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Muhammad Riaz (footballer)

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For the Afghan cricketer, see Mohammad Riaz.
Muhammad Riaz
Personal information
Date of birth (1996-02-27) 27 February 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth Hangu, Pakistan
Position(s) Attacking midfielder / Winger
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010 Islamabad United
2010–2014 K-Electric 19 (6)
2014 Sui Southern Gas 1 (0)
2018–2020 K-Electric 21 (6)
2020 Asia Ghee Mills 2 (1)
2021 SA Gardens
International career
2013–2018 Pakistan U23 4 (0)
2013–2019 Pakistan 14 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Muhammad Riaz (born 27 February 1996) is a Pakistani footballer who plays as a midfielder.[1] Although his favored position is that of an attacking midfielder, he can also be deployed as a striker or winger.

Early life

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Riaz was born in Hangu, with his family originating from the village of Landi Kotal.[2]

Club career

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Islamabad United

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Riaz represented Islamabad United in the 2010 Geo Super Football League, where he was declared player of the tournament.[3]

K-Electric

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He signed for K-Electric in September 2010 at the age of 15 which was then playing at the Pakistan Premier League.

SSGC & return to K-Electric

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After a brief stint at SSGC in 2014,[4] he returned to K-Electric until the team got disbanded in 2020.[5]

Asia Ghee Mills

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He represented Asia Ghee Mills in the departmental 2020 PFF Challenge Cup.

SA Gardens

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After the suspension of the Pakistan Football Federation by FIFA and the persistent inactivity of the Pakistan Premier League, Riaz participated in various local tournaments in Peshawar and Chitral and played for SA Gardens in 2021.[6]

International career

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Riaz's first senior appearance was against Afghanistan in 2013.[7] He was subsequently called for the 2013 SAFF Championship.[7] Riaz appeared for Pakistan's U-23 team at the 2014 Asian Games in a 1–0 loss to the Chinese U-23 team.[8] He scored his first goal on 6 February 2015, in a friendly against Afghanistan, scoring a header in the 18th minute.[9] He also was included in Pakistan squad for test matches against Malaysia under-19 and under-22 in Kuala Lumpur, where he scored against both teams in a 3–1 victory and 1–2 loss respectively in 2015.[10] In May 2015, he was also included in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification against Yemen.[11][12]

Riaz missed international exposure for the next 3 years, as Pakistan was suspended from all football activities by FIFA on 10 October 2017.[13][14] For three years since March 2015, Pakistan remained suspended from any international competition because of the crisis created inside the Pakistan Football Federation.[14][15] Riaz along with other national team players meanwhile participated with Pakistan during local Leisure Leagues exhibitions matches involving Brazilian star Ronaldinho and Ryan Giggs in 2017.[16][17]

In 2018, Riaz participated in Pakistan tour to Bahrain for test matches as a preparation for the 2018 SAFF Championship, when his national side returned to international circuit after 3 years.[18] Riaz made three further appearances in the 2018 Asian Games.[19] He scored in the 2018 SAFF Championship against Bhutan, as Pakistan terminated the campaign sealing its place in the semi-finals.[20][21][22]

In 2019, Riaz played in the 2022 World Cup qualification against Cambodia playing as a left-back, as Pakistan failed to qualify for the next round.[23][24][25] This was before Pakistan were once again suspended from all football activities by FIFA on 7 April 2021. After the suspension was lifted on 29 June 2022, Riaz was called in the national camp in February 2023, as preparation for future tournaments.[3] However, he was unable to secure a spot in the final squad in March 2023.[26]

Career statistics

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International

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As of match played 6 June 2019[27]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Pakistan 2013 4 0
2014 1 0
2015 3 1
2018 4 1
2019 2 0
Total 14 2
Scores and results list Pakistan's goal tally first.[27]
List of international goals scored by Muhammad Riaz
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 6 February 2015 Ghazi Stadium, Kabul, Afghanistan  Afghanistan 1–0 2–1 Friendly
2 8 September 2018 Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh  Bhutan 1–0 3–0 2018 SAFF Championship

References

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  1. ^ "Muhammad Riaz - Stats, Career information and Matches - World Football". www.worldfootball.com.
  2. ^ natasha.raheel (2016-04-11). "Impassioned appeal: Forget cricket, focus on football, says Riaz". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  3. ^ a b "PFF calls 36 players for national training camp". www.geosuper.tv. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  4. ^ "Muhammad Riaz - Soccer player profile & career statistics - Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  5. ^ Maheen (2021-05-29). "When the ball stops rolling | The Express Tribune". tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  6. ^ Raheel, Natasha (2021-10-02). "'It is a pity': Footballers rue absence from Saff". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  7. ^ a b Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Muhammad Riaz (Player)". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  8. ^ "CHINA PR U23 VS. PAKISTAN U23 1 - 0". us.soccerway.com.
  9. ^ Wasim, Umaid (2015-02-07). "Absence of big names benefitted us, says Shamlan". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  10. ^ "Pakistan beat Malaysian colts 3-1 in unofficial friendly". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  11. ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia - Matches - Yemen-Pakistan". 2015-09-26. Archived from the original on 2015-09-26. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  12. ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia - Matches - Pakistan-Yemen". 2015-09-26. Archived from the original on 2015-09-26. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  13. ^ "FIFA suspends the Pakistan Football Federation". FIFA. 11 October 2017. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017.
  14. ^ a b Din, Tusdiq. "Three years without any football - can Pakistan recover?". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  15. ^ natasha.raheel (2017-07-15). "Save us footballers: Saadullah requests PFF, FIFA". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  16. ^ "Pak players want payment for Leisure Leagues matches". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  17. ^ "Riaz, Hassan strikes help Ronaldinho win series". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  18. ^ Reporter, The Newspaper's Sports (2018-07-18). "Pakistan football team off to Bahrain". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  19. ^ "MUHAMMAD RIAZ". us.soccerway.com.
  20. ^ "NEPAL VS. PAKISTAN 1 - 2". us.soccerway.com.
  21. ^ "PAKISTAN VS. BHUTAN 3 - 0". us.soccerway.com.
  22. ^ Agencies (2018-09-09). "Pakistan qualify for SAFF Cup semi-finals after 13 years, beat Bhutan 3-0". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  23. ^ "Pakistan go down against Cambodia". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  24. ^ kevin (2019-11-26). "L'autre finale de la Coupe du Monde 2022". Romain Molina (in French). Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  25. ^ "Pakistan train for do-or-die battle against Cambodia in Qatar". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  26. ^ "Two new foreign-based players named by PFF for Maldives friendly". www.geosuper.tv. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
  27. ^ a b "Riaz, Muhammad". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 10 January 2019.


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