Tag: Bayern Munich

Destination Turkey.

The two mighty neighbors Turkey and Iran have a heavy mutual influence on each other, due to geographical proximity, economic benefits, linguistic and ethnic relations. They were also regional rivals at some stage of history and fought each other for influence and power. In modern times, the relation has been peaceful and friendly.  Football formed part of this peaceful relationship and also created a regional rivalry.

The Turkish association with European football and its membership in UEFA, has immensely benefitted its development. The Turkish national team, despite making it to the World Cup twice only in their history (1954 & 2002), was always considered to be better and stronger than Iran’s Team Melli from the early 50s. Those days, the two countries played a lot of football against each other including a regional tournament called RCD which was a three side annual tournament that also included Pakistan in the 60s.

However, like many things after the 1979 revolution, with Iran’s major change of political ideology, the two countries experienced less than a cozy relationship, football naturally suffered from this cold relation and the two countries cut off their football connection. Neither side showed any interest in playing friendlies against the other, no doubt politics playing a major role in the break of footballing relationship.

Meanwhile, Turkish football, at club level at least, was thriving. The trio, Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, and Besiktas were as good as many first-rate  European clubs. With financial clout and huge fan bases, Turkey became the focus of attention and the destination of many foreign players.  For years, the Turkish clubs employed the services of European, African and Latin American footballers, those included some household names in football. However, the majority of the big name European signings were players at the twilight of their careers who were there for a last-ditch attempt to enrich their bank accounts before hanging their boots rather than seeking glory.  The success of the policy of the Turkish clubs in attracting high profile aging footballers was mixed perhaps moderately successful at best.

What the Turkish club ignored was the abundance of talents on the eastern and southern borders. Iran and to a certain extent, Iraq had a wealth of young talents that were there for the taking. Since the late nineties, European clubs, particularly the German realized that as a number of the best Iranian players were employed by clubs like Bayern Munich , Hamburg, Hertha Berlin, and Arminia Bielefeld While talented Iraqi players headed south to the Persian Gulf states. At no time, the Turks endeavored to attract Iranians and Iraqis to play for their teams, although it would have been a good investment and certainly cheaper for them too.

By the beginning of the second decade of the millennium, The Turkish clubs, at last, looked at Iran. There had to be something special in that country’s football that can generate quality players for Team Melli.  With shoestring budgets, Iranian clubs managed to continuously deliver talented players thus enriching Team Melli and many 0f those young players eventually heading outside Iran to play professional football. In the process, Iran has made 4 appearances in the FIFA World Cup after a break of 20 years since the initial one in 1978, but also steadily climbed in the FIFA World Ranking to approach the elites. Meanwhile, Turkey managed one appearance in 2002.

That made the Turkish clubs think hard and employ scouts to talent hunt in Iran and seek bargains and future investments from the Persians.

For the Iranians, Turkey is the perfect destination for a professional player. The culture, the climate and the proximity of the two countries make it an ideal place to play football, to develop and to make a decent living.  Although the flood gates had hardly opened on the Iranians, the Turkish clubs are beginning to be shrewd as they are constantly on the lookout for talented players even as young as 18 years old. In the case of Allahyar Sayyadmanish, who was hardly a fixed player in his club Esteghlal, such investment could turn out to be a clever an astute move by Fenerbahçe. The giant Turkish club is now seeking the services of the 19 years old Iraqi forward Muhanad Ali Kadhim from Al Shorta Club.

It is a win-win situation for both sides. Iranian Players can develop well in Turkey with training facilities and passionate fans enhancing the league to become one of the best in Europe. It is certainly the right environment for aspiring young Iranian and Iraqi players.

 

Allahyar Sayyadmanesh, is an 11th Iranian footballer in Turkey.

Naser Sadeghi (Galatasaray / Konyaspor)
Mohammad Khakpour (Vanspor)
Reza Shahroudi (Altay)
Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh (Erzurumspor)
Mohammad Moemeni (Erzurumspor)
Hamed Kavianpour (Kayserispor)
Sajjad Şhahbazzade (Alanyaspor) ♣
Payam Sadeghian (Osmanlıspor) ♣
Vahid Amiri (Trabzonspor) ♣
Majid Hosseini (Trabzonspor) ♣

♣ currently active.

Speculation about Van Gaal in Iran.

The Former Bayern and Manchester United coach Louis van Gaal is engaged in negotiations for a coaching job in Iran according to consistent media reports. The 67-year-old Dutchman will soon visit Iran, according to various sources.

There could be a possible involvement with Tractor Sazi Tabriz club, currently the richest in the Persian Gulf league (Iranian premiere league). According to other reports, van Gaal could also succeed Carlos Queiroz as coach of the Iranian national football team. The Portuguese contract expires next February. after the end of the AFC Asian Cup 2019.

Tractor Sazi Tabriz, who are known as Paris Saint-Germain of Iranian football, is financially able to sign a coach like van Gaal, For this season, the club has already brought in the Welshman John Toshack as head coach and national players such as Ashkan Dejagah, Masoud Shojaei and Ehsan Haj Safi. However, with 10 points from seven games, the team was not meeting the expectation of the owners  and was placed in a disappointing sixth place – which is why there the was speculations about a possible departure of the Welshman. Toshack resigned one week ago and left Tractorsazi.

Louis Van Gaal has trained a host of famous clubs in Europe including  Ajax, Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar, Bayern Munich,  Netherlands National Team and  Manchester United. Van Gaal is one of the most decorated managers in football world, having won 20 major honours in his managerial career.

His last post with Manchester United proved the most difficult as his tactical plans and  tough training methods did not sit well with the players leading to some poor results. A demanding coach who requires full commitment from players and a coach who has always believed in hard and physically demanding training regime, it is difficult to see him succeed in Iran where the players lack professional discipline and the attitude of their European counterparts. Iranian players prefer a much more relaxed atmosphere in training. and do not respond too well to strict tactical instructions.

PSV scouting for top Iranian talent: Younes Delfi

With pen and paper in hand and dozens of scouts gasping in the neck, Voetbalzone scours the international fields every week. Who are the stars of the future, which talents should absolutely be watched? Our next target: Younes Delfi, who will join PSV within the foreseeable future.

By Tim Siekman

The Iran’s Under-17 team started well  on the bright side in October 2017 at the  FIFA U-17 World Cup by defeating Guinea 3-1. A great achievement, but also factored in. The Asian talents in the group phase would give a much heavier blow to the might of Germany, whom with  their star forward Jann-Fiete Arp had a well-coveted diamond in the making . The top striker of Hamburger SV scored five times in five matches at the final tournament in India and took his team to the quarter finals of the World Championship.

An interesting clash was therefore expected in advance, again with a possible leading role for Arp, who is on the radar of Bayern Munich.  however It went differently. In the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi, Germany was outclassed by Iran. The 4-0 loss of that Mannschaft meant the breakthrough of Younes Delfi on the international podium. The seventeen-year-old right winger took his team by the hand and after six minutes broke through the doctrine, via defender Jan Boller, by placing the ball between the legs of goalkeeper Luca Plogmann.

Plogmann then faced a barrage of attacks. Just before halftime, Delfi again struck: the fast winger hit the spot with the help of Mohammad Sharifi’s assist. After the break, the top talented boy from Khuzestan produced an assist for Allahyar Sayyad,  and later Vahid Namdari sealed the match with the fourth goal for Iran and the final score ended 4-0 to Team Melli. With that impressive win over Germany, the name of Delfi was definitively established. Several clubs in Europe have lauded scouting reports of the Iranian in the drawer, including Besiktas, but it was PSV that has taken the initiative.

PSV

Delfi is on his way to the PSV Eindhoven, as recently confirmed by director Amir Soltani. The seventeen-year-old attacker is plucked for a fee of 550,000 euros from Esteghlal Khuzestan, which also stipulated a sale percentage of 20 percent. Soltani recently said that the deal is as good as done and that ‘the last details’ still have to be discussed. From mid-August, Delfi will try to repeat his excellent form and shine with the Under-23 team of Iran at the Asian Games  2018 in Indonesia, and the youngster will later officially join PSV, probably in January.

Last March, Delfi, who incidentally also can play as an attacking midfielder, were planned to join Eindhoven training camp together with Taha Shariati. The two youth internationals would train with the Under-19 team, which at the time was led by Mark van Bommel, currently head coach of the national champion. Delfi, however, was not allowed to travel to the Netherlands, but now he  can make the step. He can sign a professional contract with PSV on his birthday on 2 October.

Younes Delfi with his teammates from the Under-23 of Iran in a friendly game with Iraq.

Delfi’s excellent performance at the Youth World Cup against Germany, according to him, was partly due to a close preparation that he carried out together with his offensive partner and roommate Sayyad. “We watched a lot of videos from the U17  team of Germany and knew what they had to offer. We have analyzed them down to the smallest detail and from this we drew our conclusions “, says Delfi, who ended up in the loosing side in the quarter finals with a defeat against Spain, in an interview with New Indian Express .

Cristiano Ronaldo

In Iran, people are convinced that the youth can handle top football in Europe in the future. “Being a regular player in Persian Gulf Pro League is a blessing for the team,” said team manager Amir Sedighi last October. “He is a valuable addition, both for his club and country.” Since his debut for Esteghlal Khuzestan, Delfi has been labeled by various media as ‘prodigy’. After ‘only’ six appearances in the 2016/17 season, the winger was awarded almost every game of play minutes the following year. In total, the dribbler has 32 appearances in the club so far, with 7 goals and 1 assist under his name.

Delfi is determined to once again draw attention to the Asian Games. The talented player remains ambitious, despite all the praise that has already been awarded to him. “My goals are not based on my performance. I expect more from myself, “Delfi said recently in an interview with varzesh3 . Delfi has had a good time at the club where he played since his early youth, but acknowledges that the move to Europe is very tempting. “My ambitions are very big: I want to exchange Esteghlal Khuzestan for Europe to eventually play for top clubs.”

The attacker is praised for his speed, his technique, his dribbles and his urge to constantly look for one-to-one situations. Delfi does not turn his hand around for the dirty work and is willing to make runs for his teammates. The 17-year-old gem considers Cristiano Ronaldo as his idol. The five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or often says that hard work is the basis for success and that opinion is also attributed to Delfi: “To be even in the shadow of Ronaldo, I have to work very hard, I know that. But my goal is to become better than Ronaldo. one  of theses days. “

Name: Younes Delfi
Date of birth: 2 October 2000
Club: Esteghlal Khuzestan
Position: right winger, attacking midfielder
Strengths: speed, dribbling qualities, insight

Ghleechkhani’s Unreachable , Unassailable record.

Iran has a legend in Ali Daei whose 109 goals in international games is a record that seems to be incredibly difficult to beat in the near future.

The Shariyar has the World All-time Top scorer record registered under his name; no one is even close to this 109 goals unless you consider the 85 that Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal has scored to be quite near!

Despite of that, Daei is not the first hero of Iran’s illustrious football history. That accolade goes to the great Parviz Ghleechkhani who preceded him in an implausible record that is simply next to impossible to beat in modern day football.

Ghleechkhani has played in 3 AFC Asian Cup tournaments. He won 3 titles in 1968, 1972 and 1976. The utility player who has excelled in every post he played, bar in the goal, has played 12 matches in the three editions of what was called Asian Nations Cup and won them all. No draws, no defeats and absolute 100% record. As such, Ghleechkhani holds 2 Asian records with that feat. 3 consecutive championships title and the 100% undefeated record. No Asian player is close to those records.

Ghleechkhani. who was the Captain of Team Melli ,  added the Asian Games Tehran 1974 Gold Medal to his cabinet too.

Considered by many as Iran’s best ever player, Parviz Ghleechkhani was deprived from the World Cup when Iran first qualified in 1978. His absence was nothing to do with football but much about politics and his expression of leftist leaning views in the era of the Pahlavi dictatorship. Ghleechkhani was arrested by SAVAK in February 1972 for anti-regime activities and viewing or spreading of Marxists literature which was a taboo in Iran. Some months later, Ghleechkhani appeared live on national TV in an orchestrated interview where he expressed his regrets and declared repentance; as a result, he was released from prison a few days later.

Ghleechkhani continued playing football with unrelenting success on the field. He was offered professional contracts by a number of European clubs including Galatasaray S.K, Bayern Munich, Olympiacos. Despite being released, Ghleechlkhani was constantly monitored and kept under surveillance by the regime security apparatus. He was not allowed to leave Iran to play for any of the clubs that offered him contracts. While still at his peak and playing quite well in the North American Soccer League (NASL) with SD Earthquakes, he was ignored in the selection for the squad of Team Melli to Argentine for the first ever appearance in the FIFA World Cup in 1978.

The legendary midfielder played for several clubs starting from Kayan, Taj, Pas , Oghab , Daraei, and Persepolis. In 1977 he moved to the United States where he signed for the San Jose Earthquake.

The success of the Iranian Revolution in 1979 lead by Ayattollah Khomeini was another serious setback for the activist Ghleechkhani. In April 1979 Iran was declared an Islamic republic, while elements within the clergy promptly moved to exclude their former left-wing, nationalist, and intellectual allies from any positions of power in the new regime, and a return to conservative social values was enforced.  Ghleechkhani and his comrades were out of luck.

Ghleechkhani’s success was hindered by his political beliefs and the struggles against the regimes of both The Shah and Ayatollah Khomeini. Ghleechkhani was a great player in all meaning of the word. He never managed to reach his potential despite his skills and abilities, instead he made millions of Iranians fans celebrate the success of Team Melli through his great performances. One of the most memorable of which , was against Australia in the FIFA Qualifiers in 1973 in Tehran Arayamehr Stadium (Azadi) where he scored two goals in less than 30 minutes. His first was a thunderous shoot and the second a penalty.

An exile in Paris now, Ghleechkhani record of 3 consecutive Asian Cup titles and 100% record, seems like being immortal.

Parviz Ghleechkhani

Asian Cup Games Details

 

# Date Competition Venue Opponent Score
1 10-May-68 Asian Cup H Hong Kong 2 – 0
2 13-May-68 Asian Cup H Taiwan 4 – 0
3 16-May-68 Asian Cup H Burma 3 – 1
4 19-May-68 Asian Cup / Final H Israel 2 – 1
5 07-May-72 Asian Cup N Cambodia 2 – 0
6 09-May-72 Asian Cup N Iraq 3 – 0
7 13-May-72 Asian Cup A Thailand 3 – 2
8 17-May-72 Asian Cup N Cambodia 2 – 1
9 19-May-72 Asian Cup / Final N Korea Rep. 2 – 1
10 04-Jun-76 Asian Cup H Iraq 2 – 0
11 05-Jun-76 Asian Cup H China 2 – 0
12 13-Jun-76 Asian Cup / Final H Kuwait 1 – 0

P

 W D L GF GA GD Pts Win %
12 12 0 0 28 6 22 36

100%

Daei “Iran will win the AFC Asian Cup”

The legendary Ali Daei has explained his confidence over Iran winning the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 title.

“Iran has been Asia’s top team for the last few years for a reason: the consistency of the technical team,” Daei said in an interview with AFC.

“There have been very few changes in the technical team’s setup and the stability has allowed coach Carlos Queiroz to focus on building a formidable squad. Queiroz has also looked far and wide for the best players and this has had a positive effect on the national team,” the former Iran captain added.

Iran is Asia’s top side in the FIFA World Ranking and was also the first team from the continent to seal a place in the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018, confirming its place last June.

The team finished the World Cup qualifiers unbeaten and Daei, 49, is expecting the form to be carried into the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, with Iran lifting the trophy.

The last of Iran’s three triumphs in the AFC Asian Cup was in 1976, meaning that it will be 43 years since Team Melli last won the title by the time the action in UAE 2019 kicks off next January.

“I am confident that Iran will win this time around. We have always been a force to be reckoned with in the AFC Asian Cup but the recent results give me confidence that we will win the title for the fourth time,” said Daei.

 

The AFC Asian Cup may have eluded Daei as a player but it is a tournament which is dear to his heart, as it paved the way for his big move to Germany in 1996.

In emerging top scorer in the 1996 AFC Asian Cup, also hosted by the UAE, Daei hit four of his tournament haul of eight goals in the 6-2 win over South Korea in the quarterfinals.

“There was a Korean player who was playing in Germany at that time and he convinced several coaches to scout for players during the 1996 AFC Asian Cup. The four goals I scored in that match played a pivotal role for me signing with Arminia Bielefeld.”

His stay in Germany also saw stints with Bayern Munich and Hertha BSC.

Plying his trade in Europe brought much success to one of Iran’s footballing sons and Daei is hoping that come the AFC Asian Cup 2019, not only will more of his compatriots secure moves to the big European leagues but Iran lift a long overdue title.

“I missed a penalty in the semifinal against Saudi Arabia and we lost, but I know that it can be different this time around,” he added.

Daei holds the record for the most goals in international football with a total of 109 goals he scored in 149 games for Team Melli (from 1993-2006).

Azmoun and the English Premiere League, will it work?

Sardar Azmoun scored a brilliant goal against Bayern Munich in the Champions League last night, his second in the competition after the one against Atletico Madrid in an earlier round. Sardar Azmoun is top scorer of Team Melli and a true potential of being one of the greatest Iranian player in the history like his idol Ali Daei. He has done his reputation a world of good by scoring against the 5 time European Champions to rekindle the calls and the pressure on him to join one of the big names of European football. Liverpool seems to be the main suitor.

Sardar Azmoun has many admirers not just Liverpool FC, Since Farhad Moshiri, the British-Iranian businessman has bought majority interest in Everton, he has also shown serious interest in his compatriot. Sardar Azmoun has many admirers in the Bundesliga as well.

Saying all that, the biggest mistake of Sardar’s career would be to move to the English Premiere league, which has been the graveyard of so many promising young players and famous players too.  Chances of a 21 years old Iranian forward breaking into a team in the premiere league is quite a long shot. Despite the global appeal of the English PL, it is not highly rated in terms in producing and nourishing talents and in tactical value. The English style of play depends on stamina and strong physical attributes of players. A player is judged upon much he runs in the field and how much he tackles. Individual talents and other attributes come distant second. Not many leagues or football styles are played in the old British style and not many players can adept to it. Even some established professional footballers from other leagues have struggled.

sardar-azmoun-5204

Sardar Azmoun has many excellent attributes for a player at his age. His heading ability is second to none, he jumps high and he has no fear tackling defenders much stronger than him while going for headers. He has a fantastic ability in turning in small circles and beating defenders and leaving them chasing his shadow. Best of the lot , though is…He scores.

However, Azmoun comes from a football background where pace has never been its greatest attributes. The talent of the young man from Gonbad Kavos is undeniable but running for 90 minutes like he is expected to do in England, is not his strongest points. His stamina falls short of 90 minutes or beyond.

sardar azmoun 2

Of course there is always hope that Sardar might hit the bullseyes since the English Football is slowly being transformed from that mad pace into a more tactical and beautiful easy on the eyes style of  the European coaches which the likes of Arsene Wenger , Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have applied. However, the chances for Sardar are not so great and bench-warming will probably kill his career or at least delay his exceptional progress for years. For him to break into the league where the likes of Radamel Falcao , the young Paul Pogba , Pedro , and currently Sturridge have struggled , he really has to show some exceptional ability and work hard which might be beyond the physical mental and emotional ability of the young man.

 FC Rostov is a very cozy place for him right now. Perhaps in a year or so , the Bundesliga would suite his style, but the lure of the Sterling might be too attractive to ignore but detrimental to his career.

Sardar Azmoun injury concern.

Team Melli center forward Sardar Azmoun was injured and taken to hospital by an ambulance during Friday’s match between FC Rostov vs. Krylya Sovetov Samara in the Russian Premier League.

Sardar was substituted in for Dimitry Poloz in the 64th minutes. Rostov won 2-1 to climb the table to 4th place with 10 points from 6 matches.

Early report indicates a suspected injury to the arm, however no confirmation was given on his status. FC Rostov will be meeting Bayern Munich in their first ever appearance in the UEFA Champions League group stages.

Team Melli’s next game will be away to Uzbekistan on the 6th October in Matchday 3 of the FIFA WC Russia 2018 third round qualifiers. Iran is in the second place behind leaders Uzbekistan with 4 points. The Uzbek has two victories against Syria and Qatar.

Asian Icons: Ali Karimi

AFC Player of the Year 2004, Ali Karimi, who recently announced the end of his compelling playing career, kicks-off the first of the-afc.com’s ‘Asian Icons’ series as we build up to the AFC’s 60th Anniversary celebrations in November by profiling the individuals and incidents that have impacted on the Asian game over the years.

The charismatic Karimi will undoubtedly go down as one of Iran’s greatest footballers who, on his day, could dazzle Iranian and Asian football fans with his silky passing, unbelievable imagination and light feet as he orchestrated attacks for club and country.

Standing proudly alongside other Iranian football legends such as former team-mates Ali Daei, Mehdi Mahdavikia and Karim Bagheri, Karimi is third in the all time Team Melli scoring chart with 38 goals from 127 matches in an international career that was not without its tensions as major disagreements between strong personalities were not uncommon in Iranian football over the years.

Top scorer as Iran finished third at the 2004 AFC Asian Cup, Karimi has also helped Team Melli win the 1998 Asian Games gold, two WAFF Championships and a 2003 AFC/OFC Challenge Cup title in which he scored twice in a 3-0 win over New Zealand and was named MVP.

The Karaj-born attacking midfielder was even more successful at club level and after winning two league titles with Persepolis and two UAE Cups with Al Ahli, Karimi followed in the footsteps of compatriots Bagheri, Daei, and Mahdavikia and made the move to the German Bundesliga.

Karimi, nicknamed ‘the Asian Maradona’ by fans in Iran, won the 2005/06 league and cup double with Bayern Munich before winning his second DFB Cup winner’s medal with Schalke 04 following a brief spell back in Germany in 2011 following a stint in Qatar with Qatar Sports Club and Al Siliya and two seasons back in Iran with Steel Azin.

Karimi-Ali-Kahn-Bayern

After his second stint in Germany Karimi returned to Persepolis for a third stint at the Tehran giants before calling time on an illustrious career that spanned almost two decades at his final club Tractorsazi Tabriz, where he had a final cameo appearance on Asian club football’s biggest stage, the AFC Champions League

Vahid Hashemian “Iranian players lack physical strength and have fitness issues.”

Vahid Hashemian, a former Team Melli forward who played in the FIFA World Cup 2006 believes that Iranian players have an acute lack of physical strength and fitness issues.

“In both of our the last World Cups , Team Melli came short. It is evident that Iranian players are not capable of playing 3 consecutive competitive games at the highest levels of football. The reason for this is well-known and that is the poor physical strength, body fitness and lack of stamina. Of course, it is not entirely the fault of the Team Melli coaches, because these players are the byproduct of a league that fails to create physically strong teams and players.” Hashemian said.

The Ex Pas and Bayern Munich forward , is currently undergoing a one year long German Football Coaching course, which is globally recognized as the best quality training for future football coaches.

In an interview with Tasnim , he described the performance of Team Melli in the FIFA World Cup as honorable. “When you look at the statistics, you will find that our passing and creativity was one of the worst amongst the World Cup teams. It was clear that our aim was to play like destroyers and prevent the other teams from attacking us. If that was the aim of the coach and his aspiration, then he has done a good job of it in the first two matches, but then again we failed at the last hurdle like we always do. Because of lack of strength and energy, our defense crumbled in the last match. In one sense, the fact that we were not beaten easily, is a success in itself”

On the contract extension with Querioz , Hashemian said ” If the priority was for a foreign coach , then Queiroz after 3 years at the helm , would be the best option. However, the Football Federations needs to be intelligent and astute while spending such a huge amount on a coach. We need to ask many questions such as , what has Queiroz done for the country’s football, how many young players has he produced for Team Melli, is he following young players leagues and careers , is he paying attention on the foundations, has he any plans in producing certain numbers of young players for Team Melli by 2018 , is he doing anything to promote Iranian assistant coaches for Team Melli? Many other questions need to be asked to justify the high value contract.”

Asked if the huge payslip of Queiroz is justified, Hashemian commented “ The contract pay out should be proportional to the capabilities of the federation and in unison with the country’s ability, i.e. it should not be a burden. Queiroz pay was the 16th highest in the World Cup and with the US$800,000 bonus that he got, he climbed to number 7 or 8 in the world. What that means is that he is very highly paid coach, but that is not important for me. What is important is what has he delivered or going to deliver in the future for that sort of money and whether his end product is worth it.”

On the issue of Iranian assistant coach for Queiroz, which has become a hot topic, Hashemian said “I don’t think it is right to force appoint someone as an assistant coach to work with Queiroz. The coach has to hand-pick his own , else it is not going to work. I have no comment on the issue of Majid Saleh who left the Camp. I think that he wasn’t Queiroz’s choice and that is where problems started.”

Hashemian (38 years) played 49 times for Team Melli scoring 14 goals. He played in the Bundesliga from 1999 to 2010 for Hamburg VfL , Bochum ,  Bayern Munich ,  Hannover 96 and  VfL Bochum  a second time , before transferring to Persepolis in 2010 where he ended his footballing career two years later.

Vahid Hashemian attending German Football Coaching course.
Ali Karimi Pashaki

Asian football is all the poorer for the retirement of a genuine legend.

Asia loses a legend as Karimi retires

 

JOHN DUERDEN

espnfc.com

 

Ali Karimi has finally hung up his boots after a fine career.

 

Not many football players were mentioned by name in those diplomatic cables released to the world by WikiLeaks a few years ago but Ali Karimi was. Even Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad found the time to get involved in the career of the man they called ‘The Wizard Of Tehran” who finally pocketed his wand and hung up his boots earlier this week. Having threatened to quit before, this time it is for real and Asian football has lost a little of its sparkle as a result.

His 117 caps for Iran, Bundesliga success with Bayern Munich and three separate spells with his beloved Persepolis in Tehran don’t tell anything like the full story. Karimi is one, some say the best, of the most talented players Asia has ever produced.

Special barely begins to describe the quarterfinal of the 2004 Asian Cup against South Korea, almost exactly a decade ago. Jinan is one of the grittier Chinese cities but if you wanted beauty and magic, it was the place be on that sticky Saturday night as it hosted one of the greatest individual performances ever seen on the continent. Scoring a hat trick in a 4-3 win was always going to grab the headlines but there was something different about his performance that only a true great can claim. Iran coach Branko Ivankovic recalled later on how he realised early in the game that his star man was in special form; the instructions from the bench and the half-time team talk were basically to give it to Karimi.

Some of the Korean defenders were still shaking their heads an hour after it all finished and the tormentor is still talked about and respected in Seoul. Karimi was more than the difference between the two teams, he was the difference between witnessing an exciting game of knockout football in a major competition and something unforgettable. A few months later, he was named Asia’s player of 2004.

It was almost a perfect year with the only frustration that he was still playing for Al Ahli in a UAE league where he lingered too long. It was like Park Ji-sung starring in the 2002 World Cup and deciding to stay at Kyoto Purple Sanga for another season or two instead of heading to PSV Eindhoven, the latter stages of the Champions League and then Manchester United. In typical Karimi fashion however, when the move came, it was a big one as he left Dubai for Bayern Munich, just weeks before Park was pictured holding the famous red shirt at Old Trafford in July 2005.

Karimi’s first game against Bayer Leverkusen was watched by millions back home. It is hard to think of an Asian player who had managed such an impressive big league debut after a direct switch from east to west and the midfielder basked in the plaudits after helping his new club to a 5-2 win.

He continued to look solid over the next six months or so, before an ankle injury in arctic conditions against Hamburg in March 2006 ended his first campaign. He never really got going again, perhaps it was being injured a long way from home, perhaps it was the fall-out of that summer’s World Cup, perhaps it was issues behind the scenes at FC Hollywood, but the injury as good as ended his time with Bayern. It was made official in May 2007 and, soon after, he returned to the Middle East and Qatar. Apart from the briefest of spells with Schalke, his European career was over.

There will be regret that the wider world outside Asia didn’t get to see much of what he could do. 2006 should have been the time but the World Cup was a disaster for both player and country. Karimi was still not match fit after the Hamburg injury and was taken off on the hour of the opening game against Mexico. Shortly after, a 1-1 scoreline became a 3-1 defeat. Worse was to follow. He was one side of a major split in the dressing room opposite Ali Daei, a legend who was past his best by the time the tournament kicked off, and for Iranian football, the lack of unity off the pitch was more painful than results on it.

Controversy was never far away from Karimi — given the tag “Asian Maradona,” the nickname was accurate in more ways than one as he was not afraid to speak out about some of the issues in Iranian football, a trait that won him enemies as well as public affection. In 2008, the Iranian FA banned him from the national team after he publicly criticised the federation for incompetence. He was reinstated thanks to the efforts of President Ahmadinejad.

 

Ali Karimi: The deep-lying forward has played 112 times for Iran
Karimi was never one to hold his tongue.

 

Perhaps, however, Iran’s leader regretted the intervention the following year. In June 2009, Karimi headed to South Korea as part of a team needing to win to keep hopes of automatic qualification for the 2010 World Cup alive against a backdrop of major protests back home. The president had just won re-election but the opposition claimed their man, Mir Hossein Mousavi, as the real winner. The favoured colour of the challenger during the election was green, and six of the Team Melli XI took the pitch in Seoul sporting wristbands of the same colour. Whatever the official explanation soon given — namely that the gesture was a religious one — it was certainly interpreted by many as support for the opposition.

Many thought that was it for Karimi in terms of the international stage, especially when in 2010, his club Steel Azin banned him from playing after he was reportedly seen drinking water in a training session during Ramadan. The ban didn’t last long though and he was soon back playing for his country but, in truth, his best years were behind him.

Even so, he managed to play a sizable part in Iran’s successful qualification for the 2014 World Cup until the historic defeat to Lebanon midway through the final stage. Many fans campaigned for him to be summoned to Brazil but it was not to be, though coach Carlos Queiroz reserved some special words for the player when naming his final squad, who took the omission with the kind of grace he often showed on the playing field. In the end, it was hard to imagine the 35 year-old matching younger compatriots in their defensive discipline against Argentina but then, perhaps, it is easy to imagine him coming up with the goal that Iran deserved against the eventual runners-up too.

Karimi wasn’t perfect. He upset plenty and his performances didn’t always match his skill but that was part of his charm. He divided opinion as easily as he divided a defence with a deft backheel, but surely all can agree that Asian football is all the poorer for the retirement of a genuine legend.