Could Portugal become the latest hotbed of Iranian talent?

It’s fair to say that the finest Iranian footballers are no strangers to showcasing their talents on Europe’s big stage.

The legendary Ali Daei, once upon the time the leading international goal scorer in history, was a prolific campaigner in Germany, appearing for Bayern Munich – where he won the Bundesliga title and played in a Champions League final – alongside Hertha Berlin and Arminia Bielefeld.

Ali Karimi also won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal with Bayern in 2005/06, while Mehdi Mahdavikia won the Intertoto Cup and German Cup with Hamburg – getting inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2012.

With Javad Nekounam becoming the first Iranian to play in Spanish football and Ali Jahanbakhsh doing likewise in England, the best of Persia has thrived on the European continent.

It seems as though Portugal has replaced Germany as the current destination of choice for the top Iranian players, with five national team stars all currently plying their club trade in the Mediterranean country.

Mehdi Taremi

Even though he is yet to reach Ali Daei levels of stardom in Iran, Mehdi Taremi is fast becoming the most famous Iranian footballer on the planet.

Not only is he turning out for a European powerhouse in FC Porto, but he’s also doing rather well – twice being named in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year and crowned the top scorer in the competition during the 2019/20 campaign.

After spells at Persepolis and Qatari outfit Al-Gharafa, Taremi made his first sojourn to Portugal to play for Rio Ave, where he would score 18 goals in a highly impressive first season.

Porto sat up and took notice, clinching his signature in the summer of 2020, and his achievements since include scoring against Juventus and Chelsea in the Champions League – the latter clinching UEFA’s Goal of the Season award.

Having only just turned 29, you suspect that there’s plenty more to come from Taremi in Portugal.

Alireza Beiranvand

Even at the age of 28, Alireza Beiranvand has crammed plenty into his career.

He has the claim to fame of once saving a World Cup penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo, and in 2017 he was the first Iranian to be nominated in the FIFA Football Awards.

Having been a quality performer for Iran’s heavyweight Persepolis for a number of seasons, Beiranvand was rewarded for his consistency with a big-money move to Europe – first taking up residence with Belgian side Royal Antwerp, who he joined on a three-year deal in July 2020.

He made 10 appearances in the Jupiler Pro League for his new employer, before it was decided in July this year that Beiranvand would make the switch to Portuguese outfit Boavista.

Initially, that’s a one-year loan deal, though there is an option for the Primeira Liga outfit to make the deal permanent for a mere €1m. So who knows, perhaps Beiranvand will be the latest Iranian to make the move to Portugal full-time?

Payam Niazmand and Jafar Salmani

There’s not one but two Iranian stars at Portimonense, the tiny club in Portimão who continue to exceed their own expectations among the elite. This port city in the Algarve is best known for being a hotspot for international tourists, with fishing trips, sailing, beach worshipping, and entertainment activities such as casino games all on the menu.

However, it is also developing a fine footballing reputation, and it was perhaps fitting that Payam Niazmand – one of the most highly rated goalkeepers in Iran for quite some time – would join the club.

You might remember Niazmand from when he broke the domestic record for the most consecutive minutes – 895 to be precise – without conceding a goal. Even so, it wasn’t until October 2020 that he made his national team debut, and this recognition would ultimately earn him the move to Portimonense in July 2021. He is working hard in training to break into the first team there.

When Jafar Salmani made his first appearance for Sanat Naft Abadan, it would have been an exciting time for the versatile full-back or winger. Little did he know that his head coach that day, Paulo Sérgio, would become an admirer who would eventually take him to Portugal.

The duo would enjoy success at Sanat Naft, and this would eventually see Salmani called up for the senior national team to make his debut against Syria.

Sérgio was named head coach of Portimonense in February 2020, and by December of the same year, he announced the signing of Salmani on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

Ali Alipour

Fans of domestic Iranian football will remember where they were when Ali Alipour announced himself to the world.

He became the youngest player to score in the Tehran derby back in May 2015, notching the winner for Persepolis against Esteghlal that day. If that wasn’t enough, he would repeat the feat the next time the two sides met – becoming the only man in history to notch two winning goals in the crunch clash.

Having scored goals for fun for Persepolis thereafter, it wasn’t a huge surprise when scouts from European clubs started to circle, and it was Portuguese side Marítimo who were able to pounce for Alipour first.

Making 26 appearances for the Madeiran outfit in 2020/21, the 25-year-old is already up and running this term having scored in the 2-1 win over Belenenses on August 16, where he would also pick up the Man of the Match award. Big things are expected this season from the forward.

He was joined at Marítimo last season by Amir Abedzadeh, the Iranian goalkeeper who himself followed in the footsteps of his fellow countryman and shot-stopper Alireza Haghighi.

Abedzadeh, who once had a trial at Arsenal and who played in Tottenham’s youth academy, turned out more than 50 times for Marítimo, and has been crowned as the Best Goalkeeper of the Month in the Primeira Liga on many occasions.

However, in the summer of 2021, he decided to try his luck elsewhere and joined Spanish Segunda División outfit Ponferradina.

Even so, there are still a number of Iranians strutting their stuff in Portugal, and that exposure to a higher level of football can only be good news for the national team.