Abbas Rahim
# Abbas Rahim

Abbas Rahim (25 January 1979 – 10 August 2012) was an Iraqi football midfielder who played for Iraq in the 2000 Asian Cup and Al-Shorta and Al-Zawraa.

## Playing career

Abbas Rahim was born on January 25, 1979, in Baghdad and started his playing career in the junior teams of Al-Nafat and Salikh. At the age of 13, he joined the Talaba youth where he spent two years before joining Al-Karkh - making his first team debut in 1995. A year later he transferred to Al-Shurta winning the league title in 1997–98. After a brief spell at Al-Karkh, he joined ‘the White Seagulls’ Al-Zawraa, winning the double in 2000 and scoring a remarkable seven goals in his first three league games for the club. Abbas joined Al-Shurta for the second time in 2001.

He was a prolific goal scorer at youth level and Under-19 level where he helped Iraq qualify for the AFC Asian Youth Championship in 1998. He had starred for the Iraqi Olympic side and was capable of turning a game on his own. A versatile left-sided player who could play at left-back, on the left wing, just behind the front two or as an out and out striker.

Abbas made his debut during the 1999 Pan-Arab games in Amman against Libya, scoring his first international goal in a 4–0 win against Lebanon. He played a part in the final against the hosts hitting the cross bar in extra time and was also one of three who hit the post in the penalty shoot-out.

## International goals

    Scores and results list Iraq's goal tally first.

| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1. | 27 August 1999 | Al-Hassan Stadium, Irbid | Lebanon | 3–0 | 4–0 | 1999 Pan Arab Games |
| 2. | 3 November 1999 | National Stadium, Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates | 1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 3. | 22 October 2003 | Manama National Stadium, Manama | Myanmar | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification |

## Death

On 10 August 2012, Rahim died in a car crash on the road from Baghdad to Najaf. He was 33 years old.

