Zaid Ismail is an Iraqi defensive midfielder born in Diyala in 2002. He first gained regular senior minutes with Diyala in Iraq's second division, then moved to Newroz, where he established himself in the top tier. In January 2024 he joined Al-Talaba and became an important midfield player, later drawing wider attention through league performances. Ismail represented Iraq at under-23 level from 2023 and was part of the group that finished third at the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup. He made his senior Iraq breakthrough at the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup and later appeared in World Cup playoff action.