Aram Karam
Encyclopedia
Aram Karam an ethnic Assyrian
and Christian
, was one of the first great Iraq
i footballers, who earned a reputation for scoring goals from apparently impossible long-range situations.
Aram was a striker capable of having the ball in the back of the net within a blink of an eye. After playing for various teams in the district of Hinaidi in Baghdad from 1936 in his youth, he joined Arsenal Sports Club Habbaniya in 1943 and later played for the Civilian Cantonment and founded RAF Levy Civilian of Habbaniya.
In 1951, Aram was one of 16 players to be selected to play for Iraq’s first ever national team. He missed Iraq’s first international game against Turkey in Izmir on 6 May, which ended 7-0 to the hosts, but competed in the second game six days later against Ankara Select. Aram proved to be a valuable player on the day as he scored Iraq’s first goal and ended the game with a hat-trick but was unable to prevent a 7-5 defeat.
The next year, he joined newly formed club Sharakat Nafat Al-Iraq in Kirkuk
. Aram was not only the captain of the team but also the head coach. In 1954, the team won the Northern Iraqi Championship and also won 6 consecutive Middle East Oil Companies Championships under his leadership. In 1960 Aram retired and became head of sports at the club while also helping the Iraqi national team.
Aside from football, the forward also won six consecutive tennis titles in the Persian Gulf Tennis Championships.
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
and Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, was one of the first great Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i footballers, who earned a reputation for scoring goals from apparently impossible long-range situations.
Aram was a striker capable of having the ball in the back of the net within a blink of an eye. After playing for various teams in the district of Hinaidi in Baghdad from 1936 in his youth, he joined Arsenal Sports Club Habbaniya in 1943 and later played for the Civilian Cantonment and founded RAF Levy Civilian of Habbaniya.
In 1951, Aram was one of 16 players to be selected to play for Iraq’s first ever national team. He missed Iraq’s first international game against Turkey in Izmir on 6 May, which ended 7-0 to the hosts, but competed in the second game six days later against Ankara Select. Aram proved to be a valuable player on the day as he scored Iraq’s first goal and ended the game with a hat-trick but was unable to prevent a 7-5 defeat.
The next year, he joined newly formed club Sharakat Nafat Al-Iraq in Kirkuk
Kirkuk
Kirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...
. Aram was not only the captain of the team but also the head coach. In 1954, the team won the Northern Iraqi Championship and also won 6 consecutive Middle East Oil Companies Championships under his leadership. In 1960 Aram retired and became head of sports at the club while also helping the Iraqi national team.
Aside from football, the forward also won six consecutive tennis titles in the Persian Gulf Tennis Championships.