by Ali Ahsan
Pakistan men’s national team now has its newest Shaheen, from Australia no less. Ahmed Faraz Gulzari set Pakistani football alight on debut against Afghanistan in October during the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. The 18-year-old winger from A-League’s Melbourne City FC was joined by his soft-spoken father Asif Ali Gulzari for this interview. “It was the most amazing experience. I never thought I would become an instant fan favourite after debuting for Pakistan,” chirped Faraz.
Born in Quetta before moving to Australia at age 6, Faraz comes from a prominent ethnic Hazara family. Older uncle Dr Nauroz Ali Gulzari is a renowned physician in Quetta. Another uncle is a retired Lt Col from the Pakistan Army while another one works in Germany’s corporate sector. Yet they all loved their sports growing up. The Hazaras have always given some of Pakistani football’s finest, from Papa Qayyum Ali Changezi in the 1950s-60s to Muhammad Ali Reza Nezari in the 2010s to Rajab Ali Hazara and Ali Zafar Hazara in 2020s.
Asif Gulzari himself played football in the 1990s. “I began my football with Hazara Club and Milo Shaheed in Quetta before joining the Balochistan Police team. I even briefly played for Pakistan Railways. I took part in various tournaments across Pakistan but due to injuries I couldn’t play in the National Football Championships.” He eventually left football to work in Balochistan’s provincial government.
Growing up on Alamdar Road, Faraz began playing cricket on the streets. “I actually love cricket and wanted to be a fast bowler.” Yet fate would force the Gulzaris to relocate. Since the 2000s, the Quetta Hazaras have suffered terrorist attacks due to their ethnicity, faith, and economic integration. Untold innocents died, leaving behind thousands in fear. Thousands were forced to flee to other parts of Pakistan and abroad, notably Europe and Australia either as economic migrants or asylum seekers.
Asif Gulzari vividly remembers the violence, “We lost many close relatives, friends and neighbors. The genocide became so bad that I couldn’t even leave my house for work on most days. My whole family received multiple death threats from terrorists. We had to leave for our own safety.”
Australia became that destination for the Gulzaris. They would eventually settle in a Melbourne suburb, connecting with the wider Hazara community from both Pakistan and Afghanistan now calling Australia home. Faraz feels fortunate that he grew up in a privileged household. He also recognizes his Pakistani Hazara lineage, regularly visiting his extended family in Quetta. Faraz is number two among four siblings: older sister is in the Royal Australian Air Force while his younger sister and brother are still in school.
In Australia, Faraz Gulzari would also take up other sports, notably football/soccer, playing with local kids in the park during evenings. His sporting talents would catch the eye of many. Asif Gulzari adds, “Faraz’s schoolteacher said he can be an international level cricketer. But a neighbor spotted him playing football and immediately asked to make Faraz join his local community soccer club, Casey Comets, where he was a youth coach.” Soccer soon became Faraz’s focus.
At Casey Comets, Faraz’s talent meant he was often grouped with older kids. After playing local amateur youth tournaments, Faraz would sign for Berwick City SC aged 13. His goals and assists made bigger clubs take notice. Eventually he joined Melbourne City in 2021, even representing Victoria state in national championships. Some Australia youth team scouts had even identified him for a national talent ID camp. But a combination of COVID-19 era disruptions and niggling injuries meant Faraz got left out. “It was a frustrating time for me. A lot of growing pains. But I kept going whenever I was fit and able to play.”
A regular at City’s U16s and U18s, Faraz had a memorable trip for the 2023 JSSL Singapore youth tournament. He impressed one of the guests, Dwight Yorke – the former Trinidad & Tobago international and a 1999 treble winner with Manchester United. “He was so amazed by Faraz that he personally came up for a picture, giving words of encouragement,” said Asif Gulzari who had accompanied Faraz to Singapore.
Eventually Faraz would reach City’s U23s. During 2025, he got a stunning 12 goals and 15 assists in 22 games. “Faraz is a goalscorer when he plays on the left but more of an assist-maker when on the right,” said Gulzari Sr. It was during this time when his Pakistani roots became known among younger fans scouring the internet to find Pak heritage talents in Europe and the wider world. Among them, Ahad Haider from InsideFootballPakistan was in Melbourne at the time. “Ahad bhai reached out, and instantly wanted me to consider Pakistan,” Faraz chuckled.
This got the attention of Pakistan MNT head coach and former Newcastle United legend Nolberto Solano. He personally spoke with the Gulzaris, proposing a Pakistan call-up for September’s AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers. However, Faraz would miss it because his Pakistani documentation process was pending. Undeterred, Solano gave him a call-up into the senior team’s Asian Cup qualifiers against Afghanistan for October.
Oddly enough, Faraz was also eligible for Afghanistan owing to his grandfather who settled in Pakistan many decades back and started a family. “Yeah, the Afghanistan team people had reached out. I often play in the Melbourne Afghan Soccer Association tournaments during off-season. Many Afghanistan players living in Australia also play it and I would often speak in Farsi with them on and off the pitch. I got invited to the Afghanistan U20s camp in Kabul. But my family and I were uncertain about it. Then Pakistan called. I knew instantly who to pick.”
But that also almost never happened. Ongoing financial and admin issues within the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) meant Solano had to reduce several overseas players call-ups. Newer ones were told to join the MNT camp on own expense if interested. The Gulzaris decided to risk it as both father and son flew to Islamabad at September’s end, Faraz initially staying at his uncle’s.
Despite the jetlag, Faraz wanted to train immediately. Solano eventually allowed a session, and the squad were stunned by Faraz’s speed and skill. He immediately moved in with the team under the watchful eye of MNT manager Shahzaib Ahmed Khan. “They welcomed me like an equal. It was surprising because in Aussie clubs, junior players are initiated by doing chores for their seniors. I instantly became friends with many, especially Syed Ali Raza because he’s also Hazara and had met before in Quetta. Kaleemullah also great to be around as he’s also from Balochistan.”
The Gulzari clan from Quetta to Germany came just to watch Faraz train in Islamabad as he made the 23-member squad to face Afghanistan at Jinnah Stadium Islamabad on October 8 and then away on October 14 in Kuwait. A day before the home game, the big names finally arrived. Team captain Abdullah Iqbal chasing a first Allsvenskan title with Mjällby, Otis Khan currently in Malaysia’s 2nd tier, Chitral favourite Alamgir Ghazi from Bhutan’s Thimphu City, Haris Zeb from New Zealand’s Auckland City, and of course Etzaz Hussain from Norway’s Odds; the latter two making their much-awaited Pakistan debuts.
“The mood and energy in the squad went up. It’s something I never witnessed,” said Faraz. He pretends he wasn’t star-struck when around Abdullah and Etzaz, but he attentively listened to whatever advice and tips they gave him. “Etzaz bhai takes training seriously and really makes everyone around him give their all. The perfect motivator for me.” For Afghanistan, administrative issues involving their own football federation over visas meant they also reached Islamabad less than a day before kickoff.
To everyone’s utter surprise Gulzari started on debut, “Honestly, when Solano told me I would start, I was fully focused on his instructions. I did not let the occasion get to me.” Wearing number 23, Faraz gradually settled into the game with a small Jinnah Stadium crowd making noise. He even had a shot on target in the first half from a Shayek Dost pass, though Afghanistan goalkeeper Ovais Azizi dealt it easily.
During the game, some Afghanistan players sledged at Faraz in English and Farsi for not picking Afghanistan. “Some said, ‘Why you playing for Pakistan? You don’t even speak Urdu; you speak Farsi like us.’ I replied, ‘But I am Pakistani,’” Gulzari laughed. He admitted he needed to improve his Urdu, given he understands it but doesn’t speak enough with his parents who are fluent in it.
The second half saw Faraz shine. Tactical changes meant Pakistan pressed forward, with Faraz a menace on the right wing. Faraz chased a sublime Etzaz Hussain pass only to be fouled. Penalty for Pakistan! But Otis Khan unfortunately skied it. “Its part of the game. Otis was very disappointed, but we were all there backing each other up.” With minutes left, Alamgir Ghazi’s through ball found Faraz’s feet, only to hit straight at Azizi.
“He should have passed it to the striker [McKeal Abdullah] in the center. He always passes when he plays on the right. Don’t know why he took a shot here,” grinned Gulzari Sr. who was in the crowd and softly teases his son whenever he doesn’t score or assist. “I honestly did not see McKeal when I got the pass.” confessed Faraz. It finished 0-0, with around 7,000 fans in Jinnah Stadium cheering on the team for a point when most thought would be the MNT’s ninth successive loss.
But social media was now ablaze as ‘Faraz International’ went viral. “The number of fans coming to me to speak and take pictures was insane. A lot of Hazaras and Balochistan people proudly saying I am one of them now. It was crazy! I went from an unknown kid to starring in Instagram reels. But we should have won in Islamabad given the chances we had.” The PFF were also quick to reimburse Faraz for his flights.
In Kuwait, Faraz again started. Afghanistan took an early lead via Mahboob Hanifi from a set piece. But Pakistan responded. Faraz again troubling the Afghanistan defence. He combined well with Otis Khan, with Otis’ pass to Etzaz producing a stunning equalizer. “That goal from Etzaz bhai was something only a player like him can do.”
The second half again saw Pakistan miss a golden chance. Substitute debutant Hayyan Khattak’s long pass found Gulzari on the right who went past his marker and delivered a perfect cross to Otis Khan. But again, Otis was unlucky as his shot got saved by Azizi. The return leg also finished 1-1. Pakistan clearly better in both games that could have given 6 points instead of 2.
Pakistan now face Group E winners Syria on November 18, again in Islamabad. The top seeds of this round of qualifiers have already qualified for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup after four successive wins over Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Myanmar (twice). Some fans would rather Syria take it easy so maybe Pakistan grabs a point. But Faraz wants a full-strength Syria. “Honestly, I would rather play against their strongest side and give our all. We can even surprise them given how motivated and united the squad now is. Then we can aim to beat Myanmar on March 31. I know we can!”
For his club career, Ahmed Faraz Gulzari is contemplating his next move. He was overlooked for a professional contract by Melbourne City, though he can continue his scholarship with the U23s, or he can move to another club. “I am a bit unhappy with [the club] situation but I’m trying to see what I can do next. I have received plenty of advice from MNT members. Some said I should try Europe, others insist I stay at least next 1-2 years in Australia for first team minutes.”
Faraz vows to maintain his fitness for the Syria game as he completes his schooling during the off-season. But for November, Asif Ali Gulzari will not travel. “I’ve told Faraz that he’s on his own this time. He is now old enough to travel by himself,” he said laughing.