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Goalkeepers
1-Ebrahim Mirzapour (Foolad Khuzistan) Date of Birth: 16.9.78. Caps: 62 Goals: 0
Since his debut against Bosnia in 2001, E. Mirzapour has become the main goalkeeper for the Iranian national team. He has leadership qualities and is not afraid to attack the opponent's feet.
12-Hassan Roudbarian (Pas) Date of Birth: 6.7.78. Caps: 2. Goals: 0
Played as the main goalkeeper for "Pas" in 2004 when the team became champions, and finally made his debut in friendly matches for the Iranian national team against the Costa Rican team in March 2006.
22-Vahid Taleblou (Esteghlal) Date of Birth: 26.5.82. Caps: 1. Goals: 0
Debuted in January 2007 in the Asian Cup qualifying match against the Taiwanese team. These are his only matches played for the national team so far.
Defenders
3-Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh (Saba Battery) Date of Birth: 11.9.72. Caps: 33. Goals: 2
S. Bakhtiarizadeh used to play in Turkey at "Erzumspor" club, but has found more success at "Saba Battery" team, where he helped secure qualification to play in this season's "AFC" league. His talent for scoring goals helped him return to the national team. He made his debut in 1997 in a match against the Qatari national team.
19-Amir Hossein Sadeghi (Esteghlal) Date of Birth: 6.9.81. Caps: 1. Goals: 0
H. Sadeghi made his debut for the Iranian national team in 2005 in a match against Bosnia. A good performance at "Esteghlal" club gave him the opportunity to play in the World Cup. It is worth mentioning that he scored several goals from set pieces while playing for the club.
4-Yahya GolMohammadi (Saba Battery) Date of Birth: 19.3.71. Caps: 76. Goals: 4
One of the older players in the national team. Y. GolMohammadi plays as a central defender, has a lot of experience, and a level head when tensions rise in the team. Regularly called up to the national team since April 1997.
13-Hosein Kaebi (Foolad Khuzistan) Date of Birth: 23.9.85. Caps: 47. Goals: 2
H. Kaebi is one of the excellent discoveries of Iranian football in Khuzistan. At the moment, he is only twenty, and he debuted in the national team at the age of sixteen. He is expected to be a key player in the future. His biggest flaw is often receiving yellow and red cards.
20-Mohammad Nosrati (Pas) Date of Birth: 11.1.82. Caps: 42. Goals: 3
M. Nosrati is one of the new generation players who debuted for the national team in 2002 in a match against the Jordanian team and has since cemented his place in the starting lineup. He won a gold medal at the 2002 Asia Games.
5-Rahman Razaei (Messina, Italy) Date of Birth: 20.2.75. Caps: 41. Goals: 2
Former "Esfahan" defender who initially moved to the Italian "Perugia" later joined the "Messina" team. R. Razaei made his national team debut in 2001 in a match against Bosnia and is often involved in attacking during corners or free kicks.
18-Sattar Zare (Bargh Shiraz) Date of Birth: 27.1.82. Caps: 19. Goals: 0
Played his first match for "Team Melli" (the nickname of the Iranian national team) in 2004 against the Thai team. S. Zare is a good defender who likes to attack.
Midfielders
23-Masoud Shojaei (Saipa) Date of Birth: 9.6.84. Caps: 1 Goals: 0
A young attacking midfielder who impressed while playing for the U-23 team. Initially, it seemed like he was not needed in the starting lineup for the Iranian national team World Cup, but he scored a goal in a friendly match against the Swiss team this month and is showing better performance.
17-Javad Kazemian (Perspolis) Date of Birth: 23.4.81. Caps: 28 Goals: 1
J. Kazemian's most memorable moment was when he scored the winning goal against Japan in the 2002 Asia Games final in South Korea. He was previously a member of the Olympic team and is one of the key figures of the senior Iranian national team.
2-Mehdi Mahdavikia (Hamburg SV, Germany) Date of Birth: 24.7.77. Caps: 89 Goals: 12
One of the most famous players in the national team. M. Mahdavikia rose to fame after scoring a memorable goal against the United States in the 1998 World Cup in France and helped the team win 2-1. In 2003, he was named Asian Player of the Year.
6-Javad Nekounam (Pas) Date of Birth: 7.9.80. Caps: 72 Goals: 12
One of the best and most popular Iranian players. J. Nekounam was one of the 10 nominees for the Asian Football Confederation Player of the Year. His ability to play both attacking and defending midfielder positions gave him the opportunity to play for the national team.
7-Ferydoon Zandi (FC Kaiserslautern, Germany) Date of Birth: 26.4.79. Caps: 9 Goals: 1
F. Zandi captivated Iranian national team fans when he decided to represent "Team Melli" instead of his native Germany. He played his first match for the national team in 2005. His mother is German, and his father is Iranian.
21-Mehrzad Madanchi (Perspolis) Date of Birth: 19.10.81. Caps: 5 Goals: 2
M. Madanchi participated in the 2004 Olympic Games in Greece. He made his national team debut in August 2003 in a match against the local team in Minsk.
14-Andranik Taymoorian (Abo Moslem) Date of Birth: 6.3.83. Caps: 5 Goals: 1
Played for the Iranian U-23 team in the Islamic Solidarity Games, where they finished third. He made his national team debut last August in a match against the Libyan team.
Forwards
11-Rasoul Khatibi (Sepahan) Date of Birth: 22.9.78. Caps: 14 Goals: 0
Since his debut in 1999, he was not always called up to the national team. R. Khatibi often scored goals for the club last season, earning him a place in this year's national team for the World Cup.
15-Arash Borhani (Pas) Date of Birth: 14.9.83. Caps: 21 Goals: 7
Regarded as the heir to Ali Daei, A. Borhani first rose to prominence during the Olympic qualification campaign. He made his national team debut in August 2003 in a match against the Iraqi team and represented the country in the 2004 Asian Cup.
10-Ali Daei (Saba Battery) Date of Birth: 21.3.69. Caps: 145 Goals: 109
A. Daei became the first player this year to score more than 100 goals for the national team. Not even the legendary Brazilian player Pele achieved this feat. The captain of the Iranian national team is a hero in his country, but the World Cup in Germany is likely to be his last. He has represented the national team for more than 12 years. He played his first match against Pakistan in 1993.
9-Vahid Hashemian (Hanover 96, Germany) Date of Birth: 21.7.76. Caps: 26 Goals: 10
V. Hashemian was quickly recognized as the "bad boy". He first criticized the team because he received little playing time, but later, after resolving all disputes, he got the opportunity to demonstrate his skills.
8-Ali Karimi (Bayern Munich, Germany) Date of Birth: 8.11.78. Caps: 89 Goals: 32
A. Karimi was named the best Asian player in 2004. That same year, during the Asian Cup, he became the top scorer, scoring five goals. Much is expected from him in this World Cup.
16-Gholam Reza Eneyati (Esteghal) Date of Birth: 23.9.76. Caps: 16 Goals: 4
A good support for the main forwards. He represented the national team in the 2004 Asian Cup in China, where they finished in third place. The footballer scored the most goals in the 2004-2005 season in Iran's "Pro" league.
