Aymen Luay

Aymen Luay
Personal information
Full name Aymen Luay Abdulhasan Akanees
Date of birth (2005-05-23) 23 May 2005
Place of birth Najaf, Iraq
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 Al-Minaa
Number 23
Youth career
–2024 Al-Najaf
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024–2026 Al-Najaf 19 (3)
2025–2026 → Al-Gharraf 14 (0)
2026– Al-Minaa 0 (0)
International career‡
2024–2025 Iraq U20 3 (4)
2025– Iraq U23 4 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 1 June 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 14 January 2026

Aymen Luay Akanees (born 23 May 2005) is an Iraqi professional footballer who plays as a forward for Iraq Stars League side Al-Minaa.

Club career

Aymen Luay began his football journey at the Al-Najaf Academy, where he developed through the club's youth system. In 2022, he represented Al-Najaf in the Iraqi U-16 League, showcasing his potential as one of the club's promising young talents.[1] His breakthrough came in 2024, when he finished as the top scorer of the Iraqi U-19 League, scoring 20 goals and establishing himself as one of the country's most exciting young forwards.[2]

Following his impressive performances at youth level, he was promoted to Al-Najaf's first team to compete in the Iraq Stars League. On 11 August 2025, he joined Al-Gharraf on a one-season loan before returning to Al-Najaf for the 2025–26 campaign.[3] During the 2025–26 season, he scored his first goal in the Iraq Stars League on 17 April 2026, finding the net in stoppage time against Newroz to secure a dramatic 2–1 victory for Al-Najaf.[4] He added another goal on 27 April 2026 against Duhok, despite his team suffering a 2–1 defeat.[5][6] On 20 May 2026, he scored again against Al-Karkh in a 5–2 loss.[7][8] At the end of the season, Al-Najaf was relegated from the Iraq Stars League.[9] On 1 July 2026, he completed a permanent move to Al-Minaa, beginning a new chapter in his professional career.

International career

Aymen Luay received his first call-up to the Iraq national team setup in 2024, when Iraq-20 head coach Emad Mohammed named him in the 23-man squad for the 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification in Thailand.[10] He made his debut against Brunei, scoring a hat-trick in his first appearance.[11][12] Following his impressive performances in the qualifiers, Luay was included in Iraq's 26-man squad for the 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup in China.[13] He scored in Iraq's opening match of the tournament against North Korea.[14][15]

Luay was also selected for the Iraq-23 squad that competed in the 2025 AGCFF U-23 Gulf Cup in Qatar,[16] During the tournament, he scored a goal against Oman.[17][18] Following that, he was included in Iraq's squad to participate in the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.[19][20] Although Iraq did not qualify for the final tournament, Luay was one of the team's standout performers during the qualification campaign, producing impressive displays throughout the competition.[21]

References

  1. ↑ الزوراء يتغلب على النجف بالجولة الثانية لنهائيات دوري الناشئين (in Arabic). azlsport.com. 25 July 2022.
  2. ↑ هدّافا دوري الكبار والشباب في كرة العراق يحملان اسم أيمن (in Arabic). alkhaleej.ae. 24 July 2024.
  3. ↑ نشاط انتقالات مكثّف في دوري نجوم العراق استعداداً للموسم الجديد (in Arabic). alssaa.com. 13 August 2025.
  4. ↑ ريمونتادا متأخرة تمنح النجف فوزا قاتلا على نوروز (in Arabic). ninanews.com. 17 April 2026.
  5. ↑ دهوك يضرب في الوقت القاتل ويخطف نقاط النجف (in Arabic). ainalsqrsport.com. 27 April 2026.
  6. ↑ دوري نجوم العراق.. فوز مهم لأربيل على الطلبة ودهوك يتخطى النجف (in Arabic). shafaq.com. 27 April 2026.
  7. ↑ يونس حمود يقسو على فريقه السابق «النجف» برباعية (in Arabic). alkhaleej.ae. 20 May 2026.
  8. ↑ نجوم العراق.. نوروز يحسم ديربي كوردستان وفوزان للكرخ والميناء (in Arabic). shafaq.com. 20 May 2026.
  9. ↑ لأول مرة في تاريخه.. نادي النجف يهبط من دوري النجوم العراق إلى الدوري الممتاز (in Arabic). non14.net. 12 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "الإعلان عن قائمة منتخب الشباب العراقي للقاء بروناي بالزي الأبيض". shafaq.com (in Arabic). September 24, 2024.
  11. ↑ "العراق يمطر بروناي بـ 15 هدفاً بلا جواب". shafaq.com (in Arabic). September 25, 2024.
  12. ↑ "في مستهل مشواره بكأس آسيا دون 20 عاماً .. ليوث الرافدين يمطرون شباك منتخب شباب بروناي بـ 15 هدفاً". alnahrain.com (in Arabic). September 25, 2024.
  13. ↑ "عماد محمد يُعلن قائمة منتخب الشباب النهائية لبطولة آسيا". ina.iq (in Arabic). January 19, 2025.
  14. ↑ "أيمن لؤي يفتتح أهداف العراق في كأس آسيا للشباب تحت 20 عاماً". mercatotime.com (in Arabic). February 12, 2025.
  15. ↑ "كأس آسيا تحت 20 عاماً.. منتخب شباب العراق يتعادل مع كوريا الشمالية". alsumaria.tv (in Arabic). February 13, 2025.
  16. ↑ "(24) لاعباً في قائمة الأولمبي لبطولة كأس الخليج". alsabaah.iq (in Arabic). November 25, 2025.
  17. ↑ "منتخبنا الأولمبي يتغلب على نظيره العُماني بثنائية في كأس الخليج". ina.iq (in Arabic). December 7, 2025.
  18. ↑ "منتخبنا الأولمبي يهزم نظيره العُماني بهدفين نظيفين في كأس الخليج". alnahrain.com (in Arabic). December 7, 2025.
  19. ↑ "رسمياً .. تشكيلة الاولمبي العراقي للقاء الصين". shafaq.com (in Arabic). January 8, 2026.
  20. ↑ "إعلان تشكيلة الأولمبي العراقي ضد تايلاند بكأس آسيا تحت 23 سنة". shafaq.com (in Arabic). January 11, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Australia U23 qualify for next stage of AFC U23 Asian Cup™ with come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Iraq". socceroos.com.au (in Arabic). January 14, 2026.
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