 Ghoddos training at the2018 FIFA World Cup | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Seyed Saman Ghoddoos[1] | |||||||||||||
| Birth name | Saman Ghoddos[2][3][4][5] | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1993-09-06)6 September 1993 (age 32)[6] | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Malmö, Sweden[7][8] | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[9] | |||||||||||||
| Position(s) | ||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||
Current team | Kalba | |||||||||||||
| Number | 7 | |||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||
| 2000–2004 | BK Vången | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | FC Malmö | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2011 | IF Limhamn Bunkeflo | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | IF Limhamn Bunkeflo | 41 | (4) | |||||||||||
| 2013 | Trelleborgs FF | 18 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Syrianska FC | 54 | (14) | |||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Östersunds FK | 65 | (29) | |||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | Amiens | 34 | (5) | |||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | →Brentford (loan) | 16 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2021–2024 | Brentford | 78 | (5) | |||||||||||
| 2024– | Kalba | 29 | (6) | |||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Sweden | 2 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 2017– | Iran | 65 | (3) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 7 January 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 November 2025 | ||||||||||||||
Seyed Saman Ghoddoos[note 1] (Persian:سامان قدّوس; born 6 September 1993) is a professionalfootballer who plays as anattacking midfielder orstriker for theIran national team andKalba inUAE Pro League. A versatile player, Ghoddos can also be deployed as awinger,wing-back orfull-back. Born in Sweden and a former Swedish international, he represents theIran national team.
Saman Ghoddos scored 10 league goals in his first season in theAllsvenskan forÖstersunds FK, including their first top-flight goal in his Allsvenskan debut on 4 April 2016 againstHammarby IF.[10] He scored a brace at his hometown clubMalmö FF on 22 October inSwedbank Stadion. After his good performances in the2016 season, Ghoddos drew interest from German clubHertha Berlin and Dutch clubAjax.[11][12]
Ghoddos started the2017 season in fine form, leading Östersund to theSwedish Cup final with six goals in six games, including an acrobatic goal in the quarter-final againstTrelleborgs FF and a brace in the semi-final againstHäcken.[13] He scored his seventh domestic cup goal of the season in thefinal, leading Östersund to the second qualifying round of the2017–18 UEFA Europa League with managerGraham Potter.[14]
In hisUEFA debut, Ghoddos scored a goal and provided an assist for a 2–0 win againstGalatasaray on 13 July 2017.[15] In thereturn leg, Ghoddos won a penalty with a dribble pastFernando Muslera.[16] In a league match on 13 August, he scored a long-range goal from 40 meters out against Hammarby IF inStockholm'sTele2 Arena.[17] On 24 August, Ghoddos scored two goals in theEuropa League play-offs againstPAOK to qualify his team to the group stages of the competition. He scored the club's first tournament proper goal in theirgroup stage debut on 14 September.[18] He won the attacker of the year award at the end of the2017 Allsvenskan season.[19] On 23 November, Ghoddos scored the winning goal to send his club to theknockout phase of the Europa League.[20]
I believe that the most impressive in the first game was Ghoddos, who is a marvellous player. Technically and tactically, I was impressed by him.
Ghoddos provided two assists in his side's 2–1 win in the second leg of the Europa Leagueround of 32 against EnglishPremier League sideArsenal inLondon, though they were defeated 4–2 on aggregate.[23] He scored his first league goal of the season on 15 April againstIFK Göteborg, and scored afree kick on 30 April againstBrommapojkarna.[24] On 14 May, he scored from a free kick againstAIK in theFriends Arena.[25] He scored another goal in the next game during a derby match againstGIF Sundsvall.[26] Upon returning from theWorld Cup, Ghoddoscaptained his club side and scored a goal in a 2–1 win at Hammarby.[27] He scored another free kick in the following match on 14 July at Malmö FF.[28] Ghoddos scored a brace in the following match against Trelleborg to become joint-top scorer of the2018 Allsvenskan.[29] He subsequently won the Allsvenskan player of the month award for his performances in July.[30]
On 23 August 2018, Ghoddos transferred to FrenchLigue 1 sideAmiens SC signing a five-year contract. The transfer fee paid to Östersund was reported as 40 millionSEK (about €3.8 million) plus bonuses which would make the transfer the third-most expensive in Allsvenskan history afterAlexander Isak andZlatan Ibrahimović.[31][32] However, the transfer was put in doubt byLa Liga newcomersSD Huesca contactingFIFA to enquire about the validity of their own agreement to sign Ghoddos. Ghoddos had signed a contract with the Spanish club which also had a written agreement with Östersund. Previously,Stade Rennais had decided against signing Ghoddos.[33]
Ghoddos made his competitive debut for Amiens on 25 August 2018 in the Ligue 1 4–1 home win overReims, scoring a goal for Amiens in the 58th minute. He thus became the first Iranian player to play inLigue 1.[34][35]
On 29 August 2019, FIFA suspended Ghoddos from all games for four months plus a €4 million fine for his failed transfer to Huesca.[36] On 10 November 2020, theCourt of Arbitration for Sport partially upheld the ruling with the fine being removed but Östersund being banned from signing new players for the next two transfer windows.[37]
On 21 September 2020, Ghoddos joined EnglishChampionship sideBrentford on a one-year loan deal with a subsequent option for a two-year permanent deal.[38] He made his club debut on 1 October 2020 with an assist toMarcus Forss in anEFL Cup match againstFulham.[39] He scored his first goal for the club and provided an assist on 9 January 2021 in anFA Cup match againstMiddlesbrough.[40]
On 14 January 2021, Ghoddos completed a permanent move to Brentford, with a contract that runs until the summer of 2023 with the option for an extra year.[41] He scored his first league goal for the club on 20 January 2021 againstLuton Town.[42] In May 2021, Ghoddos and Brentford clinched promotion to thePremier League, the first top-flight appearance for the club in 74 years.[43] He made his Premier League debut on 21 August 2021 againstCrystal Palace atSelhurst Park.[44] Ghoddos scored his first goal in the Premier League on 30 October 2021 againstBurnley.[45] On 14 May 2023, Brentford announced that Ghoddos would be departing the club at the end of the2022–23 season.[46]
On 25 August 2023, Ghoddos re-signed with Brentford on a one-year deal for the2023–24 season.[47] He scored his first goal of the season after coming on as a substitute in a 3–0 victory against Burnley on 21 October 2023, which was voted thePremier League Goal of the Month on 10 November 2023.[48][49] Ghoddos was released by Brentford when his contract expired at the end of the 2023–24 campaign.[50]
On 29 September 2024, Ghoddos signed forIttihad Kalba on a free transfer.[51]
Due to hisIranian heritage, Ghoddos was eligible to be called up by bothIran andSweden. In December 2016, Ghoddos was called up by Sweden managerJanne Andersson for friendlies againstIvory Coast andSlovakia. He made his debut against the Ivory Coast on 8 January 2017 and scored his first international goal for Sweden in a 6–0 win over Slovakia on 12 January 2017.[52][53]
In June 2017, Ghoddos revealed that he had been approached by theIranian federation.[54] In an interview in July 2017, Ghoddos stated that he may accept an invitation to play forCarlos Queiroz's Iran should he be given one.[55][56] He applied for Iranian citizenship on 21 August, stating that it is an honour to play for Sweden and his decision to represent either country is "fifty-fifty".[57][58] He was not called into Sweden'sWorld Cup qualification squad on 23 August, with Janne Andersson opting to choose expatriate footballers and stating that Ghoddos is not far from a call-up if he were to remain with the Sweden national team.[59]
On 25 August 2017, Ghoddos revealed in an interview that he acquired his Iranian passport from the embassy.[60] The following day, 26 August 2017, he announced on his Instagram page that he would be joining Iran for their2018 World Cup qualifiers againstSouth Korea andSyria.[61] Ghoddos was called up for the first time for theIran senior team training camps on 27 August 2017 by coachCarlos Queiroz for Iran's2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches againstSouth Korea andSyria.[62] After Ghoddos couldn't make his debut for Iran due to administrative issues withFIFA, he was called into Sweden's World Cup qualification squad on 27 September for matches againstLuxembourg andNetherlands.[63] However, on 29 September, theSwedish Football Association released a statement on their website stating Ghoddos had declined the offer, choosing to play for Iran instead.[64] He made his debut for Iran in a 2–0 friendly victory againstTogo on 5 October 2017.[65][66][67] On 9 November, he scored his first goal for Iran in a friendly match againstPanama.[68]
On 13 May 2018, Ghoddos was named in Queiroz's preliminary squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup.[69] In an interview withOlof Lundh in May 2018, Ghoddos stated that if the Swedish federation had contacted him earlier, it's very likely for him to have chosen to represent Sweden, though he does not regret his decision to play for Iran.[70] Club teammateEmil Krafth later added that Ghoddos told him he wanted to play for Sweden.[71][72] He was named in Iran's final 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup on 4 June 2018.[1] Ghoddos made his World Cup debut againstMorocco on 15 June 2018, winning a free kick that led to a goal for Iran’s first World Cup win in twenty years.[73] He was used as a substitute in all three World Cup matches against Morocco,Spain andPortugal.[74] After the World Cup in November 2018, Ghoddos facedconscription issues in Iran.[75]
He was named in Queiroz’s final squad for the2019 AFC Asian Cup on 26 December 2018.[76] In the team's opening match of the tournament, Ghoddos came on as a second-half substitute and scored the final goal in a 5–0 victory overYemen.[77]
In November 2022, Ghoddos was named in the final squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup.[78] The following year, Ghoddos was named in Iran's2023 AFC Asian Cup squad, stating in an interview withOlof Lundh during the tournament that there are certain difficulties with playing for Iran's national team and that their conversations aretaped by government officials.[79]
Ghoddos plays as anattacking midfielder,striker orwinger, and has been praised for his technical ability and clinical finishing.[22]
Ghoddos was born and raised inMalmö and speaksEnglish,Swedish, andPersian. His parents were born in Iran and hail from the city ofAhvaz.[55]
He has a contract with American sportswear supplierNike and wears the Mercurial Vapor line.[80]
Ghoddos was born inMalmö asSaman Ghoddos.[2][3][4][5][8] Upon switching allegiance toIran in 2017, he was given the nameSeyed Saman Ghoddoos in Iran.[1]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Limhamn Bunkeflo | 2011 | Division 1 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 0 | ||
| 2012 | Division 1 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 4 | |||
| Total | 41 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 44 | 4 | ||||
| Trelleborgs FF | 2013 | Division 1 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 1 | ||
| Syrianska FC | 2014 | Superettan | 29 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 32 | 7 | ||
| 2015 | Superettan | 25 | 8 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 29 | 10 | |||
| Total | 54 | 14 | 7 | 3 | — | — | 61 | 17 | ||||
| Östersunds FK | 2016 | Allsvenskan | 27 | 10 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 31 | 12 | ||
| 2017 | Allsvenskan | 23 | 8 | 6 | 6 | — | 13[c] | 5 | 42 | 19 | ||
| 2018 | Allsvenskan | 15 | 9 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 20 | 11 | |||
| Total | 65 | 27 | 15 | 10 | — | 13 | 5 | 93 | 42 | |||
| Amiens | 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 28 | 4 | |
| 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21 | Ligue 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 34 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 37 | 5 | |||
| Brentford (loan) | 2020–21 | Championship | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 19 | 1 | |
| Brentford | 2020–21 | Championship | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 28 | 3 | |
| 2021–22 | Premier League | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 23 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23 | Premier League | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Premier League | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 20 | 1 | ||
| Total | 94 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 0 | — | 108 | 6 | |||
| Kalba | 2024–25 | UAE Pro League | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 4 | ||
| 2025–26 | UAE Pro League | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 335 | 62 | 32 | 14 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 391 | 81 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps1 | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 2017 | 2 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 1 | |
| Iran | 2017 | 4 | 1 |
| 2018 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 15 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 10 | 0 | |
| Total | 65 | 3 | |
| Career total | 67 | 4 | |
International goals
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Sweden goals | |||||||
| 1 | 12 January 2017 | Armed Forces Stadium,Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | 2 |  Slovakia | 6–0 | 6–0 | Friendly |
 Iran goals | |||||||
| 1 | 9 November 2017 | Liebenauer Stadium,Graz, Austria | 3 |  Panama | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 7 January 2019 | Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium,Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | 16 |  Yemen | 5–0 | 5–0 | 2019 AFC Asian Cup |
| 3 | 9 January 2024 | Al Rayyan Training,Al Ryyan, Qatar | 42 |  Indonesia | 1–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
Östersunds FK
Brentford
Individual
Han var med i januari och gjorde det bra, tillsammans med flera andra spelare. Så han är inte jättelångt ifrån, samtidigt är det väldigt svårt att lova spelare som inte är med, att de ska komma med, förklarade Andersson. Det kan jag inte göra och därför kan jag heller inte säga att "om du inte väljer Iran så kommer jag ta ut dig för eller senare." Det är väldigt mycket upp till spelaren, utifrån sin egen syn, sina rötter att själv känna med vad som känns bäst.[He joined in January and did well, along with several other players. So he is not very far away, at the same time it is very difficult to promise players who are not with them, that they will come along, Andersson explained. I can't do that and therefore I can't say that "if you don't choose Iran, I will take you out before or later." It is very much up to the player, based on his own view, his roots, to feel for himself what feels best.]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
