Zahid Niaz
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sheikh Zahid Niaz | ||
| Date of birth | 21 June 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Pakistan | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–2011 | Pakistan Airlines | ||
| International career | |||
| 1998 | Pakistan U16 | ||
| 2003 | Pakistan | 1 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Zahid Niaz (Urdu: زاہد نیاز; born 21 June 1977) is a former Pakistani footballer who played as a striker for Pakistan International Airlines and also represented the Pakistan national team.
Niaz spent his entire career with Pakistan Airlines.[1][2] In the 1997 National Football Championship, he had an remarkable campaign, scoring four goals in one match. This included a remarkable hat-trick completed in just three minutes against NWFP Red. He finished the tournament with a total of seven goals, which made him the top goal-scorer.[3]
In 2002, Niaz was named the top-goalscorer in the 2002 President PFF Cup, with him scoring seven goals in the tournament.[2]
International career
Niaz captained Pakistan U16 at the 1998 AFC U-16 Championship qualification.[4]
Niaz was selected to represent the Pakistan national team for the 2003 SAFF Gold Cup held in Dhaka, Bangladesh.[5] He made his debut in the tournament against Sri Lanka, scoring in the 50th minute, the match resulted in a 2–1 win for Pakistan.[6][7][8]
Post-retirement
After retirement as player, Niaz took several coaching courses.[9][10][11][12]
In 2013, Niaz served as assistant coach of Pakistan U14 for the inaugural AFC U-14 Championships held in Iran.[13] Niaz served as an assistant coach for the 2018 SAFF U-15 Championship, where Pakistan earned a runner-up position in the tournament.[14]
Personal life
Niaz comes from a family of footballers, his father Niaz Ali Naji played for Bata FC and also represented Pakistan in 1976,[15] his uncles Mukhtar Ali and Ejaz Ali were both prominent players for Pakistan in the 1980s.[16][17] He also has a younger brother Oman Niaz, who played football alongside him.[18]
Career statistics
International
- Scores and results list Pakistan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Niaz goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 January 2003 | Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh |  Sri Lanka |
1–0 | 2–1 | 2003 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup |