Zahra Muzdalifah


Zahra Muzdalifah is an Indonesian professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Indonesia women's national team. She is widely regarded as a pioneer for Indonesian women's football for being one of the first female players from the country to play professionally in Europe and Japan.
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Early life

Zahra Muzdalifah was born on 4 April 2001 in Jakarta, Indonesia. She started playing football from the age of 7, after her father introduced her to the sport.

Career

Early career

Zahra started her football journey by joining SSB Madani Meruya and later moved to SSB Patriot Merah Putih. In 2012, she joined the ASIOP Football Academy. At the age of 12, her performance with ASIOP earned her a spot in a competitive women's football tournament in Norway, which served as her first international exposure. Before transitioning fully to association football, she also played for the futsal team Ngapak FC and the local club Jakarta 69.
Zahra's professional breakthrough came in 2019 when she joined Persija Putri for the inaugural season of the Liga 1 Putri. She made a notable debut by scoring in a 4–1 victory against PSIS Putri at Maguwoharjo Stadium, Sleman.

Overseas career

After a brief stint with the English side South Shields in 2022, Zahra made history in July 2023 by signing with Cerezo Osaka Yanmar Ladies in the WE League, Japan's top-tier professional women's league.
During the 2024–25 season, she became the first Indonesian woman to score a goal in the Japanese professional league. She was praised for her technical adaptation to the fast-paced Japanese style of play. Zahra concluded her tenure with Cerezo Osaka in late 2025 after making 12 league appearances, citing a desire to pursue new challenges for the 2026 season.

International career

Zahra has been a mainstay of the Indonesia women's national team since 2018. She was appointed as the team captain during the 2018 Asian Games at only 17 years old.
Throughout 2025, Zahra played a pivotal role in Indonesia's campaign for the **2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification**. Her experience playing professionally in Japan significantly influenced the team's tactical discipline, helping Indonesia achieve a higher position in the FIFA World Rankings. As of January 2026, she remains the most-capped active player for the "Garuda Pertiwi" with 42 caps and 6 goals.

Personal life

She attended Islamic Secondary School International Middle School, then proceed to the upper intermediate level at International Islamic High School. After completing her education at the senior secondary level, Zahra then continued her education at Binus University majoring in Mass Communication.

Career statistics

International

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
19 July 2018Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium, Palembang, Indonesia1–23–32018 AFF Women's Championship
216 August 2018Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium, Palembang, Indonesia1–06–02018 Asian Games
316 August 2018Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium, Palembang, Indonesia6–06–02018 Asian Games
411 June 2024Al Ahli Stadium, Manama, Bahrain2–03–0Friendly