Marko Zana Hussein Farji (; ; born 16 March 2004) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Eredivise club Heerenveen. Born in Norway, he plays for the Iraq national team.
Early life Born in Grimstad Municipality, Norway in 2004, he was born to Kurdish parents from Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan; he moved with his family to Gulskogen in the summer of 2020. Aged eleven, Farji was on a try-out at Manchester City's Academy.
Club career In early 2019, after playing for the clubs academy for several years, Farji signed his first professional contract with Jerv, which lasted until the 2021 season.
He made his senior debut for Strømsgodset in 2022 in the quarter final of the Norwegian Cup against Sandnes Ulf. He signed a professional contract with the club aged 18 years-old in January 2023. He scored his first league goal in the Eliteserien on 5 November 2023 in a 1–0 win against Tromsø.
On 8 January 2026, Farji signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Venezia in Italy.
International career He has played for the Iraq U23, featuring against United States U23 on 18 November 2023. As of May 2024, Farji had appeared for the U23 team seven times.
In May 2024, Farji was called up to the Iraq team for their games in the Second Round of the Asian World Cup Qualifiers, but did not play in any of the games. Later, in December, Farji was again called up, this time for games in the Arabian Gulf Cup, where he got his debut against Yemen, as a substitute in a 1–0 win. His first start for the national team, came in June 2025, against Jordan. On 20 May 2026 Farji was included on the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsJerv 220194. divisjon110—110Strømsgodset 220213. divisjon126—12620223. divisjon218—21820232. divisjon206—20620243. divisjon11—11Total5421—5421Strømsgodset2022Eliteserien0020202023Eliteserien61401012024Eliteserien280303102025Eliteserien299323211Total62101127312Venezia2025–26Serie B200020Heerenveen2026–27Eredivisie000000Career total1293111214033
Honours Venezia Serie B: 2025–26
Individual Eliteserien Young Player of the Month: April 2025
References
External links
Marko Farji at the Strømsgodset Toppfotball website