Ali Daei Archives - Iran News Daily

Ali Daei pays homage to Ronaldo: “No one deserves the record more than he does”

reporter 1222 — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 10:22:39 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – With 109 goals in 149 international matches for Iran, Ali Daei has held an all-time high since 2006. Now it wobbles. In an interview with kicker, the ex-Bundesliga player tells who he will allow him to succeed and what he is doing today in football and as a businessman.

It could be so far as early as March, in the next international match period. In games against football dwarfs like Azerbaijan or Luxembourg, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo has the chance to decisively improve his proud record of 102 goals in 170 games for the national team – so far that Ali Daei’s seemingly eternal record of 109 goals, scored in “only” 149 games between 1993 and 2006 will be wiped out.

“No one deserves my record more than he does,” the Iranian pays homage to his potential successor in advance. “He is without a doubt the best footballer of all time. I am convinced that there is a reward for those who work hard and determined, so it would be a decent reward for him.”

In the kicker interview (next Monday’s edition), the former Bundesliga professional (19 goals in 107 appearances for Arminia Bielefeld, FC Bayern, and Hertha BSC from 1997 to 2002) speaks about his time as the first Iranian player in the first division, which he was in the 1997/98 season together with his compatriots Karim Bagheri and Khodadad Azizi. “I not only played in Germany, I also lived there. And as a young person, I learned every day, curious about what I was like.”

Daei, now 51 years old, also tells of strange stories: rumors about his death after a car accident and the reason why he once did not want to sit next to ex-president Ahmadinejad on a flight. After a few stations as a coach (including as a national coach in Iran), there was last contact to England, where a post may be waiting at Everton, the club of his compatriot and majority owner Farhad Moshiri there. Direct talks about this should take place when the pandemic situation allows again.

Daei, who studied metallurgy, had built up other professional pillars in Iran, for example a company for sportswear. “Then came the international sanctions against our country. Now I am a partner in an insurance company and in the steel industry.”

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Ali Daei hopes Ronaldo breaks his record

reporter 1222 — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 07:49:36 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The Iran legend has sat at the top of a notable chart for several years, but he appears destined to be knocked from the summit by a modern-day great. Ali Daei “sincerely hopes” that Cristiano Ronaldo will break his international goalscoring record, with the Portuguese superstar just seven efforts short of the Iranian’s mark of 109.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been back on target for his country in the latest round of fixtures.

With Ronaldo hitting the back of the net in a 7-0 mauling of Andorra, he now has 102 goals for Portugal to his name and that return has him sat second on a notable chart and chasing down another entry in the history books.

The Juventus forward is now 35 years of age, but he is showing no sign of slowing down and is expected to pass Daei at some stage.

An iconic figure from the past, who managed his haul for Iran through just 149 games, claims he would be happy to see an all-time great overtake him and raise a remarkable bar a little higher.

Daei told Record: “I sincerely hope that Cristiano Ronaldo will reach my goal record for the national team.

“In no way [would I be hurt], it would be a real honour for me if a player of his class could do it.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players not only of his time, but of all time. He is an absolute phenomenon.

“I would congratulate him directly. But first he has to get there.

“Cristiano Ronaldo already has 102 goals for Portugal and will beat my record, I’m sure of that, but he still has seven goals to go.”

Ronaldo has one more outing to take in for Portugal before domestic action resumes in November.

He has been unable to guide the defending champions back into the Nations League Finals, but their 2020 campaign will come to a close with a trip to Croatia on Tuesday.

Ronaldo will be looking to edge ever closer to Daei in that contest, but Fernando Santos claims no-one in the Portugal camp is allowing record-chasing exploits to become a distraction.

He has said: “Nobody will be thinking about Cristiano.

“The [other players] will not be thinking about not scoring in order to give the chance to someone else.

“Even Cristiano wouldn’t want that to happen. Cristiano will score when he has to score. The [other players] will not be thinking about that.”

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Ali Daei Candidate for Coaching Team Melli

reporter 1222 — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 06:34:34 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Former Iran forward Ali Daei reportedly is a candidate to take charge of Team Melli.

Ali Daei refused to take charge of Iranian club Zob Ahan on Sunday and media reports suggest that he is a candidate to lead the Iran national football team in the future.

Ex-Team Melli and Persepolis coach Branko Ivankovic had reportedly reached an agreement with the Iran football federation to replace Marc Wilmots but it seems the federation has turned to an Iranian option, supposedly Ali Daei, for coaching Team Melli.

Yahya Golmohammadi is also among the candidates to coach Team Melli or Persepolis.

Daei was appointed as Team Melli’s coach in 2008 but during his tenure as the national team coach, the Iranian team managed the weakest World Cup Qualification results in its history with only one win out of five games.

With less than three months remaining until the restart of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, the Iranian federation has not introduced the new head coach.

Team Melli will host Hong Kong on March 26 in Tehran and meet Cambodia five days later in an away match.

Iran will face Bahrain and Iraq on June 4 and 9 in Tehran.

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Iranian legends Daei, Mahdavikia attend AFC Asian Cup opening ceremony

reporter 1222 — Sun, 06 Jan 2019 07:00:10 +0000

Iranian football legendries Ali Daei and Mehdi Mahdavikia attended the opening ceremony of 2019 AFC Asian Cup Saturday night.

The 2019 Asian Cup got under way at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi, the UAE.

Among those in attendance were FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid, Crown Prince of Dubai.

There were also plenty of UAE and Bahrain fans at Zayed Sports City for the Group A match between two teams.

The Emirates are hosting the continental showpiece for a second time, look to improve on their third-place finish in Australia four years ago.

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Iran, Japan at AFC Asian Cup Final, Ali Daei Believes

reporter 1222 — Sun, 09 Dec 2018 14:41:14 +0000

Ali Daei believes that Iran and Japan are the most likely contenders to reach the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 final, with the continental competition now less than four weeks away.

The Iranian legend is the tournament’s record goalscorer, having found the back of the net 14 times over three editions, yet the former striker never lifted the trophy for his country, whose wait for the title stretches back to 1976, the-afc.com wrote.

But on the back of a strong 2018 FIFA World Cup and with head coach Carlos Queiroz having been in charge for almost eight years, Daei thinks the time could be now for Team Melli, although it is the side from East Asia he considers as a favorite.

“I think Japan is the favorite to become champion but I also think our team is at a good level and ready to perform well and I hope we can reach the final,” said Daei.

“Japan showed at the World Cup that it can play great football and it has improved a lot. So, I think Iran and Japan, if they don’t happen to face each other in earlier stages, have the highest chance to play the final against each other.

“Our side has really progressed in the past two or three years. The players have been together for a long time so there is a good understanding between them.”

“I think if we can reach the final then Alireza Jahanbakhsh will be one of our key players, while Saman Ghoddos is another who could perform well at the Asian Cup,” noted Daei.

“Mehdi Taremi could finish as top scorer if he plays in his regular position at the front of our attack, but it depends on the coach’s tactics. But there are also other good strikers in Asia that will challenge for this award.

“Sardar Azmoun , meanwhile, is a great player who can play for big teams in Europe in the coming years.”

Iran will open their Group D campaign against Yemen on January 7 before facing Vietnam and Iraq, who eliminated Team Melli on penalties at the quarter-final stage four years ago in Australia.

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World Cup a jumping point for Azmoun: Daei

reporter 1222 — Thu, 31 May 2018 07:10:43 +0000

Iran great Ali Daei has backed compatriot Sardar Azmoun to be one of the breakout stories of the World Cup finals and use the tournament as a springboard to sign for a top club side.

Daei, who is lauded as Iran’s greatest player following a career that saw him crowned Asia’s Player of the Year in 1999 and play for Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin, says the future is bright for Iran, as they look to get through the group phase at a World Cup for the first time.

Now 49 and coaching Iranian club side Saipa, the former striker represented his country at the World Cup in 1998 and 2006 and he said the highly rated Azmoun can use this summer’s tournament to further his career.

“I don’t like to talk about myself, but I can say that Sardar is a big player, along with someone like Karim Ansarifard,” Daei, who holds the record for most goals scored in international football (109), said.

“We have young strikers and the future will belong to them, especially Sardar because he’s really young.

“He can have a bright future. I’m hoping he can choose the right route, that he can go in the right direction in the future for himself and also for our national team.”

Iran have been drawn in Group B alongside Portugal, Spain and Morocco at the June 14 to July 15 World Cup.

Azmoun, who currently plays in the Russian Premier League for Rubin Kazan, has already featured on the biggest stage in European club football after playing in the Champions League and the Europa League during a spell with FC Rostov.

He was on target against Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid in the Champions League and Daei said he had the attributes to follow in his footsteps and play for one the game’s top sides.

“The World Cup could be a jumping point for many players to change everything,” said Daei. “I’m quite confident Sardar can make a move from Russia to a top level club.”

Azmoun is one of a group of young Iranian players, who will be making their first appearance at the World Cup. Daei hopes this new generation will also lead them to their first Asian Cup crown since 1976 when the tournament is held in the UAE next January.

“I’m very hopeful that this team will perform well and can become Asian champions,” he said.

“We have a good team, we’re not an easy team for any Asian team to play against and if we can keep up our standards then there’s no reason why we can’t do well.”

Source: Reuters

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Ali Daei a possible replacement for Carlos Queiroz

reporter 1222 — Mon, 28 May 2018 09:10:36 +0000

TEHRAN – Iran Football Federation has yet to confirm that Ali Daei is a possible replacement for Carlos Queiroz at Team Melli but it’s no surprise that the current Saipa coach to be named as next coach.

Queiroz will not remain at the helm of the Iran national team after the conclusion of the country’s involvement in the World Cup finals in Russia.

The Portuguese wants to spend more time with his family.

Queiroz, who has been in charge of Team Melli since April 2011, had been offered an extension to his contract by the Iranian Football Federation until January’s Asian Cup finals in the United Arab Emirates.

But the 65-year-old has decided to call time on his seven-year stint with the Iranians after the World Cup, where they have been drawn to take on Morocco, Spain and Portugal in Group B.

The Iranian media reports suggest that Daei is a candidate to replace ex-Real Madrid coach but there has been no official confirmation on this yet.

Daei, the world’s all-time leading goalscorer in men’s international matches, has good relations with the federation and attended the Team Melli’s farewell ceremony last week.

In March 2009, Daei was sacked as coach of Team Melli following poor results but he has far more experience at the moment. During his tenure as the Team Melli coach, the Iranian team managed the weakest World Cup Qualification results in their history with only one win out of five WCQ games.

Afterward, Daei led Persepolis to two Hazf Cup titles and a runner-up at Iran Pro League. Despite helping Saipa to advance to the AFC Champions League after many years, it’s very difficult to meet the fans’ expectations because they want to win AFC Asian Cup after 40 years.

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Iranian football legends Ali Karimi, Ali Daei bury the hatchet

reporter 1222 — Sat, 24 Feb 2018 13:00:48 +0000

TEHRAN – Sepidrood coach Ali Karimi and Saipa coach Ali Daei ended their feud ahead of a match in Iran Professional League (IPL) on Friday.

The war of words between Karimi, Daei started after the 2006 World Cup, where Team Melli failed to book a place in the next stage under guidance of Branko Ivankovic.

Afterward, Karimi accused Daei of being a selfish player who was playing just for his own reputation not for team.

Daei holds the record for most international goals with 109 in 149 caps, which is remarkably 25 more than the legendary Ferenc Puskas achieved for Hungary.

Karimi, known as the Wizard of Tehran, is arguably the most popular player in Iran.

Daei and Karimi both played in Iran’s Persepolis and Bayern Munich.

Sepidrood defeated Saipa 2-0 in Rasht’s Sardar-e Jangal Stadium.

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Iranian football legends Ali Karimi, Ali Daei bury the hatchet

reporter 1222 — Sat, 24 Feb 2018 07:00:07 +0000

TEHRAN – Sepidrood coach Ali Karimi and Saipa coach Ali Daei ended their feud ahead of a match in Iran Professional League (IPL) on Friday.

The war of words between Karimi, Daei started after the 2006 World Cup, where Team Melli failed to book a place in the next stage under guidance of Branko Ivankovic.

Afterward, Karimi accused Daei of being a selfish player who was playing just for his own reputation not for team.

Daei holds the record for most international goals with 109 in 149 caps, which is remarkably 25 more than the legendary Ferenc Puskas achieved for Hungary.

Karimi, known as the Wizard of Tehran, is arguably the most popular player in Iran.

Daei and Karimi both played in Iran’s Persepolis and Bayern Munich.

Sepidrood defeated Saipa 2-0 in Rasht’s Sardar-e Jangal Stadium.

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Ali Daei to star in peace match along with Puyol, Ronaldinho

reporter 1222 — Sun, 18 Feb 2018 08:50:59 +0000

Iranian veteran soccer player and a world record holder Ali Daei has been chosen to play for Mexico peace match, along with luminaries like Brazilian Ronaldinho and Spanish Carles Puyol.

Ali Daei has been invited to play for a friendly game in aid of striving for world peace in Mexico and Colombia in March, 2018.

Honored as the world player with greatest number of goals, Ali Daei will be joined by Brazilian Ronaldinho, Spanish Carles Puyol, Dutch Clarence Sidorf and a host of other former football stars.

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