Éamon Zayed facts for kids
Zayed with Persepolis in 2012
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Éamon Zayed | ||
| Date of birth | 4 October 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2002 | Leicester City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2006 | Bray Wanderers | 105 | (54) |
| 2004 | → Crewe Alexandra (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2005 | → Aalesunds (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2006–2008 | Drogheda United | 71 | (47) |
| 2008–2010 | Sporting Fingal | 39 | (21) |
| 2011 | Derry City | 36 | (22) |
| 2011–2013 | Persepolis | 15 | (7) |
| 2013 | Aluminium Hormozgan | 8 | (1) |
| 2013–2014 | Shamrock Rovers | 22 | (4) |
| 2014 | → Sligo Rovers (loan) | 11 | (5) |
| 2014–2015 | Sabah | 21 | (11) |
| 2016–2017 | Indy Eleven | 59 | (26) |
| 2018 | Charlotte Independence | 25 | (8) |
| 2019–2020 | Chattanooga Red Wolves | 19 | (6) |
| Total | 441 | (226) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003 | Republic of Ireland U20 | 4 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 6 | (0) |
| 2011–2015 | Libya | 8 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2021–2024 | Northern Colorado Hailstorm | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10:53, 21 October 2019 (UTC) | |||
Éamon Zayed (أیمن زايد), born on October 4, 1983, is a former professional football player. He played as a forward, which means he was usually trying to score goals. Even though he was born in Dublin, Ireland, he played for the national team of Libya.
Éamon became famous around the world on February 2, 2012. He scored three goals, known as a hat-trick, in the last ten minutes of a big game called the Tehran derby. His team, Persepolis, was playing against Esteghlal. Persepolis was losing 2–0 and had one player sent off, meaning they were playing with only 10 men. Éamon's amazing hat-trick helped his team win 3–2! People still talk about this game, calling it "10 minutes with 10 men."
Contents
Early Football Days
Éamon Zayed started playing football with local clubs like Broadford Rovers and St. Joseph's Boys AFC in Dublin. He was a talented young player. He was chosen to play for the Leinster Schoolboys and Dublin teams at different age levels.
Playing for Leicester City
When he was a teenager, Éamon moved to England to play for Leicester City. He played for their youth teams and reserve teams for two years. In 2002, Leicester City was moved down from the top league, the Premier League. After this, Éamon decided to return to Ireland.
Professional Club Career
Bray Wanderers Years
Back in Ireland, Éamon joined Bray Wanderers. He quickly showed his skills and moved up to the senior team. He played his first game in the League of Ireland on October 18, 2002. In 2003, he scored the fastest hat-trick ever for Bray Wanderers, getting three goals in just nine minutes!
In February 2004, Éamon went on loan to Crewe Alexandra in England. However, he didn't play any first-team games there and returned to Bray in May. He was named the PFAI Young Player of the Year for 2003, which is a big award for young players. In October 2004, Éamon made history again for Bray. He was the first player to score four goals in one match, helping his team win 5–3 against Athlone Town. He also played on loan for Aalesunds in Norway in 2005, making one appearance.
Time at Drogheda United
In July 2006, Éamon joined Drogheda United. He scored a goal in his very first game for them. He also scored five goals in the Europa League, which is a big European competition. In 2007, Éamon was a very important player for Drogheda United. He helped them win their first ever League of Ireland title and was the team's top goal scorer that season.
Sporting Fingal Adventures
After Drogheda United faced financial problems, Éamon left the club. In January 2009, he joined Sporting Fingal. He continued to score important goals, including two in the FAI Cup semi-final in 2009. He also scored twice in Sporting Fingal's first European game in July 2010.
Derry City Success
In January 2011, Éamon joined Derry City. In his first season, he was the top scorer in the league with 23 goals. He also scored the winning goal in the League Cup final against Cork City. Because of his great performance, Éamon was named the PFAI Players' Player of the Year. By the end of the 2012 season, he was one of the top goal scorers in the history of the League of Ireland.
Persepolis and "Mr. Hat-trick"
On December 23, 2011, Éamon signed a contract with Iran Pro League team, Persepolis. He quickly became a fan favorite. On February 2, 2012, he made his first appearance in the famous Tehran derby. He came on as a substitute when his team was down 2–0 and had only 10 players. He scored three goals in just 10 minutes, leading Persepolis to an amazing 3–2 victory! This made him the first non-Iranian player to score a hat-trick in the Tehran derby.
After this incredible game, Éamon was voted World Player of the Week by Goal.com. He scored another hat-trick in the AFC Champions League on March 21, 2012, helping Persepolis win 6–1. He scored yet another hat-trick on May 6, 2012. Because of his many hat-tricks, Persepolis fans started calling him "Mr. hat-trick." He was so popular that Persepolis extended his contract. However, he decided to leave the team in November 2012.
Other Clubs
After leaving Persepolis, Éamon joined another Iranian club, Aluminium Hormozgan, in January 2013.
In July 2013, Éamon returned to the League of Ireland, signing with Shamrock Rovers. He scored his first league goal for them on July 16. In July 2014, he went on loan to Sligo Rovers.
In December 2014, Éamon moved to Malaysia to play for Sabah FA. He scored his first goal for them in February 2015.
On December 23, 2015, Éamon signed with Indy Eleven in the NASL league in the United States. He continued to score important goals, including two late goals against the New York Cosmos in April 2016, earning him Player of the Week honors. In June, he scored another hat-trick, helping Indy Eleven win the Spring season title.
In March 2018, Éamon joined Charlotte Independence in the USL. In October 2018, it was announced that he would join Chattanooga Red Wolves SC for their first season in 2019.
International Career
Playing for Ireland
Éamon Zayed could have played international football for Ireland, Tunisia (because of his father), or Libya (because of his grandparents). He chose to start his international career with Ireland. He played for the Irish Under-20 team in January 2003 and scored two goals against the United Arab Emirates. He also played for the Irish Under-21 team. Éamon played in all four of Ireland's games in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. After this tournament, both Tunisia and Libya asked him to play for their national teams, but Éamon wanted to play for Ireland's senior team.
Playing for Libya
Since he didn't get any more chances to play for Ireland's youth teams or the senior team, Éamon decided to play for Libya in October 2010. He was called up to the Libyan national team for an African Cup of Nations qualifier. He made his debut a few weeks later in a friendly game against Niger. Éamon was part of Libya's squad for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. He also played in the 2011 Pan Arab Games. He scored his first goal for Libya on September 4, 2013, in a friendly game against Equatorial Guinea, which ended in a 1–1 draw.
Coaching Career
On August 11, 2021, Éamon Zayed became the very first head coach for Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC. This team started playing in the USL League One in the 2022 season. He has a special coaching license called a UEFA "A" license.
Personal Life
Éamon's father is from Libya, and his mother is from Ireland. His younger brother also plays football and has played for UCD.
Honours and Awards
Éamon Zayed won many awards and titles during his football career:
Drogheda United
- League of Ireland: 2007
- Setanta Sports Cup: 2007
Sporting Fingal
- FAI Cup: 2009
Derry City
- League of Ireland Cup: 2011
Individual Awards
- PFAI Players' Player of the Year: 2011
- PFAI Young Player of the Year: 2003
