Marko Farji

Marko Farji
Personal information
Full name Marko Zana Hussein Farji[1]
Date of birth (2004-03-16) 16 March 2004[2]
Place of birth Grimstad Municipality, Norway
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)[2]
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 Venezia
Number 11
Youth career
–2019 Jerv
2020–2023 Strømsgodset
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019 Jerv 2 11 (0)
2021–2024 Strømsgodset 2 54 (21)
2022–2026 Strømsgodset 63 (10)
2026– Venezia 2 (0)
International career‡
2023–2024 Iraq U23 7 (0)
2024– Iraq 14 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21 May 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 22 June 2026

Marko Zana Hussein Farji (Arabic: ماركو زانا حسين فرج; Kurdish: Marko Zana Husên Fercî; born 16 March 2004) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Venezia. Born in Norway, he plays for the Iraq national team.

Early life

Born in Grimstad Municipality, Norway in 2004,[3][4] he was born to Kurdish parents from Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan; he moved with his family to Gulskogen in the summer of 2020.[5] Aged eleven, Farji was on a try-out at Manchester City's Academy.[6]

Club career

In early 2019, after playing for the clubs academy for several years, Farji signed his first professional contract with Jerv, which lasted until the 2021 season.[7]

He made his senior debut for Strømsgodset in 2022 in the quarter final of the Norwegian Cup against Sandnes Ulf.[5] He signed a professional contract with the club aged 18 years-old in January 2023.[8] He scored his first league goal in the Eliteserien on 5 November 2023 in a 1–0 win against Tromsø.[9][4]

On 8 January 2026, Farji signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Venezia in Italy.[10]

International career

He has played for the Iraq U23, featuring against United States U23 on 18 November 2023.[11] As of May 2024, Farji had appeared for the U23 team seven times.[12]

In May 2024, Farji was called up to the Iraq team for their games in the Second Round of the Asian World Cup Qualifiers, but did not play in any of the games.[13] Later, in December, Farji was again called up, this time for games in the Arabian Gulf Cup, where he got his debut against Yemen, as a substitute in a 1–0 win.[14][15] His first start for the national team, came in June 2025, against Jordan.[16] On 20 May 2026 Farji was included on the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Career statistics

As of match played 21 May 2026[17]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Jerv 2 2019 4. divisjon 110—110
Strømsgodset 2 2021 3. divisjon 126—126
2022 3. divisjon 218—218
2023 2. divisjon 206—206
2024 3. divisjon 11—11
Total 5421—5421
Strømsgodset 2022 Eliteserien 002020
2023 Eliteserien 6140101
2024 Eliteserien 28030310
2025 Eliteserien 299323211
Total 62101127312
Venezia 2025–26 Serie B 200020
Career total 1293111214033

Honours

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Squad List FIFA World Cup 2026" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 Marko Farji at WorldFootball.net
  3. ↑ "– Jeg lærte mye i Grimstad om hvordan du behandler folk". gat.no. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Grimstad-gutt (19) ble matchvinner i eliteserien". agderposten. 5 November 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  5. 1 2 "PROFESSIONAL CONTRACT FOR FARJI". Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  6. ↑ Kristoffersen, Erlend Borren (26 April 2025). "Toppscoreren fikk brutal beskjed fra Manchester City: – Ble lei meg" (in Norwegian). TV2. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  7. ↑ "MARKO ON A PROFESSIONAL CONTRACT!". fkjerv. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  8. ↑ "Marko Farji (18) signed a professional contract with Strømsgodset". dt.no. 14 January 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  9. ↑ "Tromsø vs. Strømsgodset 0-1". Soccerway. 5 November 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  10. ↑ "Marko Farji joins Venezia FC". Venezia FC. 8 January 2026. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  11. ↑ "USA U23 VS. IRAQ U23 1-1". Soccerway. 18 November 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  12. ↑ Rougemont, Sigmund (28 May 2024). "Marko på A-landslaget" (in Norwegian). Strømsgodset Toppfotball. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  13. ↑ Steien, Vegard Kjøllmoen (29 May 2024). "Eliteseriekometen vraker Norge: – Jeg var veldig usikker". Eurosport (in Norwegian). Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  14. ↑ "Kåret til Årets unge spiller i Godset - tatt ut på det irakiske landslaget" (in Norwegian). Drammen Live24. 11 December 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  15. ↑ "Iraq 1–0 Yemen". Globalsportsarchive. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  16. ↑ "Match Report". The AFC. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  17. ↑ "Marko Farji Statistikk" (in Norwegian). NFF.
  18. ↑ "Strømsgodset Toppfotballs Marko Farji er kåret til månedens unge spiller i Eliteserien for april". Facebook (in Norwegian). Eliteserien. 23 May 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
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