# Ameen Al-Dakhil

Ameen Al-Dakhil (Arabic: أَمِين الدَّخِيل; born 6 March 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart. Born in Iraq, he plays for the Belgium national team.

## Early life

Al-Dakhil was born in Iraq, and moved to Belgium with his family at the age of 5, as a refugee during the Iraq War. He began playing football with the youth academies of Kortenaken, Hoegaarden-Outgaarden, Tienen, Anderlecht and Standard Liège. Originally a striker, Al-Dakhil was then converted to a centre-back.

## Club career
### Standard Liege

Al-Dakhil made his professional debut for Standard Liège on 23 July 2021, in a 1–1 Belgian First Division A tie with Genk.

### Sint–Truiden

On 31 January 2022, Al-Dakhil moved to fellow Belgian side Sint-Truiden on a permanent deal.

### Burnley

On 13 January 2023, Al-Dakhil joined English side Burnley for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract with the club. On 31 January 2024, he scored his first goal for Burnley against Manchester City in a 3–1 defeat, becoming the first player born in Iraq to score in the Premier League.

### Vfb Stuttgart

On 27 August 2024, Al-Dakhil signed for Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart on a four-year deal.

## International career

Born in Iraq, Al-Dakhil was raised in Belgium and holds a Belgian citizenship. He has been a youth international for Belgium, having represented the under-17, under-18 and under-21 national teams.
In October 2020, he was called up to represent the Iraqi squad at the AFC U-19 Championship, but the tournament was eventually cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In June 2023 he was called up to the senior Belgium squad for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Austria and Estonia on 17 and 20 June 2023 respectively.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 16 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | League cup | League cup | Europe | Europe | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Standard Liège | 2021–22 | Belgian Pro League | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 0 |
| Sint-Truidense | 2021–22 | Belgian Pro League | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 0 |
| Sint-Truidense | 2022–23 | Belgian Pro League | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 19 | 0 |
| Sint-Truidense | Total | Total | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 28 | 0 |
| Burnley | 2022–23 | Championship | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 12 | 0 |
| Burnley | 2023–24 | Premier League | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 1 |
| Burnley | Total | Total | 21 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 1 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| VfB Stuttgart II | 2024–25 | 3. Liga | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 67 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 82 | 1 |
* ↑ Includes Belgian Cup, FA Cup
* ↑ Includes EFL Cup
* ↑ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

### International

    As of match played 17 November 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Belgium | 2023 | 4 | 0 |
| Belgium | 2024 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 6 | 0 |