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Iranian football legend Ali Daei has been one of the best strikers from his country. His international record of scoring 109 goals was broken by Cristiano Ronaldo later. Apart from serving the Iranian team for 13 years, he also represented teams such as Bayern Munich. Post-retirement, he coached several teams.
Iranian footballer Alireza Jahanbakhsh is best known as an attacking midfielder/winger for the Dutch football club Feyenoord. Often compared to legendary Iranian player Mehdi Mahdavikia for his playing style, he gained praises from netizens in 2022, when a clip showing him helping a camerawoman get up after being knocked down went viral.
Iranian footballer Mehdi Taremi is best known as a striker for Porto. While he began his senior career with the Iranian club Shahin Bushehr, he has also played for the Qatari club Al-Gharafa and the Portuguese club Rio Ave, winning the Qatari Stars Cup with the former.
Known as the Iranian Messi, Sardar Azmoun is one of the most popular Iranian footballers. While he spent his youth career playing for influential Iranian clubs such as Sepahan, he began his senior career with Russian clubs such as Rubin Kazan and later also represented the German club Bayer Leverkusen.
Often called The Magician and The Asian Maradona, Iranian footballer Ali Karimi is best known for his stint with clubs such as Bayern Munich and Persepolis. Named the Asian Footballer of the Year in 2004, he was briefly banned from the Iranian team for criticizing the IRIFF.
Born in Iran, footballer Ashkan Dejagah moved to Germany as a toddler and grew up to play for German youth teams. However, he later represented the Iranian national team. His achievements include a Bundesliga win with Wolfsburg and a UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship win with the German Under-21 team.
Born in Iran, footballer Reza Ghoochannejhad moved to the Netherlands as a child. While he initially played for Dutch youth teams and became a well-known name in European club football, he later joined the Iranian national team. While he speaks 4 languages, he is also a music lover and a skilled violinist.
Iranian footballer Karim Ansarifard is best known for his association with the Greek club AEK Athens. Often compared to legendary footballer Ali Daei, he is known for his energy on the field. His achievements include a Super League Greece title win with Olympiacos and a Hazfi Cup win with Tractor.
Iranian footballer Masoud Shojaei is best known as an attacking midfielder for Nassaji Mazandaran. He has also previously played for teams such as Osasuna and Tractor, and has also been part of the Iranian national squad in 3 World Cups. He has also won a Super League Greece title with AEK Athens.
Former Iranian footballer Javad Nekounam, who now manages the club Foolad, has previously been a dependable central midfielder for teams such as Osasuna and Saipa. Also known as Neku, he has been part of the Iranian squad in 2 World Cups. He has also won titles such as the AFC-OFC Challenge Cup.
Iranian footballer Ehsan Hajsafi is best known as a left-back for AEK Athens. He has also been part of the Iranian squad in 2 World Cups and now leads the Iranian national team as its captain. He was once briefly banned from the Iranian team for playing for Panionios against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Former Iranian footballer Andranik Teymourian mostly played as a defensive midfielder. He began his senior career with the team Oghab and then went on to represent teams such as Tractor and Fulham. He later became the first Christian player to lead the Iranian national team as its captain.
Ramin Rezaeian is an Iranian footballer. He plays as a right-back for the Iranian club Persepolis. He also plays as a winger. He spent several years with the team Saba Qom before signing for Rah Ahan in 2013. Since then, he has played with many teams, including Persepolis, K.V. Oostende, and Al Shahania.
Ali Karimi is an Iranian former football player who scored 38 goals in 127 appearances for Iran during the course of his career. Karimi became only the fourth player from Iran to receive the Asian Footballer of the Year award in 2004. Best known for his dribbling skills, Karimi is often counted among the greatest players of Iran and Asia.
Iranian footballer Jalal Hosseini is best known as a center-back/defender for Persepolis. He has previously also played for teams such as Al Ahli and Saipa. Among his achievements are multiple Persian Gulf Pro League wins, with multiple clubs, and an Asian Games bronze medal with the U-23 Iranian squad.
One of the most popular Iranian footballers, goalkeeper Alireza Haghighi is associated with the club Nassaji Mazandaran. He has been a star on social media, with his fans praising his good looks. He has previously won several titles with Persepolis and Rubin Kazan and has won a U-23 Asian Games bronze medal, too.
Karim Bagheri is an Iranian former football player who played more than half of his professional career in the Persian Gulf Pro League for Persepolis Football Club. One of the most prolific goal scorers for the national team, Bagheri scored 50 goals in 87 appearances for Iran. Since his retirement, Karim Bagheri has been focusing on his coaching career.
Iranian footballer Kaveh Rezaei is now associated with the Belgian club OH Leuven as a forward. Known for his striking ability, he has also represented clubs such as Saipa and Charleroi, and has been a 2-time Hazfi Cup winner with Zob Ahan. He is married to Iranian volleyball player Farnoosh Sheikhi.
Morteza Pouraliganji is an Iranian professional footballer. He currently plays for Shenzhen FC, in the Chinese Super League. He is also a part of the Iranian national team. He played in the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup and represented his country at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
Mehdi Torabi is an Iranian football player who won three successive Persian Gulf Pro League titles starting from 2019. He has also won two Iranian Super Cups and one Hazfi Cup over the course of his career. Mehdi Torabi has also been representing the Iranian national team since 2015.
Omid Nazari is a professional football player who plays for the Iran national football team. From 2017 to 2019, he played for the United City Football Club, winning the Philippines Football League in 2017 and 2018. Omid Nazari currently plays for the popular club Negeri Sembilan FC, which competes in the prestigious Malaysia Super League.
Omid Ebrahimi is an Iranian footballer. He currently plays for the Qatari sports club Al-Wakrah as a defensive midfielder. He made his first competitive appearance in an Iran Pro League match in 2010. He was discovered by popular football coach Amir Ghalenoei in 2011 and made his international debut under Carlos Queiroz in December 2012.
Shojae Khalilzadeh is an Iranian professional footballer. He currently plays as a center-back for Qatari club Al-Rayyan and the Iranian national team. He started playing football with local youth teams as a teenager. He began his professional career with Mes Rafsanjan in 2008 and has since played for many other teams as well.
Sajjad Shahbazzadeh is an Iranian football player best known for winning the Hazfi Cup with the Naft Tehran Football Club in 2017. Shahbazzadeh is also known for his performance at the Persian Gulf Pro League where he was the top scorer in 2020-21. He is currently playing for the Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan Club.
Iranian footballer Eisa Palangi began his senior career with the Doha-based club Qatar SC. He has also played for the Qatar U19 team and has proved himself as a dependable forward. The Asalouyeh-born has also played as a defender/left-back.
Niloufar Ardalan is an Iranian former footballer and futsal player. She has the distinction of captaining both Iranian women's national futsal team as well as the national football team. Niloufar Ardalan is credited with helping her team win the Iranian Women's Futsal League on five occasions. Since her retirement in 2017, Ardalan has been focusing on her coaching career.
Kia Zolgharnain is an Iranian-American former soccer player. He is best known for scoring 527 goals in 534 professional indoor appearances, out of which 324 goals were scored for the Canton Invaders. After retiring as a player, Kia Zolgharnain became a coach and has been coaching at the youth level since 1984.
Iranian footballer Sara Ghomi is best known as a forward for Heyat Football Alborz. With her 238 goals, she is one of the most successful female footballers from her country. A sports lover, she played volleyball and futsal before women’s football was considered a proper sport in Iran.
