# Sherko Karim > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sherko_Karim > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sherko_Karim.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherko_Karim > Source revision: 1337984146 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Iraqi footballer (born 1996)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Sherko Karim | image = Sherko Karim (cropped).jpg | caption = Karim with [Iraq U23](/source/Iraq_national_under-23_football_team) in 2016 | fullname = Sherko Karim Lateef Gubari{{cite web |url=https://fdp.fifa.org/assetspublic/ce14/pdf/SquadLists-English.pdf |title=FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021: List of players: Iraq |publisher=[FIFA](/source/FIFA) |page=4 |date=4 December 2021 |access-date=12 December 2022}} | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1996|5|25}} | birth_place = [Kirkuk](/source/Kirkuk), Iraq | height = 1.77 m | currentclub = [Zakho SC](/source/Zakho_SC) | clubnumber = 10 | position = [Forward](/source/Forward_(association_football)) | youthyears1 = –2011 | youthclubs1 = [Kirkuk](/source/Kirkuk_FC) | youthyears2 = 2011–2012 | youthclubs2 = [Al-Shorta](/source/Al_Shorta_SC) | years1 = 2012–2015 | clubs1 = [Al-Shorta](/source/Al_Shorta_SC) | caps1 = | goals1 = 3 | years2 = 2015–2019 | clubs2 = [Grasshoppers](/source/Grasshopper_Club_Z%C3%BCrich) | caps2 = 14 | goals2 = 0 | years3 = 2017–2018 | clubs3 = → [FC Vaduz](/source/FC_Vaduz) (loan) | caps3 = 0 | goals3 = 0 | years4 = 2018–2019 | clubs4 = → [Rheindorf Altach](/source/SC_Rheindorf_Altach) (loan) | caps4 = 11 | goals4 = 0 | years5 = 2019–2020 | clubs5 = [Al-Shorta](/source/Al_Shorta_SC) | caps5 = 1 | goals5 = 0 | years6 = 2020–2022 | clubs6 = [Erbil](/source/Erbil_SC) | caps6 = | goals6 = | years7 = 2022–2023 | clubs7 = [Kuwait SC](/source/Kuwait_SC) | caps7 = | goals7 = | years8 = 2023–2025 | clubs8 = [Erbil](/source/Erbil_SC) | caps8 = | goals8 = | years9 = 2025– | clubs9 = [Zakho SC](/source/Zakho_SC) | caps9 = 5 | goals9 = 4 | nationalyears1 = 2011–2013 | nationalteam1 = [Iraq U17](/source/Iraq_national_under-17_football_team) | nationalcaps1 = 11 | nationalgoals1 = 5 | nationalyears2 = 2013–2014 | nationalteam2 = [Iraq U20](/source/Iraq_national_under-20_football_team) | nationalcaps2 = 4 | nationalgoals2 = 4 | nationalyears3 = 2016 | nationalteam3 = [Iraq U23](/source/Iraq_national_under-23_football_team) | nationalcaps3 = 3 | nationalgoals3 = 0 | nationalyears4 = 2021– | nationalteam4 = [Iraq](/source/Iraq_national_football_team) | nationalcaps4 = 26 | nationalgoals4 = 1 | club-update = 5 August 2023 | nationalteam-update = 18 November 2025 }} '''Sherko Karim Lateef Gubari''' ({{langx|ar|شيركو كريم لطيف}}, born 25 May 1996) is an Iraqi professional [footballer](/source/association_football) who plays as a [forward](/source/forward_(association_football)) for [Iraq Stars League](/source/Iraq_Stars_League) club [Zakho SC](/source/Zakho_SC) and the [Iraq national team](/source/Iraq_national_football_team). ==Early life== Born into a [Kurdish](/source/Iraqi_Kurds) family in [Kirkuk](/source/Kirkuk), Karim made his first steps on the fields of local [Al-Thawra SC](/source/Al-Thawra_SC) in his home city.{{cite web|last1=Mubarak|first1=Hassanin|title=Iraq Olympic Team Profile|url=https://ahdaaf.me/2016/08/02/iraq-olympic-team-profile/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222104944/https://ahdaaf.me/2016/08/02/iraq-olympic-team-profile/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=22 December 2017}} He was discovered by [Iraqi U-17](/source/Iraq_national_under-17_football_team) coach [Muwafaq Hussein](/source/Muwafaq_Hussein) on one of his scouting trips scouring for new talent around the country, and after watching him, he quickly called him up to play for his side, and shortly after, moved to Baghdad to play for [Al-Shorta](/source/Al_Shorta_SC). It was after the U-16s qualified for the [2012 AFC U-16 Championship](/source/2012_AFC_U-16_Championship) that Iraqi clubs began clamouring for his signature, with [Erbil SC](/source/Erbil_SC) one of the favourites to sign the striker but instead he moved south to the Iraqi capital to start his career in the top division, and after an initial offer from [Al-Karkh](/source/Al-Karkh_SC), he moved to Al-Shorta. Karim came to prominence at [Arab Cup U-17](/source/2012_Arab_Cup_U-17) in Tunisia in 2012, where he picked up awards for the best player and top scorer at the 2012 Arab Youth Championship on the back of his seven goals in Tunis. After the competition the striker was offered a professional contract by three of Tunisia's premier clubs [Espérance](/source/Esp%C3%A9rance_Sportive_de_Tunis), [Club Africain](/source/Club_Africain) and [CS Sfaxien](/source/CS_Sfaxien). Karim also had interest from Saudi club [Al-Nassr](/source/Al-Nassr) and was one of four players from the Under 17s who Russian club [Anzhi Makhachkala](/source/Anzhi_Makhachkala) looked out during the 2013 AFC U-17 qualifying rounds in Duhok. ==Club career== ===Al-Shorta=== Karim signed his first senior contract with Al-Shorta on 30 December 2011{{cite web|last1=Mubarak|first1=Hassanin|title=Sherko Karim: The next star of Iraqi football|url=https://iraqsport.wordpress.com/2013/10/26/sherko-karim-the-next-star-of-iraqi-football/}} at the age of just 15. He was given the number 33 shirt and scored his first goal for Al-Shorta against [Al-Minaa](/source/Al-Minaa) with a header in a 3–0 win on 24 June 2012. He was given the number 7 shirt at the start of the 2012–13 season and he won the league with Al-Shorta that season. He scored twice in the 2013–14 season against [Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya](/source/Al-Quwa_Al-Jawiya) and [Baghdad](/source/Baghdad_FC). ===Ajax trial=== In 2013 after Karim scored two goals in an AFC Youth Championship qualifier against Bangladesh in [Erbil](/source/Erbil), which Iraq won 6–0, the opponent's Dutch coach Rene Koster was full of praise for the Iraq Under 19s, and told the gathering media that the Iraqi team “deserved the victory, deserving for being cognate as a group, playing at home, in front of their fans, and playing in a similar way to Barcelona”. Karim caught the eye of the Dutch coach, and he was quickly on the phone to one club back in the Netherlands to inform them about the No.7 of Iraq. On 13 October 2013, after the last day of the qualifying stages, his coach Muwafaq Hussein confirmed to the Iraqi media that Karim had received a formal offer of a two-week trial from Dutch club [Ajax Amsterdam](/source/Ajax_Amsterdam) through Bangladesh's coach Koster who also worked as a coach at the Ajax Football Academy. The Iraqi coach added that Karim's club would make a decision on holding talks to agree on the details of the transfer but the player was unable to travel to Amsterdam due to visa issues. ===Move to Europe=== At the end of 2014, Karim finally received his visa and flew to [Paris](/source/Paris) and had trials at French clubs [Montpellier](/source/HSC_Montpellier), [Valenciennes](/source/FC_Valenciennes), [Marseille](/source/Olympique_de_Marseille) and [AS Monaco](/source/AS_Monaco), where it was reported that he was close to signing a deal, though an Iraqi journalist claimed Monaco pulled out of a three-year deal. In February 2015, Karim signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Swiss club [Grasshopper Club Zürich](/source/Grasshopper_Club_Z%C3%BCrich) and went straight into their youth side. He made his competitive debut in a 5–3 win over [FC Thun](/source/FC_Thun) in the [2015–16 Swiss Super League](/source/2015%E2%80%9316_Swiss_Super_League), coming on as a substitute wearing the number 25 shirt.{{Soccerway|248747}} In 2016 Karim scored a goal in the final of the 79th edition of the Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup in Zürich in a 2–0 victory of English club [West Ham United](/source/West_Ham_United_F.C.) and was awarded the Adidas Golden Ball as the competition's best player. In July 2017, Karim signed for [FC Vaduz](/source/FC_Vaduz) on loan from Grasshopper Club Zürich to get more playing time. ===Back to Iraq=== In the 2019 summer transfer window, Karim returned to his former club [Al-Shorta](/source/Al-Shorta_SC) and won the [2019 Iraqi Super Cup](/source/2019_Iraqi_Super_Cup) title.[http://azlsport.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=7740 2019 Iraqi Super Cup], AZL Sport ==International career== His delay in Karim making his full international debut centred around the striker's clash with the FA and his U-19 coach while he was with the Iraq youth side in [Myanmar](/source/Myanmar) when Karim had been selected to play at the [2014 AFC U-19 Championship](/source/2014_AFC_U-19_Championship). In the second half of the group game against Qatar when his coach [Rahim Hameed](/source/Rahim_Hameed) turned to bring the young forward on, but was told by his two assistants that Karim had left the bench and was sitting in the stands! The player insisted he had informed the two coaching assistants that he was not in the right state of mind to play and later claimed he was physically assaulted by the coach after the game for what was perceived as his obdurate stance. Karim had been waiting in the city of [Erbil](/source/Erbil) for a visa to fly to [France](/source/France) for trials with several clubs when he was called up by the Iraq FA. Before the youth tournament the player had been told he would be suspended and his ITC clearance would not be released wrecking any move to Europe if he refused a call-up from the Iraq U-19s side. Karim swiftly made himself available and arrived a day before they departed. On the eve of the final 2016 Olympic qualifying round in Doha in January 2016, Karim left the team after his club refused to allow him to take part. ==Career statistics== :''Scores and results list Iraq's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Karim goal''.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} {| class="wikitable sortable" |+ List of international goals scored by Sherko Karim |- !scope="col"|No. !scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Venue !scope="col"|Opponent !scope="col"|Score !scope="col"|Result !scope="col"|Competition |- | align="center"|1 || 29 March 2021|| rowspan=1 | [Milliy Stadium](/source/Milliy_Stadium), [Tashkent](/source/Tashkent) ||{{fb|UZB}} || align="center"|1–0 || align="center"|1–0 || [Friendly](/source/Exhibition_game) |} ==Honors== '''Al-Shorta''' * [Iraqi Premier League](/source/Iraqi_Premier_League): [2012–13](/source/2012%E2%80%9313_Iraqi_Elite_League) * [Iraqi Super Cup](/source/Iraqi_Super_Cup): [2019](/source/2019_Iraqi_Super_Cup) '''Kuwait SC''' * [Kuwait Super Cup](/source/Kuwait_Super_Cup): [2022](/source/2022_Kuwait_Super_Cup) '''Iraq''' * [Arabian Gulf Cup](/source/Arabian_Gulf_Cup): [2023](/source/25th_Arabian_Gulf_Cup) ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * {{Worldfootball.net|sherko-karim|new_id=pe335052}} * [http://www.goalzz.com/main.aspx?player=89547 Player's profile on Goalzz.com] {{Navboxes colour | title = Iraq squads | bg = #007A3D | fg = white | bordercolor = black |list1= {{Iraq men's football squad 2016 Summer Olympics}} }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Karim, Sherko}} Category:Living people Category:1996 births Category:People from Kirkuk Category:Iraqi men's footballers Category:21st-century Iraqi sportsmen Category:Men's association football forwards Category:Iraq men's international footballers Category:Footballers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic footballers for Iraq Category:Al-Shorta SC players Category:Grasshopper Club Zurich players Category:SC Rheindorf Altach players Category:Erbil SC players Category:Iraq Stars League players Category:Swiss Super League players Category:Austrian Football Bundesliga players Category:Austrian Regionalliga players Category:Iraqi expatriate men's footballers Category:Iraqi expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Austria Category:Iraqi expatriate sportspeople in Kuwait Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Kuwait Category:Kuwait Premier League players Category:Kuwait SC players --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sherko Karim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherko_Karim) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherko_Karim?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.