Haris Zeb back to his roots at South Island United

Haris Zeb has faced more setbacks than most footballers, but after five foot fractures, South Island United’s latest signing is determined to make the OFC Pro League the new launching pad for a successful professional career.

The Christchurch lad has just come off an extraordinary season with Auckland City, playing in the FIFA Club World Cup and winning the National League final with a Player of the Match performance, but he was close to giving up on his football dream not that long ago.

“After I broke my foot for the fifth time, I spoke to my dad about giving the game away and join my mates in Melbourne to try something else, but I am glad I stuck with it and now have this amazing opportunity to play professional football in my home town in front of my family,” says Zeb who required two surgeries to fix a chronic weakness in his foot after years of setbacks.

“After the first surgery they said I had 20 per cent chance of breaking it again, and it happened. After the second surgery, there was a two per cent chance, and it broke again, so that was pretty devastating,” says Zeb who played his junior football with Nomads, Papanui Redwood, Parklands and Coastal Spirit, where he made his senior debut and also played two seasons for Canterbury United in the old National Football Championship.

After the dreaded foot ruined a professional contract in the Finnish second division, Zeb returned home to rebuild his career at Christchurch United in 2023.

“In my first game in Finland I literally played the best game of my career, scoring two goals and setting one up and they were all really excited to sign me, but the next game I broke my foot for the third time, so I had to go home to get surgery,” says Zeb, who admits he had an inconsistent comeback season at Christchurch United, despite winning the Chatham Cup.

“One day I was feeling great and the next day I was playing terrible, but coach Paul Ifill stuck with me because he said he could see that I still had it,” said Zeb, who was lured to Birkenhead United last season, which subsequently created a pathway to Auckland City and their incredible 2025 season.

“They asked to join them ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup, it was a no-brainer,” says Zeb, who featured in the high-profile matches against Benfica  and Boca Juniors, sharing the field with World Cup winners Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi.

Zeb caused huge excitement in his parents’ home country of Pakistan as the first Pakistan footballer to appear at the FIFA Club World Cup and the interest only grew when the 24-year-old forward made his debut for national team of Pakistan in September.

“It was unreal,” says Zeb who made his debut against Afghanistan in Islamabad in front of 10,000 passionate home fans.

“It couldn’t have been a better game because most of my mates in Christchurch are from Afghanistan, so they were also excited, as well as my family and the whole Pakistani community,” laughs Zeb who only arrived in the team hotel less than 24 hours before kick-off because the family dragged his from the airport to visit the family village first.

“I wasn’t sure how the other players were going to react to a player coming from outside, but they were great and only a few games, we are brothers for live. I can’t wait to play my next game for Pakistan.”

Back in Christchurch, Zeb and fellow Auckland City recruit David Yoo are now on home turf, showing the new arrivals around the city and helping them settle into the South Island lifestyle.

“We had told them that Christchurch summers were fantastic, dry and hot,  so when we had that incredible downpour on the third day and even the turf was flooded, I was getting heaps of stick from the team. But they will get over it,” says Zeb.