Daniyal Mohammad Reza Ali Nazari (born 2 September 1989) is a Pakistani former professional
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 lea ...
who played as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
*Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Smal ...
. Born in
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
, he played for the Pakistan national team. Ali had been praised for his dribbling abilities and commitment on the pitch.
Early and personal life
Ali was born on 2 September 1989 in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
, Denmark. His family originate from the city of
Quetta
Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...
in Pakistan.
Mohammad's father Qurban Ali was also a footballer, and was previously persuaded to play for the Pakistan national team.
Club career
Early career
Ali started playing around 12–13 years old, in a local team near his home called
Brønshøj
Brønshøj, part of the municipality of Copenhagen, forms, together with Husum, the administrative city district (''bydel'') of Brønshøj-Husum, in Denmark.
History
The first mention of the village Brønshøj (Brunshoga), is in a letter dated ...
for fun with his friends. After a match against B93 Copenhagen, he was called by them and joined the club. As 15 years old he signed his first contract with the team. He served as the team captain in the u17 and u19 level in the Danish youth league. Ali helped win the KBU cup final for U19, when B.93 won over Frem by 4–2 in
Valby Idrætspark
Valby Idrætspark is a sports venue in Valby, Copenhagen, Denmark. It is currently used mostly for football (soccer), football matches and is the home ground of Boldklubben Frem, Fremad Valby, Politiets Idrætsforening and Vigerslev Boldklub. Va ...
scoring two of the goals.
He made his debut for the B93 senior team at the age of 18 on 23 March 2008 away against
Glostrup
Glostrup is a Denmark, Danish town in Capital Region of Denmark, Region Hovedstaden, forming one of the Western suburbs (Copenhagen), western suburbs of Copenhagen. It is the administrative seat of Glostrup Municipality, with an estimated populati ...
in a 1–0 victory. In his debut season, Ali played 27 games and scored five goals.
2009–10 Danish 2nd Divisions
The 2009-10 season in Danish 2nd Division was divided in two groups. The two winners, Brønshøj BK and FC Hjørring were promoted to the 2010–11 Danish 1st Division, along with the runner-up from the West-division Hobro IK, after they beat their ...
. His move costed B.93 the promotion, as B.93 lost the first game in 2010 by 1–2 away in Peter Bangs Vej, with Ali scoring both goals for FCK, and
Bashkim Kadrii
Bashkim Kadrii (born 9 July 1991) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a forward or a winger. He has represented Denmark at senior international level.
Club career Denmark
Kadrii began his career with B.93 in the Danish 2nd Divi ...
scoring the lone goal for B.93.
Køge
With chances of breaking into the senior team bleak, Ali then linked up with Køge in the
Danish 1st Division
The 1st Division (''1. Division'') is the second-highest football league in Denmark, also known as NordicBet Liga for sponsorship reasons. From 1945 to 1991, the 1. Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark. With the for ...
in 2011, where he helped them gain promotion to the
Danish SuperLiga
The Danish Superliga (, ) is a professional association football league in Denmark and the highest level of the Danish football league system. The league is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams relegated. It is the current ...
until he received an 8-month injury.
Return to B.93
At the end of autumn 2011, Ali returned to B.93, where he managed to play two games before the winter break.
Hvidovre
In the spring of 2012, Ali played for
Hvidovre
Hvidovre is the main town in Hvidovre Municipality, Denmark. The town, a suburb of Copenhagen, is about 10 km southwest of the capital's center. It is the 2nd biggest suburb of Copenhagen, only beaten by Frederiksberg.
History
Hvidovre has ...
, where he scored one goal in 3 matches.
Avarta
During the 2012 summer break, he signed for
BK Avarta
Boldklubben Avarta is a Danish professional Association football, football club currently competing in the Danish 3rd Division, 3rd division, which ranks as the fourth-highest league in the country. Avarta's home ground is Espelundens Idrætsanlà ...
in the Danish 2nd division, where he eventually became the club's vice captain.
Svebolle & Hollbaek
He moved to
Svebølle
Svebølle is a railway town, with a population of 2,288 (1 January 2025),Hollbaek the same autumn.
Return to B.93
In January 2016, Ali moved back to his former club B93 on a one-season deal. He was signed as replacement for the team's top scorer
Olcay Senoglu
Olcay Senoglu (born 10 May 1984 in Denmark) is a Danish retired footballer.Fremad Amager
Boldklubben Fremad Amager (meaning in English: The Ball Club Forward Amager; abbreviated Fremad A) is a Danish professional football club based in the district of Amager Vest, Copenhagen. As of the 2024–25 season, the club's senior men's team ...
. At the end of the year, his contract was renewed for an additional season. Ali left the club by the end of 2017.
Later career
In 2018, he signed for
Greve Fodbold
Greve Fodbold is a Danish football club currently playing in the Denmark Series, the fifth tier of Danish football. The club have played the entirety of their existence in the lower divisions and spent one season in the second tier in 1980. They ...
, where he was joined by national team fellow goalkeeper
Yousuf Butt
Yousuf Ijaz Butt (; born 18 October 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Denmark Series club Karlslunde IF. Born in Denmark, he plays for the Pakistan national team.
Butt has played over 400 games in the Danish footb ...
. He moved to Ishoj in 2019, until signing for TÃ¥rnby FF in September 2021. He stayed in the club until his eventual retirement in February 2023.
International career
He was called in the camps for Danish youth national team at U-17 nor U-19 level, but did not get selected.
He made international debut in 2012 with
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
against
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, and scored his first goal for the team against
Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
at the
2018 SAFF Championship
The 2018 SAFF Championship, also known as the 2018 SAFF Suzuki Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 12th edition of the SAFF Championship, the biennial international men's association football, football championship of South Asia organized by So ...
.
Career statistics
International
:''Scores and results list Pakistan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ali goal.''