Naveed Ahmed

Naveed Ahmed (born 3 January 1993) is a Pakistani footballer who plays for Pakistan Navy, which he captains. Mainly a centre-back, he played as a midfielder in his early career.

Club career
Ahmed started playing football at the age of 16 in a local club at his village in Faisalabad. He proceeded from the same village as former international player Haji Abdul Sattar, who scored the solitary goal at the 1989 South Asian Games, where Pakistan was crowned champions after winning in the final against Bangladesh by 1–0.

After participating in trials, Ahmed was picked by Pakistan Premier League departmental side Pakistan Navy in 2009.

International career
In 2011, Ahmed participated in the 2012 AFC U-19 Championship qualification with the Pakistan under-19 team, scoring in a 1–2 defeat against Turkmenistan.

In June 2011, he was called by the under-23 team in the 2013 AFC U-22 Championship qualification. He was first called by the senior team in the 2011 SAFF Championship. He played his first international match on 19 November 2012 against Singapore in their 4–0 international friendly defeat. He was subsequently called in February 2013, making two appearances in both two-match friendlies against Nepal, both ending in a 1–0 victory for Pakistan. He then played in a two-match tour against Maldives in the same month. In March 2013, he participated in the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualification, playing against Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. He played in two friendlies against Afghanistan in 2013 and 2015 respectively and in 2014 against Palestine. He remained as unused substitute in the 2013 SAFF Championship. He participated in the 2014 Asian Games. In May 2015, Ahmed also participated in the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship qualification, making 3 appearances in the campaign.

In 2018, Ahmed made all four appearances in the 2018 SAFF Championship, when Pakistan returned to international circuit after 3 years ban by FIFA in 2015. In December 2018, Ahmed also captained the national team in practice matches in Doha, as preparation for the next World Cup qualifiers, after the injury of captain Saddam Hussain. In 2019, Ahmed played in the 2022 World Cup qualification against Cambodia.