 Beiranvand in 2024 | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alireza Safar Beiranvand[1] | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1992-09-21)21 September 1992 (age 32) | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Sarab-e Yas,Khorramabad, Iran | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)[1] | |||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||
Current team | Tractor | |||||||||||||
| Number | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Vahdat | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2016 | Naft Tehran | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 2010–2016 | Naft Tehran | 68 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2016–2020 | Persepolis | 89 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | Royal Antwerp | 10 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | →Boavista (loan) | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Persepolis | 55 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2024– | Tractor | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Iran U20 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Iran U23 | 11 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2015– | Iran | 79 | (0) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 June 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 March 2025 | ||||||||||||||
Alireza Safar Beiranvand (Persian:علیرضا بیرانوند; born 21 September 1992) is anIranian professionalfootballer who plays as agoalkeeper for thePersian Gulf Pro League clubTractor and theIran national team.[2][3]
Beiranvand represented Iran internationally at theAFC Asian Cup in2015,2019 and2023, and at theFIFA World Cup in2018[4] and2022.[5][6]
In 2017, Beiranvand became the first Iranian ever to be nominated for an individual award atThe Best FIFA Football Awards.[7] He has been the best goalkeeper in thePersian Gulf Pro League for four consecutive seasons from 2014 to 2019 and has also been theIranian Footballer of the Year in 2019.[8] With 23clean sheets in 37 matches during the2017–18 season, he ranked as the second goalkeeper in the world for the cleanest sheets.[9]
In addition, Beiranvand achieved twoGuinness World Records during his career, including the farthest distance throw of a football at 61.0026 metres (200.140 ft) againstSouth Korea on 11 October 2016,[10] and the longest football drop kick at 78.014 metres (255.95 ft) on 17 April 2019.[11]
Beiranvand was born in the small village ofSarab-e Yas inKhorramabad County,Lorestan Province, and grew up in aLorish Lak[12]nomadic family.[13] In his teenage years, Beiranvand ran away from home and moved toTehran in order to realize his dream of becoming a professional footballer, where he was homeless for some time.[13] Before his career in football, he worked at a carwash focused on four-wheel drives, leveraging his height advantage, as well as in a dressmaking factory and a pizza shop.[14]
Beiranvand got married in 2010.[15][16][17] He has a son and a daughter.[18]
Beiranvand has played withNaft Tehran since 2011.[19] He made his debut in theHazfi Cup againstDamash on 25 October 2011.[20] There were links between him and the red half of Tehran,Persepolis, but the chairman of Naft Tehran, Mansour Ghanbarzadeh, did not allow him to leave the club.[21] In his first year as the first-choice goalkeeper, Beiranvand led the team to a 3rd placeLeague finish and a spot in theAFC Champions League for the first time in the club's history. On 23 March 2014, he extended his contract with the club until June 2019. On 24 November 2014, Beiranvand provided an assist in their match againstTractor Sazi by throwing the ball into the opponent's half.[22]
He was linked with a move to Persepolis in January 2016, but the move fell through at the last moment. Beiranvand left Naft at the end of the 2015–16 season after his contract expired.[23]
On 16 May 2016, Beiranvand signed a two–year contract with leaguerunners-upPersepolis.[24] In 2017 Beiranvand extended his contract with the club until 2021.[25] In December 2017, in a match againstFoolad, Beiranvand set a League record of going 718 minutes without conceding a goal,[26] which was later broken byEsteghlal goalkeeperHossein Hosseini.[citation needed]
What he did was amazing. He was the difference against us. He is truly a great goalkeeper; he fought and kept out our attack. There may have been other good players in the Persepolis team but the one who made the result possible was Beiranvand.[27]
Beiranvand was named2018 AFC Champions League semi-final first leg player of the week following his performance againstAl Sadd.[28] He was also "Man of the match" and with "Team of the Week" 2nd leg after he saved many of Al Sadd's chances and helped Persepolis reach the final,[6][29] His five clean sheets during the competition was the most of any goalkeeper.[30] He was reportedly chosen as one of the candidates for the2018 Asian Footballer of the Year award,[31] but his exclusion was described by Asian football writers as a big shock, and an outrageous and scandalous event.[32][33][34] The following season Beiranvand kept 16 clean sheets in2018–19 Pro League and claimed Golden Gloves for three consecutive years and four successive times overall.
In late July 2020,Jupiler Pro League sideRoyal Antwerp confirmed the signing of Beiranvand a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[3] He made his debut on 10 December in aEuropa League away match againstTottenham Hotspur.[35]
On 10 July 2021, Beiranvand joinedPrimeira Liga sideBoavista on a one-year loan,[36] with a purchase option for €1 million.[37]
Beiranvand joinedPersepolis on 31 May 2022 with a new 3-year contract on afree transfer.[38][39]
On 16 July 2024, Beiranvand joinedTractor on a one-year deal from Persepolis.
He represented Iran at various youth levels, such as the U-19 team during the2010 AFC U-19 Championship[40][41] and the U-22 team in the2013 U-22 Asian Cup qualifiers.[42]
In April 2014, he was called up to theIran national football team training camp inSouth Africa by coachCarlos Queiroz after manySepahan players could not make it because ofAFC Champions League matches, including goalkeeperRahman Ahmadi. He was also selected in Iran's 30-man provisional squad for the2014 FIFA World Cup. However, Beiranvand was not included in Iran's squad for the World Cup, without playing any match in pre-World Cup friendly matches. He was called into Iran's2015 AFC Asian Cup squad on 30 December 2014 by Carlos Queiroz.[43] He made his debut in a friendly match againstIraq on 4 January 2015, just before the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.
During the2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, first-choice goalkeeperAlireza Haghighi was denied a visa for entry toGuam ahead of their fixture, alongside left backEhsan Hajsafi. Beiranvand was thus given his first competitive start for the senior team. However, he was given a straight red in the 72nd minute for a foul on Guam midfielderDylan Naputi, less than a minute after Iran had used up all of their substitutions, forcing defenderEzzatollah Pourghaz to take on goalkeeper duties.[44]
During the final round of the2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, Beiranvand became Iran's starting goalkeeper, replacing Alireza Haghighi. In May 2018, he was named in Iran's preliminary squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup inRussia.[45]
In Iran's last match of the2018 World Cup, Beiranvand saved a penalty fromCristiano Ronaldo, as Iran drew 1–1 withPortugal.[46][47] Beiranvand was the starting goalkeeper of the Iran squad at the2019 AFC Asian Cup. He was again in the spotlight when he saved a penalty fromAhmed Mubarak Al-Mahaijri, as Iran won 2–0 againstOman.[23] He was again in the spotlight when he saved a penalty from the captain of Cambodia, as Iran won 14–0 againstCambodia.
He was Iran's starting goalkeeper at the2022 FIFA World Cup, but during thematch against England he collided with defenderMajid Hosseini; after a lengthy medical treatment on the field, he was allowed to continue, but appeared disoriented and minutes later lied down on the ground and requested a substitution, after which he was taken to a nearby hospital.[48][49]Headway called the decision to keep him on the field an "utter disgrace" and an "abject failure" of the concussion protocol.[48] He was replaced byHossein Hosseini, who remained in the starting position for the next match againstWales national football team; Beiranvand then returned for the third group stage match against theUnited States.[49]
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Beiranvand's main trait is his ability to take very long throws.[50] In the2015 AFC Champions League Round of 16 againstAl Ahli, Beiranvand made a throw that reached 60m.[51] On 24 November 2014, he provided an assist againstTractor Sazi by throwing the ball into the opponent's half. Beiranvand is good in aerial duels and has been praised for his athleticism, "outstanding shot-stopping", acrobatic dives, and quick reflexes.[52]
He, along withZahra Khajavi, are known as the record holders of the longest hand throws in Iranian football.[53]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Naft Tehran | 2013–14 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 37 | 0 | ||||
| 2015–16 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 68 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 | — | 84 | 0 | |||
| Persepolis | 2016–17 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8[a] | 0 | — | 32 | 0 | |
| 2017–18 | 27 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12[a] | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 43 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | 24 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | ||
| Total | 89 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 132 | 0 | ||
| Antwerp | 2020–21 | Belgian First Division A | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Total | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | ||
| Boavista (loan) | 2021–22 | Primeira Liga | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Total | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| Persepolis | 2022–23 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 29 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 55 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 0 | ||
| Tractor | 2024-25 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 3 | 0 | |
| Career total | 233 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 54 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 307 | 0 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iran | 2015 | 3 | 0 |
| 2016 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 79 | 0 | |
Naft Tehran
Persepolis
Iran
Individual
Beiranvand achieved twoGuinness World Records during his career, including the farthest distance throw of a football at 61.0026 metres (200.140 ft) againstSouth Korea on 11 October 2016,[60] and the longest football drop kick at 78.014 metres (255.95 ft) on 17 April 2019.[61]
Alireza Beiranvand at Soccerway.com
