After steering Iraq to their maiden success at the AFC Asian Cup 2007 with his intelligent midfield prompting, the cool-headed playmaker instantly became a popular figure across the continent. However, long before he made a name for himself at the senior level, Akram attracted attention across Asia when his creativity helped Iraq win the AFC Youth Championship 2000. That same year, the 17-year-old made it into the first team of Iraqi giants Al-Shorta. After a series of brilliant performances, which included helping the team to glory in the Umm Al-Marek Cup and reaching the Iraq FA Cup final in 2002, the midfield prodigy began to be heralded as one of Asia's most promising talents. And it did not take Akram long to live up to these sizeable expectations. Though still a teenager, he was instrumental in Iraq's qualification for both the Asian Cup 2004 and the Olympic Football Tournament Athens 2004. His excellent vision and defence-piercing passes – skills rarely seen in players his age – captivated national coach Adnan Hamad, who appointed Akram captain, despite being one of the youngest players on the senior team. Akram did not let his coach down and impressed throughout Iraq's campaign in the AFC Asian Cup 2004. He also revealed his goalscoring ability when he was on target in the 2–1 win over Saudi Arabia in the final group match, a result which sent them through to the last eight at the Saudis' expense. It was not the first goal that he scored for the national team, nor has it been the last. He hit the mark again in Iraq's memorable 3–1 win over Australia in a group match in the AFC Asian Cup 2007, before slamming home to seal a 2–1 victory over hosts China in a qualifier for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. Despite winning the continental title, Iraq's disappointing qualifying campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup has left Akram and his teammates with the feeling that they still have something to prove. After making his national team debut against Saudi Arabia in a qualifying match for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan, the 24-year-old also figured in Iraq's more recent qualifying campaigns, both times with little success. Iraq failed to progress to Asia's final round of qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany and they suffered a similar fate four years later when they failed to