| Ali Daei |
 |
| Personal information |
| Full name |
Ali Daei |
| Date of birth |
March 21, 1969 (1969-03-21) (age 39) |
| Place of birth |
Ardabil, Iran |
| Height |
1.92 m (6 ft 3+1⁄2 in) |
| Playing position |
Centre forward |
| Club information |
| Current club |
Iran (Manager)
|
| Youth clubs |
| 1983–1988 |
Esteghlal Ardabil |
| Senior clubs1 |
| Years |
Club |
App (Gls)* |
1988–1989
1989–1990
1990–1994
1994–1996
1996–1997
1997–1998
1998–1999
1999–2002
2002–2003
2003–2004
2004–2006
2006–2007 |
Esteghlal Ardabil
Taxirani
Bank Tejarat
Persepolis
Al-Sadd
Arminia Bielefeld
Bayern Munich
Hertha Berlin
Al-Shabab
Persepolis
Saba Battery
Saipa |
00? 0(14)
038 0(23)
00? 0(10)
025 00(7)
023 00(6)
059 00(6)
025 0(11)
024 0(16)
051 0(23)
026 0(10) |
| National team |
| 1993–2006 |
Iran |
158 (109) |
| Teams managed |
2006–2008
2008– |
Saipa[1]
Iran |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only.
* Appearances (Goals)
|
Ali Daei, (Persian: علی دایی, pronounced ʔæliː-je dɑːjiː, Azeri Turkish: Ali Dayi, nicknamed Shahriar ʃæhrijɑːr, meaning king), born March 21, 1969 in Ardabil, Iran) is a retired Iranian football player who currently is head coach of the Iran national football team.[2] He is a former captain of the Iran national football team, and is the world's all-time leading goalscorer in international matches. Daei as of June 2007 is also a member of the FIFA Football Committee.[3]
Club career
Early years
Daei graduated from Sharif University of Technology in Materials Engineering (Metallurgical) with a B.Sc. degree. Born in Ardabil, he played for his hometown club, Esteghlal Ardabil, when he was 19. His next club was Taxirani F.C. in Tehran, where he played for one season, before joining another Tehrani club, Bank Tejarat FC. He stayed four years with Bank Tejarat, missing out on a chance to play in the J. League due to military service. Daei's fame is attributed mostly to his renowned goal scoring ability. He managed to score frequently for his clubs, although due to the league schedule at the time he did not play many matches per season. His impressive performance at his club finally got results.
Move to Europe
After playing for a couple of minor league teams, Taxirani and Bank Tejarat, in 1994 Daei joined one of country's premier squads, Persepolis F.C. Following his impressive performance in Asian Cup in 1996 as Arminia Bielefeld joined the Bundesliga, they signed a contract with Daei and his fellow Iranian national team-mate Karim Bagheri. Ali Daei spent one season in Bielefeld and proved to be a successful franchise. He was hand picked for the Bayern Munich club by legendary footballer Franz Beckenbauer, president of the club, who rated him as a world-class centre-forward. He made a famous four million deutschemark move from Arminia Bielefeld to the four-time European Cup winners, which was a record for Asian players at the time. Daei also opened the door for Vahid Hashemian and Ali Karimi who became the second and third Iranians to join the Bavarians (Bayern Munich).
Daei became the first Asian player to feature in a UEFA Champions League match. Yet with Bayern's 15 international players and the Iranian national team's scheduling, Daei had found very little time for playing. In Germany he was known to be a true gentleman, famous for the way he treated the fans. Daei would always sign autographs to Bayern fans and was often the centre of attention, as he was featured in OPEL car commercials. Amazingly, he usually did manage to score when given a chance to play. Still, Ali Daei was unhappy with his position in the club and decided to make a move to Hertha BSC Berlin before the end of his three year contract, when Bayern won the championship title in the 1999 Bundesliga. In 2000 he played in the Champions League with Hertha BSC Berlin, becoming the teams best scorer in the league with 3 goals. His famous match against Chelsea gained him a lot of recognition. Yet even at Hertha he was not the talk of the town, since he was only amongst one of the squad's many successful players, who were to fulfill Hertha's Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League dreams.
Return to Asia
At the same time he was very successful in international competition scoring in practically every game and making new records. Daei was playing in numerous continental friendlies against world class opposition, yet was still unable to maintain a stable position in his club's starting line-up. In the year 2001 he was not among the top scorers in the Asian Qualifying round and he did not manage to take the team into the World Cup as captain for the first time. After receiving offers from Rapid Vienna, Rangers, the J. League and a few English Premiership teams, he decided that he was no longer fit to play world-class football. He joined the UAE league at 34 years of age, signing a contract with Al-Shabab as a free agent. In 2003 Daei quit the UAE team and joined his old team in Tehran, Persepolis F.C. Daei moved from Persepolis to Saba Battery F.C. on a free transfer for a modest contract of around $300,000 dollars.
He spent two years at Saba Battery, scoring 23 goals, winning the Hazfi Cup and participating in the Asian Champions League. After World Cup 2006 and the arrival of Saba Battery's new manager, Farhad Kazemi, it was announced that he was no longer needed on the team and that his contract would not be renewed. Despite rumors of retirement he signed for another industry linked club from Tehran, Saipa F.C., on August 1, 2006.[4]
On March 6, 2007, Ali Daei was fined $2000 and suspended for 4 games by the Iranian Football Federation after the incidents in a league game where he delivered a head-butt to the face of Sheys Rezaei, the young Persepolis defender.[5] In an interview with the Iranian paper, Iran Varzeshi, Daei has criticized this decision and has threatened to take his case to FIFA head-quarters if the decision is upheld by the IFF.[6]
On May 28, 2007 after Saipa won the Persian Gulf Cup (2006-2007) after a match. vs Mes Kerman F.C. Daei announced his retirement from playing club football, he intends to concentrate on his coaching career.[7][8]
International career
Daei was called up to join Team Melli on June 6 ,1993 in an ECO Cup tournament held in Tehran, where he made his debut for Iran against Pakistan. He continued his national team appearances and was named the top scorer of the final Asian round of 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifications with 4 goals in 5 matches.
Daei was named the world's top scorer in official international competitions by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), having scored 20 goals in competitive matches for Iran in 1996, including his famous 4 goal haul against South Korea in Asian Cup 1996. By the end of the 1996 Asian Cup, he had scored 29 goals in 38 appearances for Iran. In the 1998 World Cup qualifying campaign, he was again on top of the charts, scoring 9 goals in 17 matches for Iran, reaching his impressive record of 38 goals in 52 appearances for his country. He is one of the most prolific strikers in the history of football and is now ranked first in most goals in international matches. His experience with world-class football opened the way for other Asian players such as Hidetoshi Nakata and Mehdi Mahdavikia.
Century of international goals
Ali Daei joined the exclusive circle of players with a century of caps. In a November 28, 2003 Asian Cup qualifier in Tehran against Lebanon, he scored his 85th international goal, elevating him past Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskás to top the all-time list of scorers in international matches (among men; he trails women's leader Mia Hamm by almost 50 goals). On November 17, 2004, he scored four goals against Laos in a World Cup qualifier, giving him 102 goals and making him the first male player to score 100 goals in international play. As of June 2006, he has 149 caps for Iran, ranked among the top 10 of world's most capped players.
Criticism and controversy
Daei continued to hold his place in Iran national team by playing for Iran in World Cup 2006 at the age of 37. Despite the numerous criticism from Iranian media calling for his retirement, Ali Daei has always defended his position in Team Melli and has rejected that he was too old to play for the team.[9]
Coaching career
Saipa
On October 8, 2006, upon sudden leave of Saipa's German coach Werner Lorant, he was appointed as the interim coach of Saipa.[10] He was later officially announced as the full-time head coach. On May 28, Saipa became the Persian Gulf Cup champions in Daei's first season at the helm. Going into his second season as manager Daei relinquished his playing duties for the defending champions and found himself on the sidelines full-time. The results of Saipa's 2007-2008 campaign were not nearly as successful as his team finished 11th in the 18 team Iran Pro League table. However Daei did lead Saipa to an Asian Champions League quarterfinal birth before leaving to take over as the full-time manager of the Iranian National Football Team.
Iran
On March 2, 2008 IRIFF officially appointed Ali Daei as Team Melli's new head coach.[11]
Coaching controversy
Despite admitting that his appointment as manager of the Iranian national team was a "surprise",[12] Daei refused to leave his current coaching job at Saipa F.C., therefore taking on dual managerial careers until after Saipa had entered the Asian Champion League quarterfinals. At this point Daei left the Karaj based club for full time duty with the national team.[1]
Honours
Country
- AFC Asian Cup
- Appearances and goals: 1996 (Third Place, 8 goals), 2000 (Quarterfinals, 3 goals) 2004 (Third Place, 3 goals)
Club
Individual
- 1994
- 1996
- 1998
- 1999
- 2000
- Named the world's third top goal scorer in official international competitions by the IFFHS, having scored 20 goals in 2000.[14]
- 2002
- Top goalscorer of the Asian qualifications for 2002 FIFA World Cup by scoring 10 goals in 10 games.
- 2004
- 2005
- 2007
Coaching honours
Career statistics
Famous matches
International Goals
| Date |
Venue |
Opponent |
Result |
Competition |
Goals |
| 1993-06-25 |
Tehran, Iran |
 Chinese Taipei |
6-0 |
1994 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 1993-07-27 |
Damascus, Syria |
Chinese Taipei |
6-0 |
1994 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
2 |
| 1993-10-18 |
Doha, Qatar |
 Japan |
2-1 |
1994 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 1993-10-22 |
Doha, Qatar |
 Iraq |
1-2 |
1994 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 1993-10-25 |
Doha, Qatar |
 Korea DPR |
2-1 |
1994 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
2 |
| 1996-05-30 |
Kuwait City, Kuwait |
 Kuwait |
2-1 |
International Match |
2 |
| 1996-06-10 |
Tehran, Iran |
 Nepal |
8-0 |
1996 AFC Asian Cup Qualification |
4 |
| 1996-06-12 |
Tehran, Iran |
 Sri Lanka |
7-0 |
1996 AFC Asian Cup Qualification |
5 |
| 1996-06-14 |
Tehran, Iran |
 Oman |
2-0 |
1996 AFC Asian Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 1996-06-19 |
Muscat, Oman |
Nepal |
4-0 |
1996 AFC Asian Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 1996-06-21 |
Muscat, Oman |
Oman |
2-1 |
1996 AFC Asian Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 1996-12-05 |
Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
Iraq |
1-2 |
1996 AFC Asian Cup |
1 |
| 1996-12-08 |
Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
 Thailand |
3-1 |
1996 AFC Asian Cup |
1 |
| 1996-12-11 |
Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
 Saudi Arabia |
3-0 |
1996 AFC Asian Cup |
1 |
| 1996-12-16 |
Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
 Korea Republic |
6-2 |
1996 AFC Asian Cup |
4 |
| 1996-12-16 |
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
Kuwait |
(4)1-1(3) |
1996 AFC Asian Cup |
1 |
| 1997-06-02 |
Damascus, Syria |
 Maldives |
17-0 |
1998 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
2 |
| 1997-06-04 |
Damascus, Syria |
 Kyrgyzstan |
7-0 |
1998 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 1997-06-04 |
Damascus, Syria |
 Syria |
1-0 |
1998 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 1997-06-04 |
Tehran, Iran |
Maldives |
9-0 |
1998 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
2 |
| 1997-10-03 |
Tehran, Iran |
 Qatar |
3-0 |
1998 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 1997-10-17 |
Tehran, Iran |
 China PR |
4-1 |
1998 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 1997-11-16 |
Johor Bahru, Malaysia |
Japan |
2-3 |
1998 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 1998-12-05 |
Sisaket, Thailand |
 Laos |
6-1 |
1998 Asian Games |
2 |
| 1998-12-08 |
Bangkok, Thailand |
Oman |
2-4 |
1998 Asian Games |
1 |
| 1998-12-10 |
Bangkok, Thailand |
 Tajikistan |
5-0 |
1998 Asian Games |
2 |
| 1998-12-12 |
Bangkok, Thailand |
China PR |
2-1 |
1998 Asian Games |
1 |
| 1998-12-14 |
Bangkok, Thailand |
 Uzbekistan |
4-0 |
1998 Asian Games |
3 |
| 1999-06-04 |
Edmonton, Canada |
 Canada |
1-0 |
Canada Cup |
1 |
| 1999-09-08 |
Yokohama, Japan |
Japan |
1-1 |
International Match |
1 |
| 2000-01-09 |
Oakland, United States |
 Mexico |
1-2 |
International Match |
1 |
| 2000-01-12 |
Los Angeles, United States |
 Ecuador |
2-1 |
International Match |
1 |
| 2000-03-31 |
Damascus, Syria |
Maldives |
8-0 |
2000 AFC Asian Cup Qualification |
3 |
| 2000-04-02 |
Damascus, Syria |
Syria |
1-0 |
2000 AFC Asian Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 2000-04-09 |
Tehran, Iran |
 Bahrain |
3-0 |
2000 AFC Asian Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 2000-04-13 |
Tehran, Iran |
Maldives |
3-0 |
2000 AFC Asian Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 2000-06-07 |
Tehran, Iran |
 Egypt |
(7)1-1(8) |
LG Cup |
1 |
| 2000-06-09 |
Tehran, Iran |
 FYR Macedonia |
3-1 |
LG Cup |
1 |
| 2000-06-09 |
Doha, Qatar |
Qatar |
2-1 |
International Match |
2 |
| 2000-10-12 |
Beirut, Lebanon |
 Lebanon |
4-0 |
2000 AFC Asian Cup |
1 |
| 2000-10-15 |
Beirut, Lebanon |
Thailand |
1-1 |
2000 AFC Asian Cup |
1 |
| 2000-10-18 |
Sidon, Lebanon |
Iraq |
1-0 |
2000 AFC Asian Cup |
1 |
| 2000-11-24 |
Tabriz, Iran |
 Guam |
19-0 |
2002 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
4 |
| 2000-11-28 |
Tabriz, Iran |
Tajikistan |
2-0 |
2002 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 2001-01-19 |
Tehran, Iran |
China PR |
4-0 |
Ancient Civil. Cup |
1 |
| 2001-08-08 |
Tehran, Iran |
Oman |
4-0 |
LG Cup |
1 |
| 2001-08-10 |
Tehran, Iran |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
5-2 |
LG Cup |
2 |
| 2001-08-24 |
Tehran, Iran |
Saudi Arabia |
2-0 |
2002 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
2 |
| 2001-09-07 |
Baghdad, Iraq |
Iraq |
2-1 |
2002 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 2001-09-28 |
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |
Saudi Arabia |
2-2 |
2002 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 2001-10-21 |
Manama, Bahrain |
Bahrain |
1-3 |
2002 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 2001-10-31 |
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
 United Arab Emirates |
3-0 |
2002 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 2002-08-21 |
Kiev, Ukraine |
 Ukraine |
1-0 |
International Match |
1 |
| 2002-09-19 |
Tabriz, Iran |
 Paraguay |
(4)1-1(3) |
LG Cup |
1 |
| 2003-09-05 |
Tehran, Iran |
 Jordan |
4-1 |
2004 AFC Asian Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 2003-11-19 |
Beirut, Lebanon |
Lebanon |
3-0 |
2004 AFC Asian Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 2003-11-28 |
Tehran, Iran |
Lebanon |
1-0 |
2004 AFC Asian Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 2003-12-02 |
Kuwait City, Kuwait |
Kuwait |
1-3 |
International Match |
1 |
| 2004-02-18 |
Tehran, Iran |
Qatar |
3-1 |
2006 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 2004-03-31 |
Vientiane, Laos |
Laos |
7-0 |
2006 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
2 |
| 2004-06-17 |
Tehran, Iran |
Lebanon |
4-0 |
WAAF Tournament |
3 |
| 2004-06-21 |
Tehran, Iran |
Syria |
7-1 |
WAAF Tournament |
1 |
| 2004-06-25 |
Tehran, Iran |
Syria |
4-1 |
WAAF Tournament |
1 |
| 2004-07-20 |
Chongqing, China |
Thailand |
3-0 |
2004 AFC Asian Cup |
1 |
| 2004-08-06 |
Beijing, China |
Bahrain |
4-2 |
2004 AFC Asian Cup |
2 |
| 2004-09-08 |
Amman, Jordan |
Jordan |
2-0 |
2006 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
1 |
| 2004-11-17 |
Tehran, Iran |
Laos |
7-0 |
2006 FIFA World Cup Qualification |
4 |
| 2004-12-18 |
Tehran, Iran |
 Panama |
1-0 |
International Match |
1 |
| 2005-02-02 |
Tehran, Iran |
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
2-1 |
International Match |
1 |
| 2005-08-17 |
|
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