Thread by @brfootball

Zidane Iqbal's journey to becoming the first British South Asian footballer to play for Manchester United ✨[A THREAD]

Iqbal was born in Manchester and has parents of Pakistani and Iraqi heritage.

He's been with the United academy for the past decade and plays as an attacking midfielder for the U23 side 🪄

Before making his debut, he became the first British South Asian player to sign a professional contract with the club back in April ✍️

Iqbal made history when he became the first British South Asian footballer to play for United.

He came on as a substitute in the 89th minute during Manchester United's Champions League match against Young Boys 🌟

Iqbal on his debut for Manchester United.

Iqbal's appearance was groundbreaking for footballers of South Asian descent trying to make it as professionals in England.

Despite making up 7% of the total population in Britain, only 0.25% of professional footballers are British Asian, according to Kick It Out.

Hamza Choudhury, Neil Taylor, Danny Batth, Arjan Raikhy and Yan Dhanda are a few British South Asian footballers currently playing professionally in England.

South Asians have been discriminated against in the English game for decades.

Gareth Southgate said, "Historically, there has been a sort of unconscious bias, maybe the perception that some Asian players were not as athletic, they weren't as strong [as other players]."

Yan Dhanda on the lack of South Asians in football.

Iqbal's debut has helped pave the way for more South Asian footballers to make their mark on the English game 💫