Zaid Ismail

Zaid Ismail Al-Dulaimi (Arabic: زيد اسماعيل الدليمي; born 3 January 2002) is an Iraqi professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Iraqi club Al-Talaba and the Iraq national team.

Club Career

Early Career

Zaid first started getting regular playing time at local club Diyala in the Iraqi second division, where he quickly became their most important player, leading them to a top-half finish in his final season at the club in 2022, before moving up to Iraq’s top tier with Kurdish club Newroz, where he also quickly established himself as a key player.

Al-Talaba

In January 2024, Iraqi giants Al-Talaba signed Ismail.

Zaid started the 2025–26 Stars League season strongly, scoring against Zakho in the opening game and establishing himself as a key player for Al-Talaba, playing 20 out of their opening 22 matches, while registering 4 goal involvements.

In early 2026, reports quickly started circulating all across Iraqi social media pages and channels that Saudi Pro League side Al-Najma were in talks to sign the midfielder, but no move materialised before the winter transfer window closed.

International Career

Iraq U-23

Zaid received his first international call-ups in March and July 2023 with the Iraq U-23s during their preparations for the U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Iraq

Zaid broke into the Iraqi national team at the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup, where he made his debut and a further two appearances, putting down big performances and being a standout for Iraq during the tournament.

Following the Arab Cup, Ismail was called up to Iraq’s squad to face Bolivia in Mexico for a play-off match which would determine the final spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he went on to play as Iraq won the match to qualify for their first World Cup in 40 years.

Career Statistics

Club

As of match played 3 April 2026

International

As of 3 April 2026

Honours

Iraq U23

• AFC U-23 Asian Cup third place: 2024