Saad Natiq Naji ( ar, سعد ناطق ناجي, born 19 March 1994), sometimes referred as Suad Natiq Naji, is an

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays for Abha Club in the Saudi Professional League and the Iraq national football team as a defender and defensive midfielder.

Club career

Born in Najaf Saad went through the Al-Najaf FC youth system and made his senior debut with his home club under Hatif Shamran in 2009 and was part of the club's first team for two seasons. However it was in the Iraqi capital that Saad made his name, when he joined Doura-based oil refinery club Al-Masafi in the south of Baghdad where he played for three seasons – earning his selection to the Iraqi U-19s. It was under Hakim Shaker that Saad Natiq became one of the nation's recognised defenders, playing for the Iraqi Under 19s at the FIFA World U-20 Cup in Turkey. It was his spell at Al-Masafi under the command of trainers Hassan Ahmed and Nadhim Shaker that he developed as a player and was transformed into a strong tackling centre half after used in several positions at the club including at right back having first started out as a midfield anchor in his early days at Al-Najaf. In the summer of 2014, the defender was signed by his former Al-Masafi club coach Nadhim Shaker to play for Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya after his club were relegated to the first division.

Al Arabi

Saad Natiq signed for Al Arabi for the 2017/18 season. He made his debut on September 17 against Al Sailiya which ended in a 3–1 defeat. He scored his first goal in the Qatar Stars League against Al Rayyan on November 19, with his second coming in the same match.

International career

On 26 August 2015, Natiq made his first international appearance for Iraq against

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

in a friendly match.

International Goals

Honours

Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya * Iraqi Premier League: 2016–17 * Iraq FA Cup: 2015–16 *

AFC Cup The AFC Cup is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Under its current rules, the competition is played primarily between clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying s ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

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Al-Shorta * Iraqi Premier League: 2021–22 * Iraqi Super Cup:

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Iraq U-20 * FIFA U-20 World Cup 4th-place:

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Iraq U-23 *

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

bronze-medal:

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References

External links

* * 1994 births Living people People from Najaf Men's association football defenders Iraqi men's footballers Iraq men's international footballers Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya players Al-Arabi SC (Qatar) players Al-Shorta SC players Al Batin FC players Abha Club players Qatar Stars League players Saudi Pro League players Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar Iraqi expatriates in Qatar Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia Iraqi expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia Asian Games medalists in football Footballers at the 2014 Asian Games Footballers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers for Iraq 2019 AFC Asian Cup players 2023 AFC Asian Cup players Asian Games bronze medalists for Iraq Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games {{Iraq-footy-midfielder-stub