Maziar Kouhyar

He is the first Afghan to play professionally in Great Britain.

Maziar Kouhyar

Kouhyar with York City in 2022
Personal information
Full name	Qamaruddin Maziar Kouhyar
Date of birth	(1997-09-30) 30 September 1997 (age 26)
Place of birth	Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	York City
Number	11
Youth career
0000–2013	Coventry City
2013–2016	Walsall
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2016–2019	Walsall	21	(1)
2021–2022	Hereford	25	(4)
2022–	York City	66	(7)
2024	→ Hereford (loan)	5	(0)
International career‡
2017–	Afghanistan	10	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:21, 22 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10:35, 15 September 2023 (UTC)

Born in Badakhshan Province in Afghanistan, Kouhyar moved to England as a two-year-old due to conflict in his home country. His parents settled in Handsworth suburb of Birmingham and his father worked as a pizza delivery driver, before returning to Afghanistan to work as an interpreter, leaving his mother to bring up the four children. At the age of eleven he was spotted by a Coventry City scout after attending a Saturday football session with his cousin, and joined the club's youth system.

Walsall

After being released from Coventry at the age of sixteen, he played in Sunday league football, before being spotted by a Walsall scout whilst playing in a local Powerleague. After a trial, he subsequently joined the club. He went on to sign a two-year scholarship with the club, progressing to sign his first professional deal in February 2016, on a one-year contract with the option of a further year. He made his professional debut in August 2016, in a 2–0 defeat to Chesterfield, replacing Kieron Morris as a substitute. He scored his first goal for Walsall in an EFL Trophy tie against Grimsby Town on 30 August 2016. On 9 December 2016 he signed a new contract with Walsall until the summer of 2019.

He left Walsall due to a knee injury, and began working in a fried chicken shop.

In a November 2020 interview following his departure from the club, Kouhyar spoke out against abuse he had received during his time with the club in which he had been labelled a "terrorist" by a teammate.

Hereford

In March 2021, Kouhyar signed for National League North club Hereford having been away from football for eighteen months with an ACL injury. Despite the early cancellation of the season, Kouhyar was part of the Hereford team that made it to the 2021 FA Trophy final, defeated 3–1 by league below Hornchurch.

After scoring three goals and registering an assist as his team pushed for the play-offs, Kouhyar was awarded the National League North Player of the Month award for February 2022. This award came after reported interest from Football League scouts.

York City

 

On 22 March 2022, Kouhyar signed for National League North club York City on a free transfer. On 15 April, Kouhyar scored his first goal for York in a 1–0 National League North victory over Spennymoor Town. The season ended in success for Kouhyar and York as they secured promotion to the National League through the play-offs, Kouhyar scoring the second goal in a 2–0 final victory over Boston United.

On 23 January 2024, Kouhyar joined former club Hereford on a one-month loan.

In October 2016, he received his first call-up to the Afghanistan national team for the friendly against Malaysia. While he was on international duty with the national team, he picked up an injury which cost him three months without playtime and required knee surgery. Kouhyar made his formal debut for Afghanistan in a friendly 2–0 loss to Oman on 30 August 2017. In 2018 he rejected a call-up for a home match against Palestine as his family did not want him to travel to Kabul.

Kouhyar scored for Afghanistan U23 in March 2022, scoring the first goal in an eventual 3–0 friendly victory over Kuwait Under-23.

Outside of football, Kouhyar attends an accountancy evening course.

Club

As of end of 2023–24 season