Kevin Quejada has made another abrupt career turn, leaving Al-Zawraa only weeks after joining the Iraqi club.
Transfermarkt and Sofascore now list the Colombian centre-forward as a Nejmeh SC player, with the move dated September 3. His Al-Zawraa transfer was registered on August 8, meaning the spell lasted just 26 days.
That is an extraordinary turnaround even by the standards of a player whose career has already taken him through Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, Venezuela and Iraq.
It was more than a paperwork stop
Quejada did at least make it onto the pitch for Al-Zawraa.
He was included in the squad for the opening league match against Al-Minaa on August 15 and appeared from the bench. Other results databases also record one league appearance for the club.
So this was not simply a transfer that collapsed before he ever became part of the first-team group.
What is not clear is why the relationship ended so quickly.
No reliable public source has yet explained whether Al-Zawraa and Quejada mutually terminated the agreement, whether Nejmeh paid a fee, or whether another contractual mechanism allowed the move to happen.
A possible squad-registration factor
One detail may be relevant, although there is currently no evidence that it directly caused Quejada’s exit.
The Iraqi Football Federation introduced new foreign-player regulations for the 2026/27 season allowing clubs to register a maximum of seven foreign players, with only five permitted on the pitch at the same time.
Al-Zawraa continued adding foreign players around the time Quejada arrived, creating significant competition for those places as well as for attacking roles.
That makes a late squad re-prioritisation or foreign-player quota calculation a plausible explanation for such a rapid change of direction.
For now, however, that remains a possibility rather than a confirmed reason for the move.
Another stamp in the passport
SkyrScout profiled Quejada in April 2026 during his prolific spell with Estudiantes de Mérida in Venezuela.
At the time, the 187 cm striker had 9 goals and 1 assist in 10 Liga FUTVE matches. Scout Pilgrim highlighted his strength, movement, box positioning and ability to finish with both feet and his head.
We also felt his profile could translate well to Scandinavia or a stronger European league.
His career has taken a rather different route since.
After leaving Venezuela for Iraq, Quejada is now heading to Lebanon with Nejmeh less than a month later.
Read the previous Al-Zawraa update
Watch scouting video and view the full profile
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