Habib Jafar vs Nashat Akram
Iraq against Iraq. The almanac states its case, the crowd votes, you decide.
Habib Jafar
Iraq · 1986–2001 · CM
- Almanac rating
- 83
- Rank in Iraq
- #8 of 33
- Caps
- 92 · 27 goals
- Clubs
- Talaba SC, Al-Karkh SC, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
Evaristo de Macedo left him out of Iraq's squad for Mexico 1986, judging him too inexperienced for a World Cup. Two years later Iraq won the Gulf Cup in Saudi Arabia and Jafar was voted the tournament's best player, the peak of 71 caps and 16 goals stretched from 1986 to 2001 across Al-Talaba, Al-Rasheed and a long Qatari spell; a red card against Iran in 1994 qualifying cost him the decider with Japan. Career record: 92 caps and 27 goals for Iraq; club career at Talaba SC, Al-Karkh SC, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya.
Nashat Akram
Iraq · 2004–07 · CDM
- Almanac rating
- 86
- Rank in Iraq
- #3 of 33
- Caps
- 113 · 17 goals
- Clubs
- Al-Shorta Baghdad, Al-Nassr, Al Ain
He opened the scoring after 23 minutes against Australia in Bangkok on 13 July 2007 and created the second in a 3-1 group win. Iraq went on to take the 2007 Asian Cup with him voted man of the match in the final and chosen for the All-Star XI, and he captained the fourth-placed 2004 Olympic team and won league titles in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Netherlands. Career record: 113 caps and 17 goals for Iraq; club career at Al-Shorta Baghdad, Al-Nassr, Al Ain.
The verdict
The almanac puts Nashat Akram ahead by 3 rating points, 86 against 83.
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