It’s funny in a football life. The Iranians had grown up in Leeuwarden and up to twenty months ago was totally unknown in his homeland, which he left with his family at the age of eight to establish a life in Netherlands. In the last World Cup qualifiers, Reza, as he conveniently calls himself, however created an unforgettable impression. The former player of SC Heerenveen, Go Ahead Eagles, FC Emmen and SC Cambuur scored the winning goal against South Korea, a result  which took Iran to its the fourth World Cup participation in its history. Meanwhile Charlton Athletic’s Ghoochannejhad in sixteen internationals  matches he found the target ten times already.

“He is definitely the star of the Iranian team,” says Shervin Gilani of the Tehran Times.”You can see that he has had a good training in Netherlands. In Iran, everyone expects Reza to score in this tournament. “

Ghoochannejhad is not only of  Iranian-Frisian origin with a tongue-twisting name , but an outstanding player as well. He is musically inclined and he was able in the past to play the violin. He also decided as a young footballer to study Law and Political Science at the University. On the field, he is distinguished by a combination of technical skill and a great purpose.

However, it was a close shave or Ghoochannejhad would have never been admired at a World Cup. At age 21 he wanted to say goodbye to professional football. It was Marc Overmars, the current director of football affairs of Ajax, who pulled him aside and tried to persuade him from giving up , at his former club Go Ahead Eagles.

“You can say I saved his career,” said Overmars. “Reza had a lengthy rehabilitation from a cruciate ligament injury which complicated his come back and frustrated him. During a loan period at FC Emmen he got on the stand correctly. He argued that there was no future for him in professional football and had applied for transfer to the amateurs, because he wanted to focus completely on his studies. I spoke a lot with him and his parents insisted that he really needed to decide, otherwise his career would be over. It was his last chance. It’s very nice to see that he is now at the World Cup. It very nearly was run very differently. “

Now Ghoochannejhad will be playing today with Iran against the Argentine, with star ensemble like Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero. In the scoreless draw against Nigeria, there was the best chance for Ghoochannejhad to score for Iran, but his header was parried by the goalkeeper. So far, the Iranians have always been extras on the World Cup with just one win in ten World Cup matches. With games against Argentina (Today at 18:00) and Bosnia-Herzegovina (Wednesday) at the door there also seems to run out of time.

For this tournament Reza  nevertheless seems to be optimistic to play a role. Significant one with Iran “We are no less than Nigeria and Bosnia-Herzegovina. We have a group with a good mix of young talent and experienced players. I think we’re going to fight,  to get the second place behind Argentina.”  Ghoochannejhad said, that does not look up to the confrontation with the potential World Cup winner. “The pressure is on Argentina. We have nothing to lose. It is up to us to show the same resilience as we showed against Nigeria.”