Najim Haidary
Haidary in 2023
Personal information
Full name Abdul Najim Haidary[1]
Date of birth (1999-12-26) 26 December 1999
Place of birth Amsterdam, Netherlands[1]
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Central-defender, left-back, defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Ariana
Number 34
Youth career
0000–2018 Excelsior Rotterdam
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2019 BVV Barendrecht 3 (0)
2019–2022 FC Den Bosch 0 (0)
2022 ASWH 15 (0)
2022–2023 ENAD 2 (0)
2023– Ariana 0 (0)
International career‡
2019– Afghanistan 8 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15 September 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 September 2023

Abdul Najim Haidary (Dari: عبدالنجم حیدری; born 26 December 1999) is an Afghan international footballer who plays as a defender for Ariana in Sweden.

Club career

Having progressed through the academy of Excelsior Rotterdam, Haidary joined Tweede Divisie side BVV Barendrecht in 2018, going on to make his debut for the club later the same year. After three appearances, he joined Eerste Divisie side FC Den Bosch in 2019, but during his time with the club he suffered a serious knee injury which side-lined him for eight months, and he was unable to make his debut.[2]

In February 2022, he returned to the Tweede Divisie with ASWH.[3][4] However, despite making fifteen appearances, he could not help prevent the club being relegated to the Derde Divisie.[2] Ahead of the 2022–23 season, in August 2022, he moved to Cyprus, joining Cypriot Third Division side ENAD.[5]

After only two appearances for ENAD, Haidary moved to Sweden, joining Ettan Fotboll side Ariana.[6]

International career

Haidary was eligible to represent both Afghanistan and the Netherlands at international level, and during his time in the academy of Excelsior Rotterdam, his coach, Marinus Barendregt, was in contact with then-manager of the Afghanistan national football team, Anoush Dastgir, informing Dastgir that Haidary was a player in the team with Afghan roots.[7]

In December 2018, having made his debut in the Tweede Divisie for Barendrecht, but still mostly featuring for their second team, Haidary received a call-up to the Afghanistan national football team for a training camp.[8] The following year, he made his international debut in a 1–1 friendly draw with Tajikistan, and by October of the same year, he had already featured in two 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification games.[7]

Following his call-up in November 2021, he stated that he was proud to represent Afghanistan, and that he played for the country, not for the Taliban, who had taken control of the nation earlier in the year, forcing the national team to play their home games in other countries.[9]

Personal life

Though he was born in Amsterdam, Haidary's parents live in Afghanistan, and in August 2021, following the 2021 Taliban offensive, he stated that the situation was "very scary" and that he feared for his family.[10]

Career statistics

Club

As of 15 September 2023.[11]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
BVV Barendrecht 2018–19 Tweede Divisie 30000030
FC Den Bosch 2019–20 Eerste Divisie 00000000
2020–21 00000000
2021–22 00000000
Total 00000000
ASWH 2021–22 Tweede Divisie 1500000150
ENAD 2022–23 Cypriot Third Division 20000020
Ariana 2023 Ettan Fotboll 00000000
Career total 2000000200
Notes

    International

    As of matches played 15 September 2023.[12]
    Appearances and goals by national team and year
    National teamYearAppsGoals
    Afghanistan 201940
    2020–
    202120
    202220
    Total80

    References

    1. 1 2 3 Najim Haidary at WorldFootball.net
    2. 1 2 "Najim Haidary, nu al de ervaring van een veteraan bij ASWH" [Najim Haidary, already the experience of a veteran at ASWH]. voetbaljournaal.com (in Dutch). 28 June 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
    3. ↑ "ASWH trek ook Najim Haidary aan" [ASWH also sign Najim Haidary]. aswh.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 September 2023.
    4. ↑ Brink, Peter (9 February 2022). "ASWH haalt Aghaans-international weg bij FC Den Bosch" [ASWH takes Aghaans international away from FC Den Bosch]. voetbal247.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 September 2023.
    5. ↑ "ΕΚΛΕΙΣΕ και φέρνει Κύπρο τον Νατζίμ" [CLOSED and brings Najim to Cyprus]. tothemaonline.com (in Greek). 27 August 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
    6. ↑ "Najim Haidary klar för Ariana FC" [Najim Haidary ready for Ariana FC]. arianafc.com (in Swedish). 1 February 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
    7. 1 2 Grol, Sjors (4 October 2019). "Jong Den Bosch-talent mag zich melden bij nationale ploeg Afghanistan: 'Elke keer weer kippenvel'" [Young Den Bosch talent can report to Afghanistan national team: 'Goosebumps every time']. bd.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 September 2023.
    8. ↑ "BVV-talent Najim Haidary loopt stage bij nationaal team Afghanistan" [BVV talent Najim Haidary is doing an internship with the Afghanistan national team]. bvvbarendrecht.nl (in Dutch). 10 December 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
    9. ↑ Martens, Jan (12 November 2021). "'Ik voetbal voor mijn land, niet voor de Taliban', Najim Haidary is opnieuw op pad met het Afghaans elftal" ['I play football for my country, not for the Taliban', Najim Haidary is back on the road with the Afghan national team]. bd.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 September 2023.
    10. ↑ Martens, Jan (21 August 2021). "FC Den Bosch-voetballer Najim Haidary vreest voor zijn familie in Afghanistan: "Het is echt enorm eng"" [FC Den Bosch footballer Najim Haidary fears for his family in Afghanistan: "It is really scary"]. bd.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 September 2023.
    11. ↑ Najim Haidary at Soccerway. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
    12. ↑ Najim Haidary at National-Football-Teams.com
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