Ali Daei Might Be The Soccer Legend You Haven’t Heard Of

Soccer is undoubtedly the biggest sport in the world and with that comes famous soccer players (retired and currently playing) who we adore. The yearly soccer calendar also boasts a range of tournaments such as the premier league and of course, the biggest event is the FIFA Soccer World Cup. Soccer stars achieve many things, like being the top international goal scorer which is probably a career highlight every soccer player would love, especially if they are playing in a striker position as Ali Daei did. Let’s take a look at the life and times of Iranian Ali Daei and his legendary status in the soccer world.

Early career

Before Ali was playing for Bayern Munich, he obtained a BSc degree from the Sharif University of Technology. Ali didn’t start his soccer career until he was 19 years old when he joined his hometown club of Esteghlal. In his early years, Ali then went on to play for Taxirani FC in Tehran before he joined Bank Tejarat where he stayed for 4 years and scored 49 goals in 79 games. In 1994, Ali made his way to a new club Persepolis where he shone and scored 23 goals in only 38 games. Ali was sure of making his name known. After two years with Persepolis, Ali joined Al Sadd for the 1966-1997 season until he made his way to Europe to join Bundesliga side, Arminia Bielefeld.

In 1998 Ali joined current Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich. What was notable is that Ali became the first Asian to play in the UEFA Champions League match and he later went on to score two goals in the Champions League - one was against Chelsea. He also scored one goal each against AC Milan and San Siro. At the time, Ali was playing for Hertha BSC, but he felt as though he was not receiving the recognition he deserved despite being one of the better players on the team. This was largely the reason behind his departure from Bayern as well. But this would not stop the legend.

The move back to Asia

Ali knew that he needed to get back to his roots and those roots were firmly set in Asia. Despite playing match after match for Hertha against the best in soccer, Ali was still not getting a stable line-up at the club, and he ultimately made the decision to join the UAE League at 34 years old and signed with Al-Shabab. But this proved to be short-lived, and Ali once again found himself at Persepolis in 2003. With a quick move to Saba Battery where he stayed from 2004 to 2006 then to Saipa in 2006, Ali eventually hung up his soccer boots. But this would not be the last time he featured in soccer.

International stage

Despite playing mostly in Asia, Ali’s international career highlights include:

• 1994 FIFA World Cup Qualifications
• 2006 FIFA World Cup

Ali the Manager

Straight off his playing career, Ali dived right into managing. Although Ali played more than he managed, he proved successful as a manager. Here is his time as a manager: 

• Saipa, 2006 - 2008: Ali was just taking over from the former manager, and he struck gold as the team would go on to win the Gulf Cup under his leadership.
• Iran, 2008 - 2009: It’s a massive honor to manage your country’s soccer team and Ali was surprised to be appointed as manager. Unfortunately, Ali’s time with the national side was also not a wonderful time for the team.
• Persepolis, 2009 - 2011: Under his leadership, the team came 4th overall in the league but proved victorious as the Hazfi Cup champions in 2009. Ali was also determined to highlight as many young players as possible and during his tenure with the club, he did just that.

Ali was a skillful player and a great manager. He was the top international goal scorer with 109 goals out of 149 caps. This record was broken by none other than Manchester United superstar Christiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo took to social media to express his gratitude for Ali who set the bar and standard so high, saying: “Another reason for me to appreciate this achievement as much as I do right now, is because Ali Daei has set the standards in such a high level, that at some point even I started thinking that I might never catch him.” While Ali no longer plays or even manages soccer clubs, he is still actively involved in the sport with FIFA recently announcing that he would be one of the assistants to reveal the groups for the FIFA Soccer World Cup taking place in Qatar later this year.