Mahmoud 's first official international goal was an equaliser in the 89th minute of the final of the 2002 WAFF Championship , which Iraq then went on to win in extra-time . Three years later , Mahmoud scored in the final of the 2005 West Asian Games to lead his team to another tournament win , before becoming the national team captain a year later . In 2007 , Mahmoud achieved the best honour of his career , leading his country to win the 2007 AFC Asian Cup , their first such success , scoring the winning goal in the final and also winning the Golden Boot and Most Valuable Player awards at the tournament . In the 2007 Ballon d'Or , Mahmoud finished in 29th place , becoming the only Iraqi player ever to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or
2007 Ballon d'Or
2007 Ballon d'Or
Younis Mahmoud