Zidane Iqbal made history by becoming the first British South Asian footballer to play professional football for Manchester United.
Ralf Rangnick included adolescent Zidane Iqbal in his first Champions League team to face Young Boys, which was not the “Zidane” people anticipated to see at Manchester United by now.
Attacking midfielder Iqbal became the first British South Asian player to make the bench for the Red Devils in Rangnick’s second game in charge following the victory against Crystal Palace.
The 18-year-old, who is of Pakistani and Iraqi descent and was born in Manchester, was spotted working with the first team on Tuesday and came on in the 89th minute of Wednesday’s 1-1 draw for Jesse Lingard.
It’s the first time a British South Asian player has appeared in the Champions League for an English club since Michael Chopra for Newcastle United in 2002-03.
Rangnick had intimated that, with United already through as group winners, he would go with an unexpected lineup, underlining the importance of winning “even if we’re playing with a few new or fresh players.”
Iqbal, who wore the number 73 shirt, came on late in the game to replace England international Jesse Lingard.
Two more #MUAcademy players make their senior bows ✊🔴
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 8, 2021
Congratulations, Charlie and Zidane 👏#MUFC | #UCL pic.twitter.com/zXL8KdjxrI
Iqbal was an obvious choice after a string of impressive performances in the academy, including goals against Sunderland in the EFL Trophy and Atalanta in the Uefa Youth League.
He has yet to make his senior international debut, although he has already represented Iraq at the U23 level, and he is also eligible to represent England and Pakistan.
Charlie Savage, the son of former Premier League midfielder Robbie, came in late, and Anthony Elanga, who also played against Crystal Palace, started with Mason Greenwood.
