Tag: Cristiano Ronaldo

Ali Daei in the news again

Team Melli legend and former Head Coach is being mentioned repeatedly in the media following the recent goal-scoring spree of Lionel Messi in the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Messi with five goals scored is on par with Kylian Mbappe, the French prodigy as the best scorer of the tournament. The Paris Saint Germain teammates will meet on the final on Sunday for their respective countries Argentina and France. With those 5 goals, Messi is fast advancing to overtake Ali Daei in second place among the World’s Top international scorers.

Messi is 13 goals short of Ali Daei’s tally and 22 short of Ronaldo, the record holder. With Messi having a few more years of his best football still in the tank, he is well-placed to overtake Daei and Ronaldo.

Rank Player Country Goals Caps Ratio First cap Last cap
1 Cristiano Ronaldo  Portugal 118 196 0.6 20 August 2003 10 December 2022
2 Ali Daei  Iran 109 148 0.74 6 June 1993 21 June 2006
3 Lionel Messi  Argentina 96 171 0.56 17 August 2005 13 December 2022
4 Mokhtar Dahari  Malaysia 89 142 0.62 5 June 1972 19 May 1985
5 Ferenc Puskás  Hungary 84 85 0.99 20 August 1945 14 October 1956
Sunil Chhetri  India 84 131 0.64 12 June 2005 27 September 2022
7 Ali Mabkhout  United Arab Emirates 80 109 0.73 15 November 2009 16 November 2022
8 Godfrey Chitalu  Zambia 79 111 0.71 29 June 1968 12 December 1980
9 Hussein Saeed  Iraq 78 137 0.57 5 September 1976 3 March 1990
Robert Lewandowski  Poland 78 138 0.57 10 September 2008 4 December 2022
11 Pelé  Brazil 77 92 0.84 7 July 1957 18 July 1971
Neymar 77 124 0.62 10 August 2010 9 December 2022

Cristiano Ronaldo finally breaks Ali Daei’s record.

Cristiano Ronaldo was able to change the outcome of the game on the night of his outstanding solo performance.

Equal with Ali Daei as the Worlds Top international striker, Ronaldo needed just one goal to hold the record on his own. The chance to achieve that came quite early in the match against the Republic of Ireland in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 European qualifiers.

Portugal was awarded a penalty and after a long-drawn discussion and VAR which seriously took a long time, Ronaldo took the penalty but Ireland’s young keeper Gavin Bazunu saved.

But despite a lackluster performance by the 36 years old, the ending was a thriller. In the 89th Minute, Ronaldo scored the equalizer for Portugal and in the dying seconds of the match, he scored the winner in injury time,  both goals coming from headers.

In midst of his excitement, the Manchester United forward took off his jersey in celebration and was given a yellow card.

Later, Cristiano Ronaldo has extended a heartfelt apology to his Portugal teammates despite guiding them to a thrilling 2-1 comeback win over the Republic of Ireland. Ronaldo missed a penalty in the opening exchanges of the game but made up for it with his late brace that sealed the win for Portugal.

 After achieving this record, he thanked Ali Daei on his personal page on Instagram, with the following message:

Beiranvand signs for the Portuguese side Boavista

Boavista is about to reinforce its goalkeeping with the signing of the Iranian international goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand in a deal that involves a loan with a purchase option, according to Maisfutebol .

The 28-year-old player, Iran’s regular first-team player, left Antwerp’s camp this Wednesday to travel to Portugal until the end of the week.

Beiranvand was the goalkeeper who defended Iran’s colors at the 2018 World Cup and who saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo, in the match between Iran and Portugal in the group stage of the competition, in Russia.

Last season, Beiranvand played 12 games for Antwerp, in his first season with the Belgian club.

In his native country, Alireza Beiranvand represented Naft Tehran from 2011 to 2016, having then moved to Persepolis, from 2016 to 2020, in a club where she played with Mehdi Taremi, current FC Porto forward. He has 44 games for the national team.

The player’s manager shared a photo this evening on social media with the signing of a contract with Boavista.

Daei is still at the top with Cristiano Ronaldo.

With Portugal’s exit from the Euro 2020 after the defeat against Belgium, Daei has maintained his record with Cristiano Ronaldo unable to better his 109 tally.

No doubt that the Portuguese superstar, still in top shape despite his 36 years, will have plenty of chances to break the record, however, for the next few months “The Shariyar” is still there at the top.

Ali Daei has been the talk of the town in the last few months as the media around the globe has once again been awakened by the fact that Ronaldo is approaching his record of international goals.

The two players exchanged complimentary messages on social media on the occasion of Ronaldo reaching 109 goals showing respect to each other.

1️⃣0️⃣9️⃣ GOALS  Cristiano Ronaldo equals legendary 🇮🇷 Iranian striker Ali Daei’s record for the most international goals in men’s professional…”

 

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Cristiano Ronaldo responds to Daei

Following Ali Daei’s congratulation message to Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portugues scored and equaled Daei’s all-time record for the highest number of International Goal, the Portuguese superstar responded in kind.

Ronaldo posted on his personal page tp thanked Daei with these words”

 

The two players Daei and Ronaldo faced each other once during the FIFA World Cup 2006 group match in Frankfurt, Germany. The match ended 2-0 to Portugal.

Cristiano Ronaldo ‘Level with Ali Daei as highest international goalscorer’ –

The Portuguese superstar became the all-time highest goalscorer in Euros when he scored against Hungary on Tuesday…

Cristiano Ronaldo did the star turn for Portugal in their final Euro 2020 Group F game against France, scoring two penalties in a 2-2 draw. Not only did his goals see Portugal head into the Round of 16 but also saw him achieve yet another goalscoring feat.

Ronaldo has become the joint-top scoring men’s international player of all time, with his two goals taking his tally to 109 goals in 176 matches for the national team, putting him at the top of the list of goalscorers on the international stage, level only with Iran’s Ali Daei.

The superstar is in line to create a few more records during the course of the tournament. With Portugal expected to go deep into the tournament, the 36-year-old is expected to break them.

Meanwhile, The Iranian legend Ali Daei reacted to this feat by posting a message on his personal page on social media after Cristiano Ronaldo equaled his national goals record. “Congrats @Cristiano” he said in the message. ” You have achieved what you deserved. You are a true symbol of perseverance and professionalism, and were born to show the world that you are the best.”

Previously, Ali Daei was the world’s top scorer with 109 goals in 149 national games, but now Cristiano Ronaldo has reached Ali Daei’s record with two goals against France. According to ISNA, Ali Daei deleted this post from his page a few minutes after its publication for unknown reasons.

Daei welcomes Ronaldo breaking his record.

Tehran (AFP)

Iranian football great Ali Daei is ready for Cristiano Ronaldo to break his all-time international goalscoring record, perhaps during Euro 2020.

The ‘Shariar’ (King in Persian) scored a remarkable 109 goals in 149 appearances for Iran between 1993 and 2006, an achievement many thought would never be matched.

But Ronaldo is fast closing in, moving to 106 international goals from 176 games with his double in Portugal’s 3-0 win over Hungary in Budapest on Tuesday.

Daei has said on several occasions that he would be “delighted” if Ronaldo broke his record, as he believes the Juventus striker ranks among the best three players in history, alongside Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona.

“Records are made to be broken,” Daei told Khabar Online news agency in 2018.

“Ronaldo really has the qualities to do it. I have a lot of respect for him. He is such a great player that it isn’t even necessary to sing his praises.”

Ronaldo’s record chase fascinates the Iranian press, with articles about him published every time the 36-year-old edges closer to Daei’s tally.

Daei was prolific against other Asian sides, netting five times in a 7-0 win over Sri Lanka in 1996 and scoring four goals in a game on four other occasions, including in a historic 17-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Guam.

He was not just flat-track bully, though, setting up the winning goal, scored by Mehdi Mahdavikia, in Iran’s famous 2-1 victory over the United States at the 1998 World Cup.

Daei also captained his side at the 2006 World Cup before retiring from international football aged 37.

He was the first Iranian to play in one of Europe’s big leagues, in Germany, first with Arminia Bielefeld and then at Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin.

Having later turned to coaching, he became known for his outspokenness and spats with referees, opposing managers, and club presidents.

– Living legend –

But the 52-year-old Daei remains a living legend in his home country, even boasting 6.7 million followers on Instagram.

He has branched out into different fields, including business, and also has an engineering degree from the prestigious Sharif University in Tehran. Politically, he sometimes disagrees with the ruling government, in power since the Islamic revolution in 1979. A rare figure acting in civil society in Iran, he regularly takes a stand on major social and humanitarian issues.

In 2017, when aid from the authorities was slow to be provided, he launched a campaign to support the people in the western province of Kermanshah after an earthquake that killed more than 600 people. But Daei has always said he would not enter politics.

“My late father told me not to think about politics and never get involved personally,” he told the Varzesh sports website last month.

“I have never supported or will support any candidate in the Iranian presidential election.”

Daei is now a successful businessman — he owns a sportswear company and is also the head of construction projects in northern Tehran.

Maybe that is a field where he can still compete with Ronaldo, who promotes a hotel chain in his name, if the Portuguese takes his on-pitch record.

Ali Daei – The Iran hero Cristiano Ronaldo MUST beat.

Ali Daei set the international goal record on 109 – he was in the World Cup’s ‘most politically charged game’, hit his record-equalling strike twice as a rival was struck by a FIRECRACKER… and downed Chelsea at club level!

  • Ali Daei scored 109 goals in 149 caps in his 13-year career with the Iranian team 
  • Cristiano Ronaldo is closing in on that tally – he has scored 103 for Portugal 

By JACK BEZANTS FOR MAILONLINE 

PUBLISHED: 

It would have been impossible to realize it then but 15 years ago, on June 17, 2006, the paths of two players who have shaped the landscape of international football crossed for the only time.

Cristiano Ronaldo was one of them. That day, he scored his 12th goal for Portugal from the penalty spot in a 2-0 win against Iran as he helped his side seal a place in the last-16 of the World Cup.

The other was Ali Daei, the legendary Iran striker who with 109 goals in 149 matches, holds the record as the highest ever scorer in internationals. It is one of the few that Ronaldo hasn’t broken but with Euro 2020 on the horizon, he heads into the tournament narrowing his sights on that landmark with his tally at 103.

Daei had a 13-year career with Iran that lasted from 1993 until 2006 and he was involved in some incredible stories amid his relentless scoring record
Daei had a 13-year career with Iran that lasted from 1993 until 2006 and he was involved in some incredible stories amid his relentless scoring record

 

 

 

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 12th goal for Portugal against Iran at the 2006 World Cup, a game where striker Ali Daei was an unused substitute.

That day, the 36-year-old Daei was an unused substitute. He would play just one more time for Iran, in the ensuing dead rubber group match against Angola which ended 1-1, without him scoring.

Daei’s career is an intriguing tale. His name is at the summit of a long list of players who thrived on the international scene more so than at club level. Pulling on the colors of ‘Team Melli’ brought the best out of the 6ft 4in striker, who was unsurprisingly strong in the air and had a poacher’s instinct in the box.

It wasn’t straightforward for Daei to make it as a footballer. His father didn’t want him to play the game at all until he graduated school and he trained as a metallurgical engineer. But his mother secretly helped him develop his footballing talent, without his dad knowing.

‘I used to leave home without my football uniform and my mother would smuggle it out for me so that I could play,’ Daei told the New York Times in 1998.

He made his Iran debut in 1993 and across Asia, promptly established himself as the most prolific marksman in the game. In fact, just 13 of his goals came outside of the continent and in the way that Ronaldo cashes in when he plays the Faroe Islands or Andorra, Daei did likewise against teams such as Nepal and Sri Lanka.

But Daei’s story as a player is far more remarkable than just banging them in again in against sub-standard opposition. If anything, it encapsulates the pureness of football because while nobody is debating who the more talented is out of Daei or Ronaldo, his story shows how scoring goals can bring greatness.

He scored 20 goals in a calendar year for Iran in 1996 and with a four-goal haul against Lagos in 2004, became the first man to bring up three figures in international football.

Goal No 84 was perhaps one of the most significant. It was that strike that took him level on the all-time scoring charts with the legendary Hungarian Ferenc Puskas but remarkably, Daei had to score it twice before it could count.

Iran were facing North Korea at Tehran’s Azadi stadium in November 2003 and in the second half, they got a penalty. Daei stepped up, scored, and amid the pandemonium, a fan threw a firecracker onto the pitch that hit a North Korean player in the face.

North Korea walked off and refused to play the game, prompting the referee to abandon the match and award Iran a 3-0 win.

But that meant Daei’s penalty was erased and Puskas stood alone on 84 goals for a little longer. Daei eventually moved level with him for good the following week, again from the penalty spot in a match against Lebanon in Beirut.

Later that November, back in Tehran, Daei scored the only goal of the game against Kuwait to move alone on 85 international goals.

Daei didn’t score in the biggest game he played in for Iran, against the United States in the 1998 World Cup. It was billed ‘the most politically charged match in World Cup history’, and for good reason.

Daei pictured celebrating with Iranian supporters after qualifying for the 1998 World Cup. Around him, fans hold up pictures of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khameini. Iran were drawn against the United States at the tournament, in a game that was billed 'the most politically charged match in World Cup history'

Daei pictured celebrating with Iranian supporters after qualifying for the 1998 World Cup. Around him, fans hold up pictures of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khameini. Iran were drawn against the United States at the tournament, in a game that was billed ‘the most politically charged match in World Cup history’

The day before the game in France, Daei (right) and his team, including coach Jalal Talebi (pictured) were given orders from Khameini not to walk towards the American team

The day before the game in France, Daei (right) and his team, including coach Jalal Talebi (pictured) were given orders from Khameini not to walk towards the American team

Relations between Iran and the US had descended since the 1979 Islamic Revolution which ousted the pro-Western Shah and replaced him with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, who denounced the US as ‘the Great Satan’.

The US had severed diplomatic ties with Iran after the US embassy hostage seize in 1979 and the following year supported Saddam Hussein when Iraq inavaded Iran in what became an eight-year war.

FIFA rules state that Team B in a fixture approach Team A and in this case, Iran were B. But on the day before the game, Khomeini had forbidden Daei and the team to walk towards the Americans, so FIFA negotiated a compromise where the US side walked to Iran.

Fortunately, the hostilities between the countries didn’t transcend onto the pitch. Daei and his teammates were each given a bouquet of white roses to walk out onto the pitch with – a symbol of peace in Iranian culture – and they handed them to the Americans before having a team photo together.

Incredibly, Iran then won the game 2-1 with Daei turning provider for the second and decisive goal, scored by Mehdi Mahdavikia. That victory also dumped the States out of the World Cup.

Iran's players headed out onto to pitch with boquets white roses, a peace offering in Iranian culture, to hand over to their opponents on the United States national side

Iran’s players headed out onto to pitch with bouquets white roses, a peace offering in Iranian culture, to hand over to their opponents on the United States national side

Iran and the US players had a team photo together before the match kicked off - Daei is No 10 and pictured fourth left, in the back row

Iran and the US players had a team photo together before the match kicked off – Daei is No 10 and pictured fourth left, in the back row

Daei didn't score for Iran that day but assisted the second goal as they beat USA 2-1

Daei didn’t score for Iran that day but assisted the second goal as they beat USA 2-1

That same summer, Daei was plying his trade in Europe and had joined Bayern Munich from Arminia Bielefeld, but he struggled to transfer his scoring record with Iran to the German Bundesliga.

He scored just six times in 32 games during the 1998-99 season but became the first Asian player to play in the Champions League.

Chelsea fans may remember him when, the following season, he joined Hertha Berlin and scored twice in a Champions League clash against a Blues side containing the likes of Marcel Deasilly, Gianfranco Zola, and the now France manager, Didier Deschamps.

He retired in 2007 when, back in Iran, he scored in the final to help his team Sapia win the Persian Gulf Cup.

Since then, he has had coaching which has delivered varying degrees of success, including a spell at the helm of the Iranian national side.

Daei struggled to replicate his scoring record when he played for Bayern Munich but he became the first Asian player to play in the Champions League

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Daei struggled to replicate his scoring record when he played for Bayern Munich but he became the first Asian player to play in the Champions League

And when he joined Hertha Berlin in 1999, he showed his scoring prowess against Chelsea

 

And when he joined Hertha Berlin in 1999, he showed his scoring prowess against Chelsea

Daei scored twice as Hertha defeated Chelsea 2-1 in a Champions League encounter

Daei scored twice as Hertha defeated Chelsea 2-1 in a Champions League encounter

Daei is, however, fully prepared for Ronaldo to break his scoring tally as Portugal’s head into this summer’s tournament as defending champions.

Speaking to Tuttomercato in Italy back in November, he said: ‘I sincerely hope that Cristiano Ronaldo will reach my goal record for the national team.

‘In no way [would I be hurt], it would be a real honor for me if a player of his class could do it.

‘Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players not only of his time but of all time. He is an absolute phenomenon. I would congratulate him directly. But first, he has to get there.’

Daei sends an inspirational message to Taremi

Following Team Melli’s central striker Mehdi Taremi, dazzling run of goals for his club Porto, with the icing on the cake being the goal he scored against Juventus last night, the Iranian Legend Ali Daei sent Taremi an inspirational message.

Ali Daei wrote to Mehdi Taremi: “I am glad that you are becoming more complete every day. I have no doubt that by continuing this process, you will reach the highest of standards.”

Daei scores against Chelsea in 1999/2000 Champions League game at Stamford Bridge.

 

Daei is one of the Iranian players who has played for Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin of Germany and has also scored in the Champions League. He is the Worlds top international goal scorer, followed very closely by the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, whom Taremi helped to defeat last night.

 

Mehdi Taremi’s goal stuns Juventus in Champions League.

A terrific start for Team Melli’s striker, Mehdi Taremi, and an early second-half goal by Moussa Marega propelled Porto to their first victory against Juventus in the Champions League as they secured a 2-1 first-leg win against the Italian champions in their round-of-16 tie on Wednesday.

Taremi pounced on a sloppy back pass after 63 seconds to fire in the opener that left Juventus, which had a fully fit Cristiano Ronaldo in the lineup, rattled and they failed to create any clear chances before half-time.

This was the fourth consecutive goal by Taremi in as many games for his club Porto in what was described as a dream run for the Iranian striker by the match commentator. Taremi, considered by many as a bargain purchase from Rio Ave by Porto, was initially left out of the starting lineup by coach  Sérgio Conceição, however, a last-minute change of match plan meant that Porto would start to play a 4-4-2 with two strikers upfront, a plan which worked to perfection as both the strikers scored early in each half.

Taremi’s brilliant scoring run, a first for Iranian professional footballer in Europe, started with a goal against Sporting Braga in two home and away consecutive cup matches, Boavista in the league and Juventus in the European Champions League.

Mehdi Taremi (28 years) has scored 9 goals for Porto this season scoring an average of a goal in every 121 minutes.

Sardar Azmoun, Taremi’s partner in Team Melli who is also enjoying a brilliant season with the Russian club Zenit St. Petersburg has scored 11 goals for his club this season averaging a goal in every 92 minutes.

Team Melli’s third striker Karim Ansarifard who plays in the Greek League with AEK Athens, has scored 8 goals in the season averaging one goal in 155 minutes of play.