Ameen Al-Dakhil (Arabic: أَمِين الدَّخِيل; born 6 March 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart. Born in Iraq, he plays for the Belgium national team.
Early life
Al-Dakhil was born in Iraq, and moved to Belgium with his family at the age of 5, as a refugee during the Iraq War. He began playing football with the youth academies of Kortenaken, Hoegaarden-Outgaarden, Tienen, Anderlecht and Standard Liège.[5] Originally a striker, Al-Dakhil was then converted to a centre-back.[6]
Club career
Standard Liege
Al-Dakhil made his professional debut for Standard Liège on 23 July 2021, in a 1–1 Belgian First Division A tie with Genk.[7]
Sint–Truiden
On 31 January 2022, Al-Dakhil moved to fellow Belgian side Sint-Truiden on a permanent deal.[8]
Burnley
On 13 January 2023, Al-Dakhil joined English side Burnley for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract with the club.[9] On 31 January 2024, he scored his first goal for Burnley against Manchester City in a 3–1 defeat, becoming the first player born in Iraq to score in the Premier League.[10]
Vfb Stuttgart
On 27 August 2024, Al-Dakhil signed for Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart on a four-year deal.[11]
International career
Born in Iraq, Al-Dakhil was raised in Belgium and holds a Belgian citizenship.[5] He has been a youth international for Belgium, having represented the under-17, under-18 and under-21 national teams.[citation needed]
In October 2020, he was called up to represent the Iraqi squad at the AFC U-19 Championship, but the tournament was eventually cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]
In June 2023 he was called up to the senior Belgium squad for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Austria and Estonia on 17 and 20 June 2023 respectively.[13]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 1 February 2025
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Standard Liège | 2021–22[1] | Belgian First Division A | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||
| Sint-Truidense | 2021–22[1] | Belgian First Division A | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| 2022–23[1] | Belgian Pro League | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 0 | |||
| Total | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 0 | ||||
| Burnley | 2022–23[1] | Championship | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24[1] | Premier League | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 17 | 1 | ||
| Total | 21 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 29 | 1 | |||
| VfB Stuttgart | 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3[c] | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| Career total | 64 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 79 | 1 | ||
- ^ Includes Belgian Cup, FA Cup
- ^ Includes EFL Cup
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
International
- As of match played 17 November 2024[14]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 2023 | 4 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 0 | |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Belgium - A. Al Dakhil - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "Het jongensboek van Ameen Al-Dakhil: Van Bagdad naar Sclessin". www.hbvl.be.
- ^ "Al-Dakhil (Ameen Al-Dakhil) - Football - Le Soir". sports.lesoir.be.
- ^ Ameen Al-Dakhil at BeSoccer
- ^ a b Sports+, DH Les (31 July 2021). "Le papa d'Ameen Al-Dakhil: "Je voulais le meilleur pour mes enfants"". DH Les Sports +.
- ^ "Réginal Goreux présente Ameen Al-Dakhil, révélation du début de saison au Standard : "il a une grande intelligence de jeu"". RTBF Sport. 3 August 2021.
- ^ "Standard Liège vs. Genk - 23 July 2021 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
- ^ "AMEEN AL-DAKHIL IS A CANARY" (Press release). Sint-Truiden. 31 January 2022. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ InCrowd. "AL-DAKHIL IS A CLARET". Burnley Football Club. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "Manchester City keep heat on leaders after Julián Álvarez fires past Burnley". The Guardian. 31 January 2024.
- ^ "VfB sign Ameen Al-Dakhil". VfB Stuttgart. 27 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ "المراقب العراقي". Archived from the original on 21 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
- ^ "Tedesco verrast: Al Dakhil, Deman, Trésor en Bodart debuteren bij Rode Duivels, weer geen Mertens" [Tedesco verrast: Al Dakhil, Deman, Trésor and Bodart to make debut at Red Devils, again no Mertens]. sporza.be. 6 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Ameen Al-Dakhil". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
External links
- Ameen Al-Dakhil at Soccerway
- ACFF Profile
- Ameen Al-Dakhil – UEFA competition record (archive)
