The Most Famous

SOCCER PLAYERS from Afghanistan

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This page contains a list of the greatest Afghan Soccer Players. The pantheon dataset contains 21,273 Soccer Players, 6 of which were born in Afghanistan. This makes Afghanistan the birth place of the 122nd most number of Soccer Players behind Martinique, and Jordan.

Top 6

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Afghan Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous Afghan Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity.

Photo of Nadia Nadim

1. Nadia Nadim (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 49.24, Nadia Nadim is the most famous Afghan Soccer Player.  Her biography has been translated into 37 different languages on wikipedia.

Nadia Nadim (Persian: نادیه ندیم; born 2 January 1988) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for the Damallsvenskan club Hammarby, on loan from Italian Serie A club AC Milan. Born in Afghanistan, she plays for the Denmark national team. Nadim is considered the most influential and greatest Afghan female footballer of all time, particularly because she has won league titles in two countries, the USA league title in 2017 with the Portland Thorns and the French league title in 2020–21 with Paris Saint-Germain. Nadim was named the Danish Footballer of the Year in 2016 and 2017.

Photo of Mohammad Yousef Kargar

2. Mohammad Yousef Kargar (b. 1963)

With an HPI of 45.19, Mohammad Yousef Kargar is the 2nd most famous Afghan Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Mohammad Yosuf Kargar (Persian: محمد یوسف کارگر) is an Afghan former football player and manager who is president of the Afghanistan Football Federation. He formerly coached the Afghanistan national team.

Photo of Balal Arezou

3. Balal Arezou (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 38.92, Balal Arezou is the 3rd most famous Afghan Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Balal Arezou (also Belal or Bilal; born 28 December 1988) is an Afghan footballer who plays as a forward and currently plays for Norwegian club Grane Arendal. He ranks second in the all-time top scorer table of the Afghanistan national football team with nine goals.

Photo of Faysal Shayesteh

4. Faysal Shayesteh (b. 1991)

With an HPI of 38.92, Faysal Shayesteh is the 4th most famous Afghan Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Faysal Shayesteh (Dari: فیصل شایسته; born 10 June 1991) is an Afghan professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for I-League club Sreenidi Deccan and the Afghanistan national team.

Photo of Shamsuddin Amiri

5. Shamsuddin Amiri (b. 1985)

With an HPI of 38.54, Shamsuddin Amiri is the 5th most famous Afghan Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Shamsuddin Amiri (Dari: شمس الدین امیری; born 12 February 1985) is an Afghan former footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Photo of Zohib Islam Amiri

6. Zohib Islam Amiri (b. 1990)

With an HPI of 38.34, Zohib Islam Amiri is the 6th most famous Afghan Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Zohib Islam Haroon Fakhruddin Amiri (Dari: ذهیب اسلام هارون فخرالدین امیری; born 15 February 1990) is an Afghan former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Over his two-decade career, he became a pivotal figure in Afghan football, representing clubs across Asia and North America while captaining the Afghanistan national team. Known for his defensive resilience and leadership, Amiri earned 71 caps and scored six goals for his country. He captained Afghanistan to their historic 2013 SAFF Championship victory, solidifying his legacy as one of Afghanistan's most iconic footballers.

People

Pantheon has 6 people classified as Afghan soccer players born between 1963 and 1991. Of these 6, 6 (100.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Afghan soccer players include Nadia Nadim, Mohammad Yousef Kargar, and Balal Arezou. As of April 2024, 6 new Afghan soccer players have been added to Pantheon including Nadia Nadim, Mohammad Yousef Kargar, and Balal Arezou.

Living Afghan Soccer Players

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Newly Added Afghan Soccer Players (2024)

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