Adil Nabi

Adil Nabi

Nabi playing for West Bromwich Albion in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Adil Nabi
Date of birth	(1994-02-28) 28 February 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth	Birmingham, England
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder, forward
Youth career
2002–2013	West Bromwich Albion
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2013–2016	West Bromwich Albion	0	(0)
2015	→ Delhi Dynamos (loan)	9	(3)
2016–2018	Peterborough United	8	(0)
2018	→ Nuneaton Town (loan)	5	(0)
2018–2019	Dundee	13	(1)
2019–2022	OFI	48	(8)
2022–2023	Atromitos	9	(0)
2023	Athens Kallithea	13	(2)
2023–2024	Doxa Katokopias	37	(6)
International career
2009	England U16	2	(0)
2010–2011	England U17	9	(3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 May 2024

Adil Nabi (born 28 February 1994) is an English professional footballer who last played as an attacking midfielder or forward for Cypriot Second Division club Doxa Katokopias.

He was an academy product at West Bromwich Albion, but failed to make a first-team appearance. Nabi was the first player to be loaned from the Premier League to the Indian Super League, playing in the 2015 season for the Delhi Dynamos. In January 2016, he joined Peterborough United, where he played 10 total games in two years before a loan to Nuneaton Town. Nabi then had a short spell with Scottish club Dundee before playing in Greece for OFI, Atromitos and Athens Kallithea.

Club career

West Bromwich Albion

Born in Aston, Birmingham, Nabi joined the academy of West Bromwich Albion as an eight-year-old. ^[1] After rising through the academy ranks, he signed his first professional contract with the club in 2011. ^[1] He was named in a matchday squad for the first time on 12 January 2013 in an away Premier League match at Reading, remaining unused as West Brom lost 3–2. ^[2] After the 2014–15 season, Nabi was named Albion's Young Player of the Season. ^[3] For the under-21 team, he recorded 26 goals and 12 assists in 73 games. ^[4]

Loan to Delhi Dynamos

On 28 August 2015 it was announced that Nabi would be loaned to the Delhi Dynamos of the Indian Super League for the 2015 season. ^[5] West Brom board member Adrian Wright stated that the move was for the benefit of all parties, rather than speculation that it was to increase the club's commercial interests in India. ^[4] Nabi was the first player to be loaned from a Premier League club to an ISL team. ^[6] His teammates included UEFA Champions League winners Roberto Carlos, John Arne Riise and Florent Malouda, the first of whom was player-manager. ^[7]

On 4 October, he made his professional debut for the Dynamos in their opening match of the season against Goa at the Fatorda Stadium, coming on as a 73rd-minute substitute for Chicão as they fell 2–0. ^[8] He played only 31 minutes of the first five matches of the season for the capital-based team, but said that he was experiencing a personal growth which would not have been possible had he been loaned to a lower-league English club. ^[6] On 19 November, he scored his first professional goal, opening a 3–1 win over FC Pune City at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. ^[9]

He added a second on 3 December, as the team who had already qualified for the play-offs came from behind to achieve a 3–3 home draw against Kerala Blasters. ^[10] In the last game of the regular season three days later, he scored again in a 2–3 loss to Goa, ^[11] and finished the season with 3 goals from 11 games as they were eliminated by the same team in the semi-finals; he was sent off for dissent on 15 December in a 3–0 away loss in the second leg. ^[12]

Peterborough United

On 21 January 2016, Nabi joined Peterborough United for an undisclosed fee, signing a contract lasting until 2019. ^[13] Two days later, as a 57th-minute substitute for Erhun Oztumer, he made his debut in English football, in the Posh's 2–1 loss to Gillingham in League One. ^[14] On 13 February, he made his first start for the team, in their 0–4 loss to Bradford City at London Road. ^[15] Speaking in January 2017, Director of Football Barry Fry said that: "Nabi was all set to go to Port Vale, but they sacked their manager (Bruno Ribeiro) and the caretaker-boss (Michael Brown) there is not so keen". ^[16]

On 3 February 2018, having gone 14 months without an appearance – with that being a dead rubber EFL Trophy game against Walsall – Nabi was loaned to National League North strugglers Nuneaton Town for the rest of the season. ^[17] He played five games for them as a substitute, and did not score. ^[18]

Dundee

Following his release from Peterborough, Nabi trained in the summer of 2018 at Dundee, and on 2 August he signed a six-month contract. ^[18] He made his debut for the Scottish Premiership club nine days later, as a half-time substitute for Lewis Spence at home to Aberdeen, and forced a save in the 1–0 loss. ^[19] He made ten appearances for the Dee, scoring once to open a 2–1 home loss to Kilmarnock on 6 October. ^[20] Nabi was released by Dundee in December 2018, at the end of his contract. ^[21]

Greece

In January 2019, Nabi announced on Twitter that he had signed for OFI. ^[22] He described the move as "crazy". ^[7] In his debut against Panetolikos on 20 January, he scored two free kicks in a 3–0 home win. ^{[23] [7]} He was named Superleague Greece's player of the week, and satellite channel Nova Sport named his goal as the best in Europe that week. ^[7] Nabi scored a free kick very late into the second leg of the relegation play-offs against Cretan rivals Platanias that ensured a win and a place in the 2019–20 Superleague. ^[24]

On 26 January 2022, Nabi signed for Atromitos also in Greece's top flight, on a deal until 2024. ^[25] A year and a day later, he signed for Super League Greece 2 club Athens Kallithea. ^[26]

Cyprus

On 9 July 2023, Sky Sports had announced that Nabi had arrived in Cyprus to sign for Doxa Katokopias. ^[27] Five days later, he was signed on a deal until the end of the season, and assigned the squad number 10. ^[28] The move was the fifth country in the career, after previous spells playing in England, Scotland, Greece and India. ^[27]

International career

Nabi played for England under-16 and under-17 national team during his teens, scoring 3 goals in his 9 games for the older age group. ^[29]

Adil is eligible to play for Pakistan, his younger brothers, Rahis and Samir had already played for the Pakistan national football team. In June 2023, Adil confirmed his intention to play for Pakistan in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. ^[30] However in March 2024, after receiving the documentation, Nabi along with Etzaz Hussain reportedly declined to play under the then management staff of the Pakistan Football Federation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification against Jordan. ^{[31] [32]}

Style of play

West Bromwich Albion academy manager Mark Harrison stated in November 2015 that Nabi was equally as gifted in technical and finishing abilities as the team's first-choice striker Saido Berahino, who had partnered Nabi at youth level. ^[33]

Personal life

Nabi is of Pakistani descent. ^[5] His younger brothers Samir and Rahis are also professional footballers, having progressed through West Brom's academy. ^{[34] [35]} He is a practising Muslim. ^[7]

Career statistics

As of match played 11 May 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
West Bromwich Albion	2015–16 [36]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	–		0	0
Delhi Dynamos (loan)	2015 [37]	Indian Super League	9	3	0	0	–		2 [a]	0	11	3
Peterborough United	2015–16 [36]	League One	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
	2016–17 [38]		2	0	0	0	0	0	2 [b]	0	4	0
	2017–18 [39]		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		17	3	0	0	0	0	4	0	21	3
Nuneaton Town (loan)	2017–18 [37]	National League North	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
Dundee	2018–19 [40]	Scottish Premiership	13	1	0	0	1	0	–		14	1
OFI	2018–19 [37]	Super League Greece	9	3	0	0	–		2 [c]	1	11	4
	2019–20 [37]		25	4	0	0	–		–		25	4
	2020–21 [37]		5	0	0	0	–		1 [d]	0	6	0
	2021–22 [37]		9	1	2	0	–		–		11	1
	Total		66	9	2	0	1	0	3	1	72	10
Atromitos	2021–22 [37]	Super League Greece	9	0	0	0	–		–		9	0
	2022–23		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Athens Kallithea	2022–23 [37]	Super League Greece 2	13	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	13	2
Doxa Katokopias	2023–24	Cypriot First Division	37	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	37	6
Career total			143	20	2	0	1	0	7	1	152	21

1. Appearances in Indian Super League finals
2. Appearances in EFL Trophy
3. Appearances in Super League Greece relegation play-offs
4. Appearance in UEFA Europa League

References

1. "'I'll return from India experience a different person'". Premier League. 5 September 2015. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
2. Oscroft, Tim (12 January 2013). "Reading 3-2 West Brom". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
3. "Adil Nabi named Albion Young Player of the Season". Express and Star. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
4. Stuart, Paul (10 September 2015). "Adil Nabi's loan to Delhi not commercially driven, says West Brom's marketing boss". Birmingham Mail . Retrieved 19 November 2015.
5. "Adil Nabi: West Bromwich Albion loan striker to Delhi Dynamos". BBC Sport. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
6. "Adil Nabi struggling to get minutes at Delhi Dynamos". Express & Star . BBC Sport. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
7. Hafez, Shamoon (4 February 2019). "Adil Nabi: Ex-West Brom midfielder on playing with Roberto Carlos, Greece & inspiring youngsters". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
8. Bilgi, Sumedh (4 October 2015). "Indian Super League: FC Goa 2-0 Delhi Dynamos: Hosts get off to a winning start". Goal.com. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
9. "ISL 2015: Dominant Delhi Dynamos conquer FC Pune City 3-1". Zee News. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
10. Bali, Rahul (3 December 2015). "Indian Super League: Delhi Dynamos 3-3 Kerala Blasters: Sehnaj screamer rescues a point". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
11. Mitra, Atanu (6 December 2015). "Indian Super League: Delhi Dynamos 2-3 FC Goa: Romeo brace sparks comeback win for the Gaurs". Goal.com. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
12. Trehan, Dev (15 December 2015). "West Brom's Adil Nabi sent off in last game on loan in India". Sky Sports. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
13. "Peterborough United sign Harry Toffolo and Adil Nabi". BBC Sport. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
14. "Gillingham 2-1 Peterborough". BBC Sport. 23 January 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
15. Swann, Alan (13 February 2016). "POSH REPORT: Peterborough United 0, Bradford City 4: One bad defeat doesn't kill a season". Peterborough Telegraph. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
16. Swann, Alan (13 January 2017). "TRANSFER NEWS: Premier League club chase Leo, offers for strikers, Nabi deal collapses, £2.5 million bid for Maddison". Peterborough Today. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
17. Swann, Alan (3 February 2018). "BREAKING NEWS: Forgotten midfielder leaves Peterborough United". Peterborough Telegraph. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
18. "Adil Nabi: Dundee sign former Peterborough forward on six-month deal". BBC Sport. 2 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
19. Lewis, Jane (11 August 2018). "Dundee 0–1 Aberdeen". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
20. McCafferty, Gavin (6 October 2018). "Dundee 1 Kilmarnock 2 as Eamonn Brophy keeps his cool to bag controversial penalty winner". Daily Record. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
21. "Dundee: Andy Boyle, Calvin Miller & Adil Nabi leave Dens Park". BBC Sport. 30 December 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
22. Nabi, Adil [@NabiAdil] (7 January 2019). "Happy to announce I've signed for OFI CRETE in the Greece super league! New adventure in my career that I'm very much so excited for! #oficrete @Super_League_GRpic.twitter.com/sqpif7uF0e" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
23. "ΟΦΗ - Παναιτωλικός 3-0: Ξέσπασε με Ναμπί και Βουό και βγήκε εκτός επικίνδυνης ζώνης" (in Greek). Sport 24. 20 January 2019.
24. Georgakopoulos, George (22 May 2019). "Last-gasp goal spares OFI relegation in Cretan derby". Ekathimerini. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
25. "Ατρόμητος: Ανακοίνωσε την απόκτηση του Ναμπί από τον ΟΦΗ". 26 January 2022.
26. "Στην Athens Kallithea ο Adil Nabi". Sportsup.gr (in Greek). 27 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
27. "South Asians in football: Adil Nabi makes Cyprus move | Ruudy Yusuf links up with Clapton CFC". Sky Sports. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
28. "Ανακοίνωση – Adil Nabi – DOXA KATOKOPIAS FC" (in Greek). Retrieved 16 July 2023.
29. "Adil Nabi: The future is bright". mysite. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
30. "Adil Nabi determined to help Pakistan win World Cup Qualifier". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
31. "Eight changes in Pak team for match against Jordan". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
32. Reporter, The Newspaper's Sports (21 March 2024). "Pakistan look to stop losing run against Asian Cup finalists Jordan". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
33. "Adil Nabi 'as good a finisher' as Berahino". Express & Star. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
34. "Nabi brothers tipped for Premier League success at West Brom". Sky Sports. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
35. "A Nabi hat-trick for the Albion academy". Express & Star. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
36. "Games played by Adil Nabi in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
37. Adil Nabi at Soccerway. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
38. "Games played by Adil Nabi in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
39. "Games played by Adil Nabi in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
40. "Games played by Adil Nabi in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 June 2019.

External links

• Media related to Adil Nabi at Wikimedia Commons
• Delhi Dynamos Profile ^[usurped]
• Adil Nabi at Soccerway
• Adil Nabi at FBref.com