Rarely has Iran’s football witnessed the emergence of a young player , who is not only talented but has a huge potential to become a star,  as has young Alireza Jahanbakhsh.

You need to cast your mind way back to the late seventies and to a name like Hassan Rowshan to find a player in similar class and situation. Jahanbakhsh is an exciting player , full of energy , bold enough to do whatever he wants, being trying an impossible shoot to dribbling round defenders while other players would opt for a safer options.  Perhaps it is this courage that Carlos Queiroz has been talking about in his ideal players.

From the corridors of a tiny club in Gilan, to the bright light of the Eredivisie , the dutch league that has produced numerous World Class players, a transformation which is far easy.  The Netherlands , not only has its own young and talented players and clubs like Ajax that prides itself in producing quality players who have played in the best European leagues, the Netherlands is also the land of opportunities for the third world countries,   where lessor known African and Latin American players have made their name and then enlightened the other European leagues. Netherlands have been the first stepping stone for many foreign talents some as young as 14 or 15.

But , then comes the boy from a Rasht club who is defying the tradition and culture of Eredivisie. He is Iranian , and by God he is talented young man. The best and most seasoned players from Asian countries had problems settling and playing in Europe, but not this man. Alireza Jahanbakhsh , had to tackle several difficulties , like the language ( he is learning two languages at the same time Dutch and English) , a different culture and environment and of course the pressure of an intensive league in the Eredivisie. With all odds stacked against him , the young Persian prince did not disappoint . He has already showed glimpses of his superb talents , he scored, he assisted and he was one determined player who gave his best in every match he played. He is a man on a mission. It is such a pity that his efforts with NEC was not good enough to maintain the team in the top flight , but Jahanbakhsh single-single-handedly gave his club a stay of execution when he scored two superb goals against the champions Ajax on the final day of the season, this is after he came from the bench. Unfortunately , Jahanbakhsh goals that took NEC to the relegation play off was not good enough as they were beaten in that series.

Despite his limited experience, many experts think that Jahanbakhsh will be in the plane to Rio De Janeiro in June. Even in his raw form , Jahanbakhsh is one talent that no coach can ignore even at the highest level of football.

 

Now the Dutch haves selected him as the best talented young player in the Eredivisie according to the website http://www.bestevoetballers.nl

The conditions:

The Dutch Eredivisie is a breeding ground for the bigger leagues in Europe. Every season there are a few great talents that are within the ‘lists’ of the big foreign clubs. Who do you think the biggest talent season 2013-2014?
Only players under 20 years old (at the time of starting competition in August so not born August 3, 1993) are eligible for the rankings’ greatest talent 2013-2014. Per club three players. Max You can give each player 1x a seven-day strengths or weaknesses.

 

 

1. Alireza Jahanbakhsh    7.9
2. Terence Kongolo        7.4
3. Memphis Depay          7.2
4. Jean Paul Boëtius      7.1
5. Richairo Zivkovic      6.5
6. Bertrand Traore        5.9
7. Kyle Ebecilio          5.9
8. Elvis Manu             5.8
9. Ryan Thomas            5.3
10. Tonny Vilhena          5.1
11. Luka Dordevic          4.9
12. Ricardo Kishna         4.8
13. Bilal Basacikoglu      4.7

 

 

The website has the following to say about the young Iranian talent.

ABOUT ALIREZA JAHANBAKHSH
Attacking midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh is an Iranian footballer who made his professional debut in the 2010-2011 season. He was playing for Damash Karaj which plays in the third division Iran.

After just one season Jahanbakhsh made his move to SC Damash , ateam playig in the top Iranian league. Here he finally breaks through and plays during the 2011-2012 season, 16 league games. In the 2012-2013 season, he is voted the best player Damash and he comes up with 28 games in which he scored eight goals.

In June 2013, the Iranian signs a contract for three seasons at NEC. Technical director Carlos Aalbers discovered the midfielder during a youth tournament in the Emirates (AFC U19 Championship) , and takes him to the Netherlands. Jahanbakhsh could also opt for a transfer to clubs from Russia (Rubin Kazan) and France. The arrival of the Iranian midfielder is made possible by Marcel Horn Book. The investor pays the transfer of several folds for Jahanbakhsh’s NEC salary.