Quick Facts
Biography
Alaa Abdul-Zahra Khashen Al-Azzawi (Arabic: علاء عبدالزهرة خشَان العزاوي , born 22 December 1985 in Baghdad, Iraq) is an Iraqi football player who currently plays for Al-Zawraa. He is also a member of Iraq national football team. His nickname is Kaka of Iraq or Iraqi Kaka.
Early life
Affectionately nicknamed 'the Kaká of Iraq', Alaa's road towards fame looked relatively straightforward. At the age of 16, he got his playing career off to a dream start when he was discovered and signed by Iraqi powerhouses Al-Zawraa.
Club career
Al-Zawraa
In 2004 at the age of 16, Alaa Abdul-Zahra made a move to Al-Zawraa. He helped Al-Zawraa to qualify for the AFC Champions League in 2005. A year later he won with them the Iraq Super League in 2006.
Mes Kerman
After the AFC Youth Championship 2006, Alaa Abdul-Zahra signed a one-year contract with the Iranian Premier League club Mes Kerman. He played 11 times for them and scoring 4 goals , before moving to play in Jordan
Shabab Al-Ordon
Alaa Abdul-Zahra signed with Duhok FC Before the start of Iraq Super League (2007-2008) but he didn't go to Iraq, Instead he signed another contract with the Jordanian club Shabab Al-Ordon, Claimed that signing with Duhok FC was incomplete.
On 29 December 2007 in his first appearance with Shabab Al-Ordon, Alaa Abdul-Zahra scored his first goal with his new team against Hussein Irbid in Jordan Cup, helped his team to win 3–2 and qualify to the quarterfinals, then on 3 Jan 2008 Alaa Abdul-Zahra played his 2nd and last match with Shabab Al-Ordon this season against Al-Arabi Irbid in Jordan League, which they won 2–3.
Al-Merrikh
Alaa Abdul-Zahra and his Olympic team's mate Saad Attiya signed a Contract with Sudan giant club Al-Merrikh. He won Sudan Premier League 2007–2008, and scored 9 goals.
Al-Khor
After the success in the Sudanese League, Alaa signed a contract with the Qatari side Al-Khor which he played with 14 league matches scoring eight goals.
Al Kharaitiyat
After the great months he spend in Al-Khor Alaa moved to another Qatri club this time with Al Kharaitiyat .Scoring 16 goals in 42 occasions, the club finished 8th in the league that season.
Al-Wakrah
In June 2011, Alaa signed a one-year deal with Qatar side Al-Wakrah playing 10 times and scoring 3 goals , the team finished 7th in the league.
Qatar SC
In Jane 2012, Alaa signed a Half Season with Qatar side Qatar SC and scored 2 goals.
Duhok
Before the start of the 2012-13 season, Abdul-Zahra signed with Duhok FC and made a total of 33 appearances in the 2012-13 and 2013–14 Iraqi Premier League scoring 31 goals.
Tractor Sazi
On 20 July 2014, Abdul-Zahra joined Tractor Sazi with signing a two-year contract with the club. He played his first match for Tractor Sazi on 8 August 2014 against Zob Ahan. Just after a month with Tabrizi side, decided leave Tractor Sazi He said several times that he likes to play as a striker instead of the Midfielder. He officially released on 10 September 2014.
Al-Shorta
Alaa Abdul-Zahra signed with Al-Shorta in September 2014 and scored 8 goals.
Al-Zawraa
Alaa Abdul-Zahra returned to Al-Zawraa in September 2015 , he became instrumental to the team as Al Zawraa went on to win the Iraqi League..
International career
He first made his mark on the international scene with Iraq's youth team at the 2004 AFC Youth Championship in Malaysia. Two years later, he would repeat this feat by figuring prominently at the 2006 AFC Youth Championship, where the striking prodigy finished as the tournament's second-top scorer with four goals despite his team's early exit at the quarter-final stage. From there, he went on to showcase his predatory talents in Asia's qualifying final round for the Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008 by topping the scoring charts with a six-goal haul.
At senior level, he featured in two of Iraq's eight qualifying matches for the 2010 FIFA World Cup at South Africa, coming off bench to play in a goalless draw against Pakistan before featuring in the 2–0 loss to Qatar.
Alaa Abdul Zahra was involved in the incident between Iran vs Iraq in the 2015 Asian Cup where he handled the ball illegally with his hand, during extra time while the game was 3-3 in extra time.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 10 January 2009 | Royal Oman Police Stadium, Muscat, Oman |  Kuwait | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2009 Gulf Cup of Nations |
| 2. | 13 July 2009 | Al-Shaab Stadium, Baghdad, Iraq |  Palestine | 3–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 3. | 26 November 2010 | May 22 Stadium, Aden, Yemen |  Bahrain | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2010 Gulf Cup of Nations |
| 4. | 26 November 2010 | May 22 Stadium, Aden, Yemen | Bahrain | 2–1 | 3–2 | 2010 Gulf Cup of Nations |
| 5. | 2 December 2010 | May 22 Stadium, Aden, Yemen | Kuwait | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2010 Gulf Cup of Nations |
| 6. | 26 March 2011 | Khalid Bin Mohammed Stadium, Sharjah, Iraq |  North Korea | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 7. | 26 March 2011 | Khalid Bin Mohammed Stadium, Sharjah, Iraq | North Korea | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 8. | 29 June 2011 | Franso Hariri Stadium, Arbil, Iraq |  Syria | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 9. | 23 July 2011 | Franso Hariri Stadium, Arbil, Iraq |  Yemen | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2014 World Cup qualification |
| 10. | 6 September 2011 | Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore |  Singapore | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2014 World Cup qualification |
| 11. | 5 July 2012 | Prince Abdullah al-Faisal Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |  Saudi Arabia | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2012 Arab Nations Cup |
| 12. | 16 October 2012 | Grand Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar |  Australia | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2014 World Cup qualification |
| 13. | 11 November 2013 | Prince Mohammed Stadium, Zarqa, Jordan | Syria | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 14. | 26 August 2015 | Saida International Stadium, Saida, Lebanon |  Lebanon | 3–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
Honours
Club
- Al-Zawraa
- Iraqi Premier League: 2005–06, 2015–16
- Shabab Al-Ordon
- Jordan FA Shield: 2007
- Al-Merreikh
- Sudan Premier League: 2008
- Sudan Cup: 2008
International
- Asian Games
- Runners-up: 2006
Individual
- 2013–14 Iraqi Premier League: Best Player Award
- 2015–16 Iraqi Premier League: Team of the Season
