The Manchester United pupil will become the first footballer of Pakistani origin to...

On Wednesday, former midfielder of English Manchester United and now player of Dutch Utrecht Zidane Iqbal is preparing to enter the history of the men's World Cup. Although the 23-year-old will take to the field in an Iraqi national team shirt, the moment will be truly monumental for fans of Pakistan, the world's fifth most populous nation, whose national team has never qualified for a tournament of this level. Pakistan are currently ranked 198th in the FIFA world rankings and have won just one qualifying match in their history. Until this moment, its inhabitants have never had the opportunity to support a player with their roots at the World Cup. Zidane Iqbal was born and raised in Manchester. He has Pakistani roots on his father's side and Iraqi roots on his mother's side. The football player admits that he was sincerely surprised when he learned about his unique historical status. "Honestly, I didn't even know it myself. I followed the account that posted it and immediately sent the news to my father. I think we were both surprised, because when I was trying to qualify for the World Cup with Iraq, I wasn't thinking about anything like that," Iqbal told sources. The midfielder emphasizes his deep respect for both lines of his family. This pride is literally reflected in his playing equipment: Iqbal wears the Iraqi flag on his left boot. The right boot features the flag of Pakistan. "For me, they are both equal. It's about respect and something that I carry with great pride," added the player. The path of the Iraqi national team to the current World Cup was exhausting. The team completed a marathon qualifying run of 21 matches, the longest of any participating country. This is the first appearance of the Iraqis at the World Cup since 1986, which symbolically was also held in Mexico. At the group stage, the Iraqi national team will face an extremely difficult test, because they will face two-time world champions France. Norway is a team with world class stars like Erling Holland and Martin Edegaard. Senegal are finalists in the Africa Cup of Nations. Despite formidable opponents, Iqbal is optimistic and does not feel psychological pressure. "I think we have a chance. We go there without pressure. We are underdogs. If we lose, people expect us to lose. But if we win, we will shock the world. When you are excited and work hard, anything can happen in football," concluded Zidane Iqbal.