Best Players From Iran To Feature In The Premier League

The Premier League in England is one of the best and most lucrative leagues anywhere in the world. It is, therefore, a competition that every footballer dreams of playing in during their careers.

Here is a look at the best players from Iran to feature in the Premier League.

Karim Bagheri

The very first Iranian to play in the Premier League was Karim Bagheri, who did so in 2000 for Charlton Athletic. Things didn’t quite work out for him in London with the Addicks, however, as he struggled to stay fit during his spell under Alan Curbishley.

Bagheri had an incredible goalscoring record with his national team. Despite behind a holding midfielder, he scored 50 goals in 87 appearances for Iran. He once netted seven times in one game in an international against the Maldives.

Although his time in the Premier League was brief, it was enough to inspire the next generation that players from Iran can make it to the league. He returned to Persepolis not long after his Charlton exit, where he featured for the Iranian club another 178 times in what was his second spell there.

Ashkan Dejagah

Former Iran Captain Ashkan Dejagah spent two years in the Premier League with Fulham between 2012 and 2014. He made 43 appearances for the West London club in that time, which was a successful period for club.

The midfielder scored six goals for Fulham in his second season at Craven Cottage. He was named the Fans’ Player of the Year at the end of the campaign; a recognition of how much of a favourite he was with supporters during his time in England.

Dejagah also had success in Germany for Wolsburg in the Bundesliga. He won the league championship with the German side in 2009. Arguably the greatest achievement by any Iranian in history,

The former Fulham man has scored 11 goals for his national team and is still a big part of the set-up at the age of 34.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh

The current star of the Iranian national team who is representing the country in the Premier League is Brighton’s Alireza Jahanbakhsh. He has played 13 times in the league this season for the Seagulls.

Jahanbakhsh and Brighton’s latest fixtures can be seen on the Football Today schedule, which includes all the matches in the Premier League. As noted, his side are in a relegation battle this season, and currently sit just one place above the drop zone.

The 27-year-old attacking midfielder signed for the south coast club in 2018 for a club record transfer fee. He scored 21 goals in the Eredivisie for AZ Alkmaar before that move to Brighton. Although that record has not continued in England, the goals he has scored have been pretty special, including his overhead kick against Chelsea last year. He was awarded the Premier League’s Goal of the Month award for that strike.

There is sure to be many more Iranians in the Premier League in the future. The standard in the country is improving all the time, so it is going to be exciting to see what the latest batch of young players go on to achieve in the sport.