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Udinese's Ali Adnan becomes 1st footballer from Iraq to score in Serie A

Pier Marco Tacca / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Ali Adnan, dubbed as "Asia's Gareth Bale" at only 22 years of age, continues to put Iraqi football on the map.

On Sunday, in the 33rd minute of Udinese's Serie A fixture at Genoa, Adnan tallied his first goal since joining the Zebrette, driving a 30-yard free-kick past Mattia Perin to become the first footballer from Iraq to score in the top flight of Italian football.

Perhaps Adnan, born in Iraq's capital of Baghdad, should be nicknamed "Asia's Roberto Carlos."

Adnan's goal - Streamable

A left wing-back, Adnan joined Udinese from Turkish club Caykur Rizespor in July, becoming the first Iraqi player to feature in Serie A. He did so after appearing at the 2015 Asian Cup, where he helped Iraq's national team to a fourth-place finish.

Off the pitch, Adnan became something of a national hero in 2014, when he was photographed in military gear alongside soldiers involved in the fighting against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). While some reports claimed he decided to take up arms against ISIS, others said he was called up for a short period of military training. The truth is he was simply visiting troops during a holiday in Baghdad.

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