Charbel Shamoon

Charbel Awni Shamoon (Arabic: شربل عوني شمعون; born 10 February 2004) is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Western United. Born in Syria and raised in Australia, he plays for the Iraq national team.

Charbel Shamoon

Personal information
Full name	Charbel Awni Shamoon
Date of birth	(2004-02-10) 10 February 2004 (age 21)
Place of birth	Syria
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Right-back
Team information
Current team	Western United
Number	29
Youth career
2015–2016	Brunswick City
2017	Sunshine George Cross
2018–2022	Melbourne City
2022–2024	Western United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2022–	Western United NPL	48	(2)
2024–	Western United	22	(0)
International career‡
2023	Iraq U20	5	(0)
2025–	Iraq	1	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 26 March 2025

Club career

Shamoon made his A-League debut in February 2024 as a 59th-minute substitute in a 2–0 loss away to Wellington Phoenix.^[1] Six days later, he made his starting debut in a 2–0 win against Newcastle.^[2]

After making seven appearances in his debut season with Western United, he was rewarded with his first professional contract in September 2024, ahead of the 2024–25 season.^[3][4]

International career

Iraq U20

Eligible to represent Australia and Iraq, Shamoon obtained an Iraqi passport in December 2022.^[5][6] He was called up to a training camp of the Iraq U20 national team in Ukraine in 2022.^[7] He was then called up to the Iraq squad that travelled to Uzbekistan for the 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup.^[8] Despite picking up a red card, leading to a three-game suspension, Shamoon helped Iraq reach the final, who were eventually beaten by the hosts, achieving qualification to the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup.^{[citation needed]} Having participated in the training camp in Cádiz, Spain, that preceded the tournament,^{[citation needed]} Shamoon was not selected for the final squad.^{[citation needed]}

Australia U23

Since the U-20 Asian Cup, Shamoon had not been selected by any of Iraq's national teams. This, along with his performances for the first team at Western United, led to Shamoon being selected by the Australia U23 towards the end of 2024.^[9]

Iraq

After being called up to the Australian U23 set-up, Iraq senior national team manager Jesús Casas attempted to call up Shamoon for the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup in December 2024, but his club rejected to release him for international duty.^[10]

On 13 March 2025, Shamoon was called up for the Iraq national team for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Kuwait and Palestine.^[11]