Iraq's legendary footballer Ahmed Radhi dies on Sunday due to coronavirus. He was 56 years old. Announcing his death, the Iraqi Health Ministry said that football legend Ahmed Radhi had died. According to the ministry, he was having trouble breathing. He was then admitted to the hospital last week, where his COVID-19 examination was found positive. He was discharged on Thursday after his condition improved. However, later the condition worsened and he could not be saved.
People took part in Radhi's funeral at Iraq's capital on Sunday morning. Video footage released on local media channels shows dozens of men walking around an ambulance.
According to the reports, many fans were seen crying during funeral. Born in Baghdad on 21 April 1964, Ahmed played a total of 121 matches for the country and scored 62 goals. Talking about club career, he scored 211 goals in 338 matches from different clubs (Al-Javra, Al-Wakra, Al-Rashid Football Club).
In the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, Ahmed Radhi scored the only goal against Belgium, but the Iraq team lost the match by 2–1 and was eliminated from the tournament without scoring from the group stage. He then fled to Iraq in 2006 during the height of communal violence following the 2003 US-led invasion.
Ahmed Radhi shifted to Amman, the capital of Jordan, with his family, but returned to Iraq again in 2007 to pursue a career in politics. He replaced a Member of Parliament who blamed his involvement in a bloody rebellion across the country. Ahmed Radhi was an unsuccessful contender in the 2014 and 2018 elections, along with the National Alliance, Sunni and Shiite coalitions. Football fans in Iraq are shocked by the news of Ahmed Radhi's death.
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