Top 10 Persian Footballers of All Time

Providing a comprehensive list of the top 10 Persian football players of all time is no easy task since there are numerous top-tier players competing in a variety of different leagues over the years. Also, what defines the best players?

We’ll take an in-depth look at which players have contributed to Team Melli’s (Iranian national football team) success, as well as on a domestic level with their respective clubs. The list won’t just consist of the most successful players within the top leagues, but players who have boosted the profile of Persian football during their careers. Being considered the best should be assessed on more than just trophies, but a player's talent, individual skills, and consistency all constitute success.

While Iran hasn’t had the depth of talent countries like Germany or Brazil have seen, there have still been some great players. As the sport of football continues to expand its reach across the globe, we’ll likely see more talent emerging - the likes of Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who is currently playing in the English Premier League.

10. Hasan Roshan

Roshan has had a relatively short international career compared to a lot of the players that will be listed in this article. He first showed up in the Taj Tehran team at the ripe age of 17, Roshan quickly established himself as one of the most important players in the Iranian league.

He won a league title and the Hazfi Cup between the years of 1975-1977. But his greatest successes came with Team Melli, winning the Asian Games in 1974 and Asian Cup two years later. He helped to take Team Melli to the World Cup in 1978 as well.

9. Javad Nekounam

Nekounam has 151 caps and 39 goals and has been an excellent midfielder for Team Melli. There aren’t many players who have been more instrumental in getting the team to the latter stages of the competitions and qualification campaigns.

All in all, he featured in two of Team Melli’s group games at the 2006 World Cup, as well as helping Iran to success at the AFC-OFC Challenge Cup in 2003, the 2002 Asian Games and 2004 West Asian Football Federation Championship.
He spent the majority of his domestic career in Spain. He played over 150 games for Osasuna, which he has considered returning to Spain to coach, over a 6-year period. He moved back to Iran in 2012, where he impressed and continued to build a name for himself.

8. Ashkan Dejahgah

The current captain of Team Melli and playing as a midfielder. The 34-year old has had a great career and is a powerhouse in the centre of the park, acting as the engine room for the national side on numerous occasions.

Although he was born in Tehran, Dejagah was raised in Berlin and a regular German youth international in his teens, before joining the Iranian national team in his twenties. Not just putting in the legwork in midfield, Dejagah is a great provider and scorer of goals.

He spent some of his best years playing for the german outfit Wolfsburg, but he also made it across the channel to London playing for Fulham.

7. Sardar Azmoun

Iran’s “Golden Boy” one of the top strikers to play for Iran. His goal scoring skills have made him one of the most reliable Iranian strikers in recent history. Azmoun moved to Russia in 2013 and has spent over 7 years playing for a variety of clubs, currently playing at Zenit.

He bagged himself two goals for Team Melli at the Asian Cup Australia back in 2015. He’s still relatively young and if he continues to play as he has, then he will cement himself even higher in any future top-10 list. While he doesn’t have the accolades of his peers, he is a pure-talent and could do great things in the future.

6. Karim Bagheri

It was legendary British football manager Alan Curbishley who first brought Karin Bagheri to the UK and Charlton Athletic. Though, sadly, he only managed 15 minutes playing time during the entirety of his time at Craven Cottage.

Although this doesn’t give much backing to his success, he was a great goalscorer and a formidable midfielder. He had a mean strike on him and was a composed footballer. In fact, he managed to find the net seven times in a single match against Australia in the build-up to the 1998 France World Cup.

5. Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh

A very popular player, mainly for his performances during the 1998 World Cup, when Team Melli was unsuccessful at progressing past the group stage, Abedzadeh’s goalkeeping was phenomenal. A flamboyant goalkeeper and won which caught the attention of Iran’s footballing community.

He helped the national side to two Asian Games and won six Persian league titles, the Asian Club Championship and the Hazfi Cup over the course of his domestic career with a variety of Persian league clubs.

4. Ali Parvin

The Iranian attacking midfielder is probably the most famous figure in Persian football history. A key member of the Iran side that first qualified for the World Cup back in 1978.

One of the main reasons Parvin is so famous is that he played for Persepolis, the top Iranian football team, before managing them for a further 17 years. He achieved four Iranian Football League titles and three Hazfi Cups as a coach.

Moreover, Ali Parvin won more silverware with Team Melli as a player, lifting three major titles in the space of just four years. He drove the team to success at the 1974 Asian Games. A true influence on Iranian football.

 3. Mehdi Mahdavikia

Mehdi Mahdavikia made a name for himself at the 1998 World Cup, when he put on some excellent performances. It wasn’t enough to save Iran, as they exited the competition before it really got going.

Another great feat for right-winger come full-back was when he scored the famous winning goal over the USA at the 1998 World Cup. He was well known in Germany for his defensive work at Hamburger SV, being named Player of the Year twice. Like many of our players, he won the Asian Young Footballer of the Year in 1997.

2. Ali Daei

Arguably the most clinical striker in the country’s history, with a record at international level that cannot be ignored. He overtook the great Ferenc Puskas in 2003 and was the first player to achieve a three figure goal total.

His total appearances amount to 149 and unsurprisingly makes him the most-capped Iranian player of all time. He made the squad for the 1998 and 2006 World Cups, but was unable to bag himself a goal.

Similarly to our first-placed Persian player Ali Karimi, Daei went to Bayern Munich, but was unable to make the impact he had hoped - although he did bag himself a domestic double.

1. Ali Karimi

Dubbed the Asian Maradona, Karimi was one of the most skillful players ever to put on the white kit of Iran. He tallied up 127 caps over the course of his career and is the third-highest appearance maker in the country’s history.

A player with great skill and always put on a show for fans. He was a key part of the 2006 squad that made the World Cup in Germany. He even came out of retirement for the Brazil World Cup, having been requested by the infamous manager Carlos Quieroz.

He saw great success at a domestic level, playing for German giants Bayern Munich in 2005 and playing a key-role in their success towards the end of the season. He won the double with the domestic cup and league in his first season. Another great achievement for Karimi was named the Asian Footballer of the Year in 2004 and was odds on favourite with top sportsbooks to win it again at the ripe age of 34 in 2012, but narrowly missed out.