Achievements

International career

• Ahmed received his first formal call up to the Pakistan national football team squad for their World Cup 2010 preliminaries against Iraq on 22 October 2007 in Lahore, where he made his debut in a hefty 7–0 loss.
• And 28 October 2007 for the return leg in Aleppo, Syria which surprisingly finished goalless between the two sides, although Iraq went through the next round on aggregate scores.
• Adnan scored his first goal for Pakistan in a humiliating 7–1 loss against Sri Lanka in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup qualification.
• Ahmed took part in the 2008 SAFF Cup where he scored a goal against arch-rivals India in a disappointing 2–1 loss and ended Pakistan's chances of going past the group stage.
• Ahmed scored two goals in 2010 AFC Challenge Cup qualification against Taiwan 1–1 draw and against Brunei 6–0 but in end, they finished as 2nd and could not qualify for 2010 AFC Challenge Cup.
• Ahmed also took part in the 2009 SAFF Cup hosted by Bangladesh, but it was again disappointment as Pakistan crashed out in the group stages once again; Ahmed playing two games in which he missed a late crucial penalty in the 1–0 loss against Sri Lanka.
• After missing out on the Pakistan squad for the 2010 Asian Games football tournament, Adnan returned to the senior team for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification Group B held in Malaysia where he played in all 3 games and starred in midfield despite Pakistan once again disappointing in another qualification tournament.

Club career

• Huddersfield Town

Initially, part of Bury youth academy, as well as a two-year stint at Manchester United Academy afterwards, Ahmed chose to join Huddersfield Town where he turned professional. Despite making a few appearances for the club in league and cup competitions since turning professional, Ahmed's career has been hampered by persistent injury troubles.

Ahmed has the unfortunate distinction of being the very first player to be sent off at the Keepmoat Stadium, the new home of Doncaster Rovers. He was shown the red card for a two-footed challenge on Rovers' Mark McCammon, the scorer of the very first goal in the stadium during Huddersfield's 3–0 defeat on 1 January 2007.

In January 2007, Ahmed went to Lincoln City, who had shown an interest in him, on a one-week trial with Huddersfield manager Peter Jackson saying "It will be a good experience for him and will hopefully make him appreciate what he's got here". However, no deal was done between the clubs and as a result, the player returned to Huddersfield. He was released from the club in May 2007.

• Tranmere Rovers

On 25 May 2007, it was announced that Ahmed had joined Tranmere Rovers side on a free transfer, becoming manager Ronnie Moore's first summer signing of 2007. He made his debut coming on as a substitute in the 2nd half at home in a 1–1 draw with Yeovil Town on 1 September 2007. However, competition for places in midfield saw him make just five further appearances during his debut season with the club.

Because of lacking any real first-team opportunities, Ahmed went on loan to Conference National side Mansfield Town at the end of October 2008, making his first-team debut in a 2–0 defeat away to Torquay United on 1 November 2008. He became an instant hit with the Mansfield fans scoring a penalty in the 3–0 win against Salisbury City, also scoring a diving header against Weymouth to set up a 2–1 victory. Following his return to Tranmere, he joined Port Vale on trial. He went on loan to Vale on 21 January 2009.

Ahmed opened his account with the "Valiants" by scoring the match-winner in a 2–0 win at Macclesfield Town on 25 February 2009. He returned to Tranmere in late March after Vale manager Dean Glover rejected the opportunity to extend his loan, despite impressing fans with his performances. 

• Ferencvárosi

In July 2009, having impressed the coaching staff during pre-season trial matches at Hungarian team Ferencvárosi TC, Ahmed signed a two-year deal with the team to play in Nemzeti Bajnokság I. He played his first competitive game for the team in a 2–0 win over Diósgy?ri VTK in the 2009–10 Hungarian League Cup on 29 July 2009. After one season, he was released from the team has played a total of 20 games in all competitions with 1 goal in a 4–2 win against Kecskeméti TE in the Hungarian League Cup on 23 September 2009.

In July 2010 he went on trial at Scottish Premier League side Aberdeen, but was not offered a contract.

• Aboomoslem

In September 2010, after taking part in training sessions and trials, Adnan was given a one-year contract with Mashhad-based Iranian club Aboumoslem for the 2010–11 Azadegan League season. He made his first-team debut in a 1–0 home win over Iranjavan Bushehr on 7 October 2010. However, at the start of 2011, Adnan left the side and headed back to England as a free agent after playing just five games for Aboomoslem.

• Nelson & Droylsden

Ahmed signed with Northern Premier League Premier Division club Bradford Park Avenue in October 2011. He scored a stoppage-time winner on his debut, helping Avenue to defeat Chester 2–1 on 2 November. In May 2012, he joined Nelson in Division One of the North West Counties League. In November 2013, Ahmed rejoined Nelson after a short spell playing for Conference North side Droylsden. He helped the "Admirals" to the Division One title in the 2013–14 season. He made four appearances at the start of the 2014–15 campaign, but did not feature after mid-August.

However, Ahmed re-joined Nelson once again in January 2016. He balanced part-time football with working as operating director of his father's bedroom furniture company.