 Karimi in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mohammad Ali Karimi Pashaki[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1978-11-08)8 November 1978 (age 47) | ||
| Place of birth | Karaj,Iran | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder,forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1990–1991 | Naft Tehran[3][4] | ||
| 1991–1994 | Saipa[5] | ||
| 1994–1996 | Fath Tehran | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–1998 | Fath Tehran | ||
| 1998–2001 | Persepolis | 42 | (11) |
| 2001–2005 | Al-Ahli | 69 | (45) |
| 2005–2007 | Bayern Munich | 33 | (3) |
| 2007–2008 | Qatar SC | 26 | (5) |
| 2008–2009 | Persepolis | 21 | (5) |
| 2009–2011 | Steel Azin | 40 | (14) |
| 2011 | Schalke 04 | 1 | (0) |
| 2011–2013 | Persepolis | 40 | (13) |
| 2013–2014 | Tractor Sazi | 26 | (5) |
| Total | 298 | (101) | |
| International career | |||
| 1999 | Iran U23 | 3[6] | (2) |
| 1998–2012 | Iran | 127 | (38) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2014 | Iran (assistant)[7] | ||
| 2017 | Naft Tehran | ||
| 2018 | Sepidrood | ||
| 2018–2019 | Sepidrood | ||
Medal record | |||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Mohammad Ali Karimi Pashaki[a] (born 8 November 1978) is an Iranianfootball coach and former professional player. During his professional football career, he has played as a playmaker in theIran Pro League,UAE Pro League,Qatar Stars League andBundesliga. Karimi has scored 38 goals in 127 matches for theIran national team. In 2004, he was recognized as the best scorer of theAFC Asian Cup and received theAsian Footballer of the Year award in the same year. He announced his retirement at the end of the 2013–14 season and, on 11 April 2014, played the final game of his 18-year career.[8]
Karimi's professional career began with Fath Tehran, where he made his first-team debut in 1996, aged 18. He then played three seasons with Persepolis, winning the Iranian league twice and the Hazfi Cup once with the club. In July 2001, Karimi signed a two-year contract withUAE Pro League club Al-Ahli Dubai.[9] While anAl-Ahli player, Karimi won two cup titles, and was the top goalscorer in the2003–04 season, an impressive feat for a midfielder. After leaving the club in 2005 aged 26, Karimi made a long-awaited move to Europe to play forBayern Munich. At the club, he had relative success, winning both theBundesliga and theDFB-Pokal in2005–06 season. Later in his career, he rejoined former coach Felix Magath and won a second German Cup withSchalke 04. Karimi ended his playing career in Iran withPersepolis andTractor Sazi, and with the latter won theHazfi Cup in the final season of his career.
Karimi made his debut for Iran on 13 October 1998 at the age of 19. He made 127 career appearances in total, appearing at five major tournaments, including1998 Asian Games,2000,2004, and2007 Asian Cups and2006 FIFA World Cup. Renowned for his on-the-ball skill, dribbling runs and playmaking ability, he was often referred to as theAsian Maradona[10][11] andThe Magician.[12] In the video introducing Iran's national football team in the2018 World Cup, byFIFA, he was described as "One of the top 2 players of Iran's football history".[13] He is regarded as one of the greatest Asian footballers of all time.[14][15] In 2017,AFC named Karimi as "one of the icons of Asian football history".[14]
Karimi is known as one of the most popular athletes in the history of Iran. In April 2015, he was recognized as Iran's most popular football player (from 1991 to 2015) in a poll byNavad television program.[16]
Karimi started his professional career with second-division side Fath Football Club in 1997 where training was conducted on the streets with a plastic ball.
In 1998, Karimi joinedPersepolis football club, which won the domestic double in 1999 and the championship again in 2000. He attended a trial withPerugia Calcio, but the transfer was aborted when Perugia deemed the transfer fee too high.[17] There was also reportedly an offer from Spain'sAtlético Madrid who were willing to pay Karimi £4.3 million in a four-year contract. Still, Karimi opted for United Arab Emirates side Al-Ahli because he wanted to stay close to home.[18][19]
Karimi signed withAl Ahli in the United Arab Emirates in 2001 for a reported salary of $1.3 million for two years.[20] In that season, Al-Ahli managed to win its first trophy, when they became the Winners of the President Cup in 2001–02 season.
He scored a league-high 14 goals for Al Ahli in 2004.[18] In June 2020, he was named the best foreign player in theUAE League as well.[21]
On 3 May 2005,Bundesliga championsBayern Munich's website announced that as its first new player for the 2005–06 season, it signed Karimi with a one-year contract, as the third Iranian player of this team, afterAli Daei (1998–99) andVahid Hashemian (2004–05).[22][23] After the friendly match between Iran and Germany in October 2004, Karimi was noticed by the Bayern Munich club. He received the best score inkicker magazine afterJens Lehmann.[24]
Karimi entered the field in the second half of the first week of the Bundesliga againstBorussia Mönchengladbach.[25] In the second week's 5–2 victory againstBayer Leverkusen, he was recognized as the second best player of the match by scoring a goal and providing an assist.[26] Six weeks into the league, Karimi scored his second goal assist in the Bundesliga, setting the stage for a 1–0 win againstEintracht Frankfurt and was recognized as the man of the match.[27] In week 16 of the Bundesliga, he provided his third assist against Kaiserslautern.[28] At the end of the half-season of the Bundesliga, which was accompanied by Bayern's 2-1 victory overBorussia Dortmund, Karimi scored again.[29][30] He was also recognized as Bayern Munich's best player by scoring 2.5 points fromkicker magazine in the 22nd Bundesliga match, which ended with a 1–1 draw againstHannover.[31]
Karimi made his 25th appearance for Bayern on 4 March 2006 against Hamburg, which resulted in an automatic 12-month extension to his one-year contract that expired on 30 June 2007. But Karimi was injured in the same game and missed all Bayern Munich matches until the end of the 2005-2006 season.[32]
He played 3 times in theUEFA Champions League[33] before getting injured, scoring in his first game againstRapid Vienna.[34] By scoring against Rapid Vienna,[35] Karimi became the only Iranian Bayern Munich player to score in the UEFA Champions League.[33][36][37] Before the injury, Karimi played in 20 Bundesliga games, twoDFB-Pokal games, oneDFL-Ligapokal game and three UEFA Champions League games.[33]
Karimi's average scores in theBundesliga and theUEFA Champions League in the 2005–06 season are the best among the three Iranian players in thekicker magazine.[33][36][37]
Karimi, who was still suffering from the previous season's injury, was injured again before the start of the 2006-2007 season and missed the season's opening games. By the end of the 2006–07 season, he played 16 games (13 Bundesliga games - two UEFA Champions League games and one DFL-Ligapokal game).[38]
In the 32nd week of the Bundesliga, Karimi became the foundation for Bayern's 1–1 draw againstBorussia Mönchengladbach by sending a goal assist.[39] In week 34 of the Bundesliga, he played his last game for Bayern in a 5–2 win againstMainz[38] and scored for the last time in Bayern Munich. In this competition afterMehmet Scholl; Karimi was recognized as the second-best player of Bayern together withHasan Salihamidžić by scoring 2.5 fromkicker magazine.[40]
In two seasons in Bayern Munich, Karimi played 42 games[41] (33 Bundesliga games, 5 UEFA Champions League games, 2 DFB-Pokal games and 2 DFL-Ligapokal games) and became the record holder for the most number of games among the three Iranian players of this team. Karimi ended his career in Bayern Munich by scoring four goals and sending four assists.[41] In 2017, theTransfermarkt website named Karimi among the best players who joined Bayern Munich from 1998 to 2017 as a free agent (a player who is eligible to sign a contract with any team and whose contract has expired with his previous team) and performed well. In this team have been placed.[42]
"My first year at Bayern, a pleasure to play with this legend Ali Karimi. He is the best ever from Iran,"
After Karimi's position in support of the2022 Iranian protests following thedeath of Mahsa Amini,[45] FC Bayern Munich announced on 5 November 2022 that "due to concerns regarding the health condition of Ali Karimi and other Iranian players of Bayern Munich, we have long since been in touch with the German ambassador to Tehran. The club is aware of the current critical situation in Iran and is ready to provide any assistance in this matter".[46]
On 3 July 2007, Karimi announced that he had signed a two-year deal withQatar Sports Club. Karimi was believed to have signed a contract worth around£3.2 million, with a clause allowing him to return to Europe anytime.[47]
On 13 July 2008, Karimi signed a two-year contract withAl-Sailiya that is said to be worth around£4.7 million.[48]
Persepolis' then chairman,Dariush Mostafavi, reached an agreement with Karimi after a one-hour-long telephone conversation. Persepolis had to pay Al-Sailiyah to release Karimi from his contract. Mostafavi claimed the release fee was around US$310,000. Karimi joined Persepolis on loan,[49] and signed with Persepolis on a one-year contract on 6 September 2008.[citation needed]
Karimi scored his first goal since his return to Persepolis in theTehran derby. With Esteghlal leading 1–0, Karimi equalized for Persepolis two minutes from time.[50] On 9 October 2008, Karimi scored a hat trick against Abumoslem but could not prevent Persepolis losing 4–3.[51]
However, Karimi's contract was not extended, reportedly because of a strained relationship with Persepolis chief executiveAbbas Ansarifard.[citation needed] While Ansarifard claimed that the club offered Karimi a contract, but he did not show up, Karimi claimed that Persepolis kept him waiting for four weeks for nothing.[citation needed]
Karimi joined newly promotedSteel Azin on 29 July 2009 on a one-year deal. He was reported to be paid US$400,000 for the season.[52]
After joining Steel Azin, Karimi scored for four consecutive matches at the start of the season. On 14 August 2009, he scored the second goal in Steel Azin's 4–3 win over Saba.[citation needed] He scored a brace against Shahin in Steel Azin's 2–1 victory.[53] On 4 December 2009, Karimi converted a penalty in the 52nd minute against Pas FC to score his 11th goal of the season.[citation needed] On 6 March 2010, during his team's match against Saipa, Karimi was sent off for pushing Majid Ayoubi after Ayoubi had fouled him.[54]
In January 2010, it was reported that Al-Ahli made an offer of US$500,000 to sign Karimi on a loan deal until the end of the 2009–10 season, which Steel Azin rejected.[55]
Karimi was sacked by the club in August 2010 for failing to observe the fast requirement duringRamadan, but was reinstated a few days later after paying a fine. The player maintained that he had not shown disrespect to Islam.[56]
Karimi signed a five-month deal forSchalke on 31 January 2011 upon passing a medical examination.[57][58] He made his first appearance for the German club on 5 April 2011, coming on forRaúl in the second half in aChampions League quarter-final match againstInter Milan before coming on as a substitute against1. FC Kaiserslautern in the German Bundesliga in his second and final match for Schalke. He won the German Cup for the second time before the end of his contract.
On 15 June 2011,Persepolis chairmanHabib Kashani announced that they had reached an agreement with Karimi. He played for Persepolis in the2011–12 Persian Gulf Cup and the2011–12 Hazfi Cup.[59] This was the second time that Karimi returned to his native club, Persepolis. Karimi was also appointed as Club captain. He made his debut in a match againstMalavan and scored his first goal in the season for Persepolis in a match againstShahrdari Tabriz. He extended his contract with Persepolis for another season on 18 June 2012. He was injured a few times during the season and was unable to perform very well and at the end of the season, he announced his retirement from football.
On 13 June 2013, Karimi returned from retirement and joinedTractor Sazi, signing a one-year contract with Tractor Sazi. He made his first appearance for Tractor Sazi inIran Pro League against his former clubPersepolis. Karimi scored his first goal in theIran Pro League in Tractor's 4–2 win overZob Ahan. He helped Tractor to winthe season'sHazfi Cup, his first title in Iranian football after his return fromEuropean Football.
On 20 July 2014, Karimi announced his retirement by publishing a letter on his YouTube account.[60][61] At the time, Karimi was aged 35 and played professional football for 18 years.
Karimi made his debut forIran national team in October 1998 in a match againstKuwait.[62] That same year, he won theGold Medal with Iran at the1998 Asian Games. Karimi scored one of Iran's two goals in the final against Kuwait.
He was also one of Iran's main players in its2002 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. In 2001, after losing to Bahrain and drawing with Thailand, Iran finished second in their qualifying group. It had to play a home-and-away play-off with theRepublic of Ireland for a spot at the 2002 World Cup. Karimi started as an attacking midfielder in the first game in Dublin and used his acceleration on the break and his dribbling to attack Ireland's defense. However, he was also off target on a number of occasions, and Iran lost the match 2–0. They won the return leg 1–0 but missed the final.[63]
At the2004 Asian Cup, Karimi scored five goals, making him joint top scorer. Iran finished third in the overall tournament, behindJapan andChina. In the quarter-final, Karimi scored a hat trick in Iran's 4–3 win over South Korea.[63] Karimi was given the prestigiousAsian Player of the Year award in 2004, joining his fellow Iranians, Mahdavikia in 2003,Ali Daei in 1999, andKhodadad Azizi in 1996.[64] He also won the2004 West Asian Football Federation Championship withTeam Melli.
His performance in theIran–Germany friendly game forBam victims held inAzadi Stadium inTehran in October 2004 was said to be the reason behind Bayern's interest in the player.
Coming off a serious ankle injury, Karimi had a poor World Cup finals atGermany 2006.[65] He was unable to exert much influence on proceedings as the Iranians lost 3–1 toMexico and 2–0 toPortugal. He was substituted in the 65th minute of the Portugal game and kicked the team's sports bags by the dugout. Iran's then managerBranko Ivankovic said he may drop Karimi in the upcoming game due to disciplinary reasons.[66] Karimi did not play in the 1–1 draw against Angola, but Ivankovic attributed Karimi's omission to his refusal to play because of an injury.[67]
Karimi played in the2007 Asian Cup. In May 2008, Karimi was banned from playing in the national team after he made criticisms towards theIRIFF in the Ardebil training ground,[68] but was reinstated in the national squad after intervention from Iranian PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad andHassan Khomeini, the grandson of revolutionary leaderAyatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.[69]
In October 2008, Karimi retired from Team Melli.Ali Daei, the then-Iran football coach, said Karimi would never be called up again.[70] In April 2009, Karimi announced that he was ready again to serve his country if he was to be picked by Team Melli coach,Afshin Ghotbi.
He played in2010 FIFA World Cup qualification for Iran and on 10 June 2009, Karimi scored in a 1–0 victory over U.A.E. to keep Iran's 2010 World Cup qualifying hopes alive. On 17 June 2009, he played in Iran's 1–1 draw with South Korea, which eliminated Iran from the 2010 World Cup finals. During the match, a number of Iranian players, including Karimi, wore green wristbands, which were interpreted to be a show of support forIranian opposition leaderHossein Mousavi, who accused the Iranian government of vote rigging the election on 12 June. Western media reported after the game that the players who wore the green wristbands had been banned lifetime to play in national team, while a newspaper in Iran reported that the players concerned had retired.[71] On 24 June 2009, FIFA wrote to Iran's football federation asking for clarification on the situation. The Iranian football federation replied that no disciplinary action had been taken against any player.[72] On 3 March 2010, he returned for the2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification match against Thailand.[73]
He was invited to the national football team again byCarlos Queiroz in 2011 to play in the2014 FIFA World Cup qualification and played for the team until his retirement in 2013. Queiroz later announced that Karimi was one of his best players during his coaching times. He is currently the third most-capped player and the third-highest scorer of Iran.
Karimi's most famous football feature is his dribbling skills.[24] In 2003,World Soccer described him as a player with "hypnotic movements and ball work".[17] In 2004,kicker magazine called Karimi the "Maradona of Asia" in a report: "He shoots well with both feet, changes direction very quickly and is a player who makes the opposing team dizzy."[11]
"Ali Karimi made us dizzy with his technique in the friendly match of 2004 (Iran 0 -Germany 2)"
During the coaching ofBranko Ivankovic, when theIran national team usually played with a 4-2-3-1 formation, Karimi played mostly in the attacking midfield position. FIFA magazine described Karimi as a professional playmaker in the April 2006 issue.[75]
According toFIFA in 2009, Karimi's "stunning dribbles" are one of the characteristics of Karimi's game, and because of this, he is known as "Magician".[12]
In a report in 2017,AFC called Karimi the "Maradona of Asia" and introduced him as "one of the Icons of Asian football history". In the continuation of this report, "magical dribbling skills" and "a knack for the unpredictable" are mentioned as characteristics of Karimi's game.[14]
On 25 September 2014, Karimi was named as the assistant coach byCarlos Queiroz in theIranian national team.[76] However, he stepped down from his role shortly before the2015 AFC Asian Cup. Later in June 2017, he was appointedNaft Tehran manager but has not signed a contract with the team and left the team before the start of the league. However, Karimi resigned with Naft in September. On 1 January 2018, he became the head coach ofSepidrood while Sepidrood was in the bottom two, but he kept this team in thePersian Gulf Pro League.
Ali Karimi married Sahar Davari in 1999, at the age of 21. The couple has a daughter named Hima and two sons named Havash and Hirsa.[77]
Karimi publicly supported theMahsa Amini protests against the government of Iran in late 2022. He posted onInstagram that not evenholy water could "wash away this disgrace" ofAmini's death.[78] In addition to his criticism of the government, he used his platform of 14+ million followers to advise Iranians on how to bypassInternet censorship in their country.[79] Based in Dubai, he was chargedin absentia by Iran with "encouraging riots",[80] and his house inLavasan was seized by the Iranian state.[79]
On 21 December 2022, after Karimi's meeting withFrank-Walter Steinmeier, the German president, Steinmeier, emphasized his support for the Iranian protesters.[81]
On 18 January 2023, Karimi publicly tweeted his support for exiled crown princeReza Pahlavi to assume a role as representative of the Iranian people pending a national referendum.[82]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[b] | League cup[c] | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Persepolis | 1998–99 | Azadegan League | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 3 | ||
| 1999–2000 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 5[d] | 1 | 15 | 4 | |||
| 2000–01 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | 8[d] | 4 | 29 | 9 | |||
| Total | 42 | 11 | 2 | 0 | — | 13 | 5 | 57 | 16 | |||
| Al-Ahli | 2001–02 | UAE League | 14[85] | — | — | |||||||
| 2002–03 | 5[86] | — | 2[e] | 0 | ||||||||
| 2003–04 | 15[87] | — | — | |||||||||
| 2004–05 | 11[88] | — | 6[e] | 2 | ||||||||
| Total | 69 | 45 | 30 | 29 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 116 | 81 | ||
| Bayern Munich | 2005–06 | Bundesliga | 20 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[f] | 1 | 26 | 3 |
| 2006–07 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[f] | 0 | 16 | 1 | ||
| Total | 33 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 42 | 4 | ||
| Qatar SC | 2007–08 | Qatar Stars League | 26 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 30 | 6 | |
| Persepolis | 2008–09 | Persian Gulf Cup | 21 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | 6[e] | 2 | 28 | 7 | |
| Steel Azin | 2009–10 | Persian Gulf Cup | 28 | 14 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 31 | 15 | ||
| 2010–11 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 40 | 14 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 43 | 15 | ||||
| Schalke 04 | 2010–11 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[f] | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Persepolis | 2011–12 | Persian Gulf Cup | 28 | 12 | 2 | 0 | — | 7[e] | 3 | 37 | 15 | |
| 2012–13 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 40 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 52 | 16 | ||
| Tractor Sazi | 2013–14 | Persian Gulf Cup | 26 | 5 | 4 | 0 | — | 5[e] | 0 | 34 | 5 | |
| Career total | 298 | 101 | 51 | 30 | 13 | 6 | 45 | 13 | 407 | 150 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iran[89] | 1998 | 9 | 1 |
| 2000 | 21 | 9 | |
| 2001 | 19 | 6 | |
| 2002 | 7 | 4 | |
| 2003 | 7 | 4 | |
| 2004 | 17 | 7 | |
| 2005 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2007 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 9 | 1 | |
| Total | 127 | 38 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 December 1998 | Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand |  Kuwait | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1998 Asian Games |
| 2 | 9 April 2000 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran |  Bahrain | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
| 3 | 24 May 2000 | King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan |  Kazakhstan | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2000 West Asian Football Federation Championship |
| 4 | 3–0 | |||||
| 5 | 28 May 2000 | King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan |  Syria | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2000 West Asian Football Federation Championship |
| 6 | 31 May 2000 | King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan |  Jordan | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2000 West Asian Football Federation Championship |
| 7 | 24 November 2000 | Takhti Stadium, Tabriz, Iran |  Guam | 3–0 | 19–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 11–0 | |||||
| 9 | 12–0 | |||||
| 10 | 19–0 | |||||
| 11 | 10 August 2001 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2001 LG Cup Final |
| 12 | 15 August 2001 | Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia |  Slovakia | 1–0 | 4–3 | Friendly |
| 13 | 2–0 | |||||
| 14 | 4–3 | |||||
| 15 | 7 September 2001 | Al-Shaab Stadium, Baghdad, Iraq |  Iraq | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 16 | 12 October 2001 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran | Iraq | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 17 | 6 February 2002 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran | Slovakia | 1–1 | 2–3 | Friendly |
| 18 | 2–3 | |||||
| 19 | 11 August 2002 | Takhti Stadium, Tabriz, Iran |  Azerbaijan | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 20 | 3 September 2002 | Abbasiyyin Stadium, Damascus, Syria |  Lebanon | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2002 West Asian Football Federation Championship |
| 21 | 12 October 2003 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran |  New Zealand | 1–0 | 3–0 | AFC/OFC Cup Challenge |
| 22 | 2–0 | |||||
| 23 | 27 October 2003 | Kim Il Sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea |  North Korea | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
| 24 | 2–1 | |||||
| 25 | 21 June 2004 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran | Syria | 6–1 | 7–1 | 2004 West Asian Football Federation Championship |
| 26 | 25 June 2004 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran | Syria | 1–1 | 4–1 | 2004 West Asian Football Federation Championship |
| 27 | 24 July 2004 | Chongqing Olympic Sports Center, Chongqing, China |  Oman | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2004 AFC Asian Cup |
| 28 | 31 July 2004 | Shandong Provincial Stadium, Shandong, China |  South Korea | 1–0 | 4–3 | 2004 AFC Asian Cup |
| 29 | 2–1 | |||||
| 30 | 4–3 | |||||
| 31 | 6 August 2004 | Workers' Stadium, Beijing, China |  Bahrain | 2–1 | 4–2 | 2004 AFC Asian Cup |
| 32 | 30 January 2006 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran |  Costa Rica | 1–0 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 33 | 28 May 2006 | Gradski Vrt Stadium, Osijek, Croatia |  Croatia | 1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 34 | 11 October 2006 | Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei, Chinese Taipei |  Chinese Taipei | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
| 35 | 2–0 | |||||
| 36 | 10 June 2009 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran |  United Arab Emirates | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 37 | 23 July 2011 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran |  Maldives | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 38 | 23 February 2012 | Zabeel Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Jordan | 1–2 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Win % | |||
| Naft Tehran | 7 September 2017 | 2 October 2017 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 033.33 |
| Sepidrood Rasht | 1 January 2018 | 1 July 2018 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 14 | −3 | 046.15 |
| 25 August 2018 | Present | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 16 | −8 | 028.57 | |
| Total | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 20 | 33 | −13 | 036.67 | ||
Persepolis
Al-Ahli
Bayern Munich
Schalke 04
Tractor Sazi
Iran
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