loss against Burnley in January 2024, playing as a left winger. [citation needed]

International career

Ibragimov is eligible to represent Russia through birth, and England, having lived in the country from the age of eleven. He made his first appearance for the England under-15s in a 3–2 win over Belgium in February 2023.[1] He remains eligible to represent Russia.[11]

Personal life

Ibragimov is a Muslim, and footage of him reciting the Quran at the Trafford Centre in Manchester went viral in March 2023.[3][12]

His older brother, Ibrahim, is a professional MMA fighter, while youngest brother, Mo who joined from Manchester City in Summer 2023 and younger brother Gazik, play football for Manchester United's youth teams.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c Amir Ibragimov at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ Telingater, Grigory (31 August 2022). "Россиянин подписал контракт с "Манчестер Юнайтед". Вот как ему это удалось" [The Russian signed a contract with Manchester United. Here's how he did it]. championat.com (in Russian). Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  3. ^ a b Yusuf, Maulana (15 March 2023). "Kisah Amir Ibragimov, Pemain Muda Berbakat Manchester United yang Mahir Baca Alquran dengan Lancar" [The story of Amir Ibragimov, a talented young player at Manchester United who is good at reading the Koran fluently]. bola.okezone.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  4. ^ Valavichute, Diana (18 January 2023). "Россиянин Амир Ибрагимов забил победный гол в матче за "Манчестер Юнайтед" U15" [Russian Amir Ibragimov scored the winning goal in the match for Manchester United U15]. championat.com (in Russian). Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  5. ^ Smith, Sam (15 March 2022). "Man Utd starlet goes viral after unusual penalty gesture against Tottenham". express.co.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  6. ^ "Manchester United ward off interest to sign teenager Amir Ibragimov to new contract". metro.co.uk. 30 August 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  7. ^ Fay, Richard (30 August 2022). "Manchester United sign youth prodigy Amir Ibragimov to contract". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  8. ^ Scarnage, Uttiyo (22 January 2023). "Who is Amir Ibragimov and why are Man United fans going gaga over him? Explained". tribuna.com. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  9. ^ Rahmatul, Mochamad (25 January 2023). "Kisah Amir Ibragimov, Remaja Man United Tanding di 2 Level Usia Berbeda dalam Sehari" [The story of Amir Ibragimov, Man United's Youth Compete at 2 Different Age Levels in a Day]. libero.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  10. ^ Railston, Steven (29 April 2023). "Manchester United midfielder Amir Ibragimov takes part in first-team training aged just 15". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  11. ^ Ilyushchenko, Georgy (22 September 2022). "Дагестанская звезда разрывает Англию в 15 лет! И уже прославился на весь мир геройским поступком" [Dagestan star breaks England at 15! And he has already become famous throughout the world for his heroic deed.]. sport24.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  12. ^ a b Mwamba, Ramazani (14 March 2023). "Manchester United prodigy goes viral for Qu'ran recitation at Trafford Centre". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2023.