Zesh Rehman facts for kids
Rehman with Bradford City in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Zeshan Rehman | ||
| Date of birth | 14 October 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Birmingham, England | ||
| Height | 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Portsmouth (development coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–2003 | Fulham | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2006 | Fulham | 30 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 13 | (2) |
| 2006 | → Norwich City (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2006–2009 | Queens Park Rangers | 50 | (0) |
| 2007 | → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2008 | → Blackpool (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2009 | → Bradford City (loan) | 17 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Bradford City | 54 | (2) |
| 2011–2012 | Muangthong United | 30 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | Kitchee | 30 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Pahang | 53 | (7) |
| 2017 | Gillingham | 10 | (1) |
| 2017–2022 | Southern | 63 | (1) |
| Total | 367 | (14) | |
| National team | |||
| England U18 | |||
| England U19 | |||
| England U20 | |||
| 2005–2019 | Pakistan | 22 | (1) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2020–2022 | Southern (player-manager) | ||
| 2022–2023 | Portsmouth U18 | ||
| 2023– | Portsmouth FC (development coach) | ||
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Zeshan Rehman (Urdu: ذيشان رحمان; born 14 October 1983) is a former professional footballer who played as a defender. He is now a development coach at Portsmouth FC. Zesh was born in England, but he played for the Pakistan national team.
He made history as the first British Asian player to start a Premier League match. He was also the first British Asian to play in all four top divisions of English football. Zesh was also the first Pakistani international footballer to play professionally in England, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Malaysia.
Contents
Early Life and Football Dreams
Zesh Rehman was born in Birmingham, England, on 14 October 1983. As a child, he loved football and played for his local team, Kingshurst. He grew up in the Aston area of Birmingham. Zesh often played football on the streets. He also played for his school, district, and county teams.
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Fulham
When Zesh was just twelve years old, a football scout noticed his talent. His family moved to London so he could join the Fulham Academy. He worked his way up through the youth and reserve teams. Eventually, he signed his first professional contract. Zesh usually played as a centre back. However, he also played as a holding midfielder and right back for Fulham.
Making His Debut
In the 2003–04 season, Zesh played his first professional game. It was on 23 September 2003, for Fulham against Wigan Athletic. A few days later, he joined Brighton & Hove Albion on loan. He scored a goal in his very first game for Brighton!
On 17 April 2004, Zesh made his Premier League debut for Fulham. This was a big moment because he was the first British Asian player to play in England's top football league.
Moving On from Fulham
On 21 September 2005, Zesh scored his only goal for Fulham. He played 30 games for the club in total. In January 2006, he went on loan to Norwich City. After his loan, Zesh decided he wanted to play more regularly. So, he looked for new opportunities.
Playing for Queens Park Rangers
On 8 August 2006, Zesh joined Queens Park Rangers (QPR). He signed a three-year contract. In his first season at QPR, he played 27 games. Later, he went on loan to his old club, Brighton & Hove Albion, for a month. This helped him get more playing time.
By New Year's Day 2008, Zesh had played 50 games for QPR. He also had loan spells at Blackpool and Bradford City.
Joining Bradford City Permanently
After his loan, Zesh signed a two-year deal with Bradford City on 19 June 2009. He said he felt "at home" there. The manager, Stuart McCall, mentioned that Zesh took a pay cut to join the club. This showed how much he wanted to play for Bradford.
Zesh scored his first goal for Bradford City on 19 September 2009. He became the team captain during the 2009–10 season. He also won the PFA Player in the Community award for his work off the pitch. Later, he was put on the transfer list after talking about not getting enough playing time.
Adventures Abroad: Thailand, Hong Kong, and Malaysia
Muangthong United
On 19 December 2010, Zesh signed with Muangthong United in Thailand. He made his debut on 30 January 2011. This made him the first Pakistani international to play in Thailand. He played 30 league games for the Thai club.
Kitchee SC
Zesh then moved to Kitchee in Hong Kong on 11 January 2012. He won his first trophy with Kitchee, the League Cup, on 15 April 2012. He also helped Kitchee win the Hong Kong First Division League title. They even won the Hong Kong FA Cup, completing a historic "domestic treble" (winning three major trophies in one season). Zesh was named in the Hong Kong BMA First Division League team of the season. He was also the first Pakistani player to play in the AFC Cup.
Pahang FA
In December 2013, Zesh signed a two-year contract with Malaysian club Pahang FA. In his first season, he won three trophies: the Malaysia Super League, Malaysia FA Cup, and Malaysia Cup. This success helped his team qualify for the 2015 AFC Cup. Zesh left Pahang FA in June 2016, saying he had "fantastic memories."
Return to England and Hong Kong
Gillingham FC
On 23 February 2017, Zesh returned to English football. He joined League One side Gillingham. He helped Gillingham avoid relegation from League One.
Southern District FC
On 14 June 2017, Zesh announced he was returning to Hong Kong. He signed with Southern. He played for Southern until 2022.
Coaching Career
Southern District FC
In May 2020, Zesh became a player-manager for Southern. This was his first coaching role after getting his UEFA Pro License. He led Southern to a 5th place finish in his first full season. This was a great achievement, especially with a smaller budget and a young coaching team. By January 2022, Southern was at the top of the league.
In May 2022, Zesh announced he was retiring from playing football. He had played for 21 years across many countries.
Portsmouth FC
After retiring as a player, Zesh joined Portsmouth FC in June 2022 as the U18 Coach. In January 2023, he became the interim first team assistant manager. He continued in this role when John Mousinho became the new head coach.
On March 23, 2023, Zesh was named the First Team Development Coach. He became the first British Pakistani former player to work as a coach in a first-team setup in English professional leagues.
International Career
Zesh first played for England at the under-18, under-19, and under-20 levels. However, he decided to play for Pakistan because his parents were Pakistani. Many British Asian groups wanted him to keep trying for the England senior team. But Zesh felt playing for Pakistan was a more realistic goal.
He made his international debut for Pakistan on 7 December 2005. This was in a match against Sri Lanka. Pakistan reached the semi-finals of that tournament.
Zesh captained Pakistan in October 2007. He also played in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers. In September 2013, he played for Pakistan in the SAFF Championship in Nepal. He scored his first international goal for Pakistan on 13 October 2013, against Chinese Taipei.
In September 2018, Zesh played in his final SAFF Tournament for Pakistan. In June 2019, he captained the team for the 2022 Asian World Cup Qualifiers. These were his last games playing for his country.
Personal Life and Community Work
Zesh has always wanted to inspire other Asian players to become professional footballers. He is an ambassador for the Asian Football Network (AFN). This group helps develop Asian football in the UK. He has also worked with the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA). They try to increase the number of British Asians in professional football.
Zesh has also been involved in the Show Racism the Red Card campaign. He took part in Chelsea's "Search for an Asian Star" campaign. In July 2008, he spoke at the Islam Expo event in London. He shared his experiences about how sport can be a positive force.
In May 2010, Zesh started The Zesh Rehman Foundation. This foundation encourages children from all backgrounds to play football and other sports. He was also named one of the 50 World Cup Bid Ambassadors for England's 2018 World Cup bid. He was invited to join the PFA management committee.
Since 2014, Zesh has written blogs and columns about football for ESPN South East Asia.
Images for kids
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Rehman with Bradford City in 2009
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Rehman started his career at Craven Cottage
