![](https://pplstatic.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/static/images/dummy-gradient.jpg)
Quick Facts
Biography
Humam Tariq Faraj Naoush (Arabic: همام طارق فرج نعوش; born 10 February 1996 in Baghdad, Iraq) is an Iraqi footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Bursaspor, the Iraq national team, and the Iraq Olympic national team
Early life
Humam Tariq was born to the known family from Adhamiyah, Naoush. He is the grandson of Faraj Naoush, the creator of Confectionery of Faraj Naoush and His Sons, which was created in 1954. It was one of the best confectionery in Iraq, especially, during the Sanctions against Iraq in the 1990s.
At a very young age, Tariq started playing in local football matches until he joined Al-Zawra'a SC, but after a short period, he decided to join the team he supported, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, at the age of 11 years, in 2007.
Club career
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
2010–11
At a young age, Tariq started his football career, by joining Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya youth club, where he kept getting promoted until, in 2010, he joined the senior team at the age of 14 years. He started playing for the senior team, in the 2010–11 Iraqi Premier League. He made his debut with Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, on 26 May 2010, in a match against Salahaddin FC, where the match ended in a 2-0 win for Al-Jawiya. He appeared every two or three matches as substitute. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya finished in 2nd place in the groups stage, being qualified to the third place match, where they lost against Al-Sinaa SC 0-1.
2011–12
Tariq scored his first goal in his second season with Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, on 27 April 2012, in a match against Zakho FC, three minutes after the beginning of the match, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Tariq scored his second goal in a match against Al-Sinaa, which ended in a 2-1 loss for Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya. Tariq scored his third goal in a match against Arbil FC, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Tariq scored only three goals in this season. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya finished in 3rd place in the league table, at 74 points, while Arbil FC became the champions, at 83 points.
2012–13
In the 2012–13 Iraqi Premier League, Tariq scored only a single goal against Kirkuk FC. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya finished in 3rd place, at 69 points, while Al Shorta SC became the champions, at 72 points, with Tariq not finishing the league season. In the 2012–13 UAFA Club Cup, Tariq scored a goal, in the first leg of the match, against Shabab Al-Dhahiriya SC from Palestine, which ended in a 3-0 victory for Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya. Tariq did not stay with Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya until the end of the tournament. Eventually, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya was eliminated, in the quarterfinals, by Raja Casablanca from Morocco. In Tariq's last days in the club, on 24 May 2014, he was fined with $10k by the club's management because Tariq missed his team's training camp in Sulaymaniyah.
Al Ahli
On 29 January 2013, Tariq signed a contract with Al-Ahli to play for them for 5 years, for a value of $600k and a salary of $9,582 per week, with bonuses and good efforts income added. Al Ahli also provided an apartment for Tariq in Dubai, a personal car and free transportation between Baghdad and Dubai for Tariq and his family. Although, Tariq signed the contract in January 2013, he had to wait 13 months to join the squad, because he wasn't going to be 18 years old until 10 February 2014. He was loaned to Al Dhafra after playing only two friendly matches with Al Ahli. Therfor, he wasn't submitted in the 2014–15 squad of Al-Ahli.
On 14 June 2015, Al-Ahli received an official offer from a Turkish team to either buy or loan Tariq with the acceptance of Al-Ahli. After five days, Tariq's agent, Najm Mohammed, stated that the negotiations between the unrelieved Turkish team and Al-Ahli broke after Al-Ahli demanded $400k but the team couldn't pay more than $200k. Al-Ahli received an offer from another team in the Süper Lig and it was Bursaspor. Al-Ahli initially accepted the offer. But, again, on 30 June, Tariq's agent announced that the deal failed, in the last moments, because Bursaspor offered a low amount of money and the offer was rejected by Al-Ahli. In July 2015, two teams from the Iraqi Premier League showed interest in signing Tariq, his last team, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, and Al Shorta.
Al Dhafra (loan)
On 1 October 2014, Tariq was loaned to Al Dhafra SCC, without playing a single official game for Al-Ahli. His loan contract stated that Tariq will play for Al Dhafra for the 2014–15 season, which can be extended.
Tariq played his debut match, in the 2014–15 season, on 5 October, against Emirates Club. He played for 77 minutes and got subbed off for Ali Ibrahim al-Hammadi. Tariq scored his first goal with Al Dhafra on 29 November, against Al-Ittihad Kalba, in the 19th minute, rocketing the ball from outside the penalty box into the right corner of the goal, from a pass by Makhete Diop. His second goal with Al Dhafra was one of the fastest goals in the UAE Arabian Gulf League, on 10 May 2015, in the 4th minute, against Al-Shabab. Tariq finished the league season with Al Dhafra in 12th place at 26 points, only one place away from relegation.
In the UAE President's Cup, Tariq played Al Dhafra's match in the Round of 16, on 15 May 2015. He had an assist in a goal for Bilal Najjarine from a free kick, crossed by Tariq to Bilal's head. Tariq was injured, in that match, with a muscle strain. Al Dhafra won 7-6 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. In the quarterfinals, Tariq started the match against Ajman, where he had another assist in the first goal, by crossing the ball to Makhete Diop's head and into the goal, in the 62nd minute. The match ended in a 2-0 win for Al Dhafra. In the semifinals, against Al-Ahli, Tariq wasn't allowed to play because of the friendly agreement between Al Dhafra and Al Ahli that doesn't allow him to play in a match against Al Ahli. Al Dhafra lost the match 0-2. Tariq finished his season with his team that he was loaned to with a total of 22 appearances, that included 2 goals and 2 assists. After the end of the season, Al Dhafra didn't show interest in extending Tariq's contract. Therefore, he returned to Al-Ahli.
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (loan)
Tariq returned to Jawiya in a loan deal and scored in the 2016 Iraq FA Cup Final which Jawiya won by two goals to win the cup.
International career
On 30 December 2012, Tariq made his international debut for the Iraqi senior team, against Tunisia, in a friendly match that ended in a 2–1 loss for Iraq. Tariq, on that day, became the youngest player in the history of the Iraq national football team to wear the Iraqi shirt at the age of 16.
2013 Gulf Cup
The 2013 Gulf Cup was the tournament that led Tariq to success and made him shine. He started the first match of Iraq, as a left winger, against Saudi Arabia, that ended in a 2-0 win for Iraq. Tariq went on to start the second match of Iraq, against Kuwait, that ended in a 1-0 win for Iraq. In Iraq's third match, against Yemen, Tariq stayed on the bench, being replaced with Nabil Sabah as the left winger. The match ended in a 2-0 win for Iraq. Tariq started the semi-final match against Bahrain. The match went to extra time and then penalties, after a 1-1 draw. Iraq won 4-2 on penalties. In the final, Tariq started as a left midfielder, against UAE, in the match that ended in a 2-1 loss for Iraq. Therefor, Iraq became the runners-up of the 2013 edition.
2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification
Tariq contributed in 4 matches out of the total 6 for Iraq in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification. The matches' results were a 1-0 win against Indonesia on 6 February 2013, 0-1 loss against China on 22 March, 1-2 loss against Saudi Arabia on 15 November, and a 2-0 win against Indonesia on 19 November. Eventually, Iraq qualified to the 2015 AFC Asian Cup by winning 3-1 against China, where Tariq wasn't included.
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
Tariq played only two matches of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC), in the fourth round. The first, against Oman, on 4 June 2013, where he got subbed off in the 55th minute after failing to clear the ball. The match ended in a 1-0 win for Oman. On the other match, against Australia, on 18 June, Tariq got subbed off again in the 75th minute. The match was also lost by Iraq and won 1-0 by Australia. After this match, Iraq was at the bottom of Group B, having 5 points from 8 matches played, resulting in not qualifying to the World Cup.
2013 FIFA U20 World Cup
Tariq was included in the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup squad. He started in all of Iraq's matches. In the first match of Iraq under-20 team, they came up against England, where it ended in a hard 2-2 draw for Iraq. In the second match, they were against Egypt, where Tariq had his first yellow card with an international team in the 57th minute and it ended in a 2-1 win for Iraq. In the third match, against Chile, it ended also in a 2-1 win for Iraq. In the Round of 16, Iraq won over Paraguay, after the match went to extra time, 1-0. In the quarterfinal, Iraq won over Korea Republic. After the match ended in a 3-3 draw, it went to penalties, where Iraq won 5-4. In the semifinal, Iraq lost against Urugua. After the match ended in a 1-1 draw, it went to penalties again, but this time, Iraq lost 6-7, with Tariq scoring his penalty.
2014 Asian Games
Tariq was one of the best players that played in the 2014 Asian Games, scoring four goals, being the top scorer for Iraq, along with Younis Mahmoud. Tariq started in all of Iraq's matches. He scored in Iraq's second match, on 17 September 2014, against Japan, in the 12th minute. Tariq was the man of the match in Iraq's third game, against Kuwait, scoring two goals in the 16th and 62nd minutes and playing quite well. Tariq scored his fourth goal in Iraq's round of 16 match, against Tajikistan, in the early 7th minute. Iraq won in the quarterfinal, 3-0 against Saudi Arabia, but lost in the semifinal, against North Korea, 0-1, where Tariq didn't perform that well. In the third place match, Iraq won, gaining the bronze medal.
2014 Gulf Cup
Tariq was a part of the squad that had the worst ever performance for Iraq in the Gulf Cup, since the 2009 edition, in the 2014 Gulf Cup. He started in all of the three matches of Iraq, lost 0-1 against Kuwait, drew 1-1 with Oman, where Tariq got a yellow card, and lost 2-0 against the UAE.
2015 AFC Asian Cup
Tariq was included in Iraq's squad for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, but he only played 57 minutes of the first match of Iraq, against Jordan. Iraq, eventually, reached the semi-final and lost, ending in 4th place.
Style of play
Tariq uses his small frame to burst past defenders and find space on the flank. His distribution is already excellent for such a young man. The midfielder is an excellent crosser of the ball and his confident passing can open up any game. Often compared to Raheem Sterling, Tariq plays in an offensive midfield role and has a combination of speed and vision that is not that common. He has an explosive quickness in the first few meters and a good technique.
Tariq's definitive position could be as a deep-lying forward, behind a central striker, giving him the freedom of movement, to draw opposing players out of position and exploit holes in the opposition’s defense. He doesn’t look or play anything like an old fashioned attacking wide-man, but is deployed as more of an unorthodox modern-day winger, tucking in when his team is without the ball and often asked to press the opposition to regain back possession.
Career statistics
International
- As of match played 8 September 2015
Iraq national under-23 team goals
- Scores and results list Iraq's goal tally first.
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 17 September 2014 | ![]() | ![]() | 1–0 | 3-1 | 2014 Asian Games |
2 | 21 September 2014 | ![]() | ![]() | 1–0 | 3-0 | 2014 Asian Games |
3 | 21 September 2014 | ![]() | ![]() | 2–0 | 3-0 | 2014 Asian Games |
4 | 26 September 2014 | ![]() | ![]() | 1–0 | 4-2 | 2014 Asian Games |
Iraq national team goals
- Scores and results list Iraq's goal tally first.
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 28 March 2015 | The Sevens Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates | ![]() | 2–1 | 2–1 | International friendly |
International appearances
Team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Iraq | 2012 | 1 | 0 |
2013 | 13 | 0 | |
2014 | 9 | 0 | |
2015 | 8 | 1 | |
Total | 31 | 1 |
Honours
Club
- Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
- AFC Cup winners: 2016
- Iraq FA Cup winners: 2015–16
International
- Iraq U-20
- AFC U-19 Championship: Runner-up 2012
- FIFA U-20 World Cup 4th-place (1): 2013
- Iraq U-23
- AFC U-22 Championship: 2013
- Asian Games: Bronze medalist 2014
- Iraq
- Gulf Cup of Nations: Runner-up 2013
- AFC Asian Cup fourth-place (1): 2015
Individual
- World Military Cup Asian Qualification Zone Best Player: 2013
- Outside of the Boot's 100 Best Young Players to Watch: 2015
- "Best player in the World Military Cup Asian Zone qualifications" (in Arabic).
- "100 Best Young Players to Watch in 2015, Midfielders 35 – 21". Outside of the Boot.