| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 27 July 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Copenhagen, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Mjällby | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2009–2016 | B.93 | ||
| 2016 | Brøndby | ||
| 2017–2021 | B.93 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2024 | B.93 | 91 | (1) |
| 2024– | Mjällby | 3 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023– | Pakistan U23 | 2 | (0) |
| 2022– | Pakistan | 15 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 31 August 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:00, 25 March 2025 (UTC) | |||
Abdullah Iqbal (Urdu : عبداللہ اقبال; born 27 July 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Allsvenskan club Mjällby. Born in Denmark, he represents the Pakistan national team. He is regarded as one of the best centre backs to play for Pakistan. [1]
Iqbal joined the youth academy of B.93 at the age of seven. He remained at the club until age fourteen before joining Brøndby IF for one year. [2] Following his stint with the Superliga team, he returned to B.93 and eventually captained the under-19 side. [3]
He was promoted to the first team in 2021 and debuted in a 2–1 victory over Brabrand IF. [3] Iqbal was then part of the squad that nearly earned promotion to the 1st Division in 2022 before ultimately falling short. [4] In the next season, he scored the opener in the 2–1 away victory against Esbjerg, which achieved the promotion to the 1st Division. [5] [6] [7]
In the 2023–24 Danish 1st Division, Iqbal was a key player for the team, playing most games in central defence, and few as left back. [8] In the initial league round he played 17 games out of 21 games for the club amidst his international duty. In the relegation round, he helped the club avoid the relegation. In 1 June 2024, he was named player of the year for the club, after the last match of the season against Hillerød. [8]
"Abdullah is a player that we have had our eye on for a longer period and that we identified would clearly fit into our way of working on and off the pitch. He is a very strong, physical and fast centre-back with a very fine left foot. I would like to warmly welcome Abdullah to Mjällby AIF."
On 8 August 2024, Swedish top-tier Allsvenskan club Mjällby signed Iqbal for an amount of €200,000 until the 2028 season. [9] [10] [11] He arrived as replacement for centre-back Colin Rösler, who had departed to Malmö. [12] [13] [14] [15]
Iqbal received his first senior international call-up for a friendly against Nepal on 16 November 2022. [16] [17] He went on to make his debut in the eventual 0–1 defeat. [18] In June he represented Pakistan in Mauritius Four Nation Cup and then in the 2023 SAFF Championship. [19] In October 2023 he represented Pakistan U23 in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers. [20] In June 2024, Iqbal captained the senior team for the first time in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification against Saudi Arabia and Tajikistan. [21]
Iqbal was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and is of Pakistani descent. [2] [22]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 15 | 0 | |
B.93