 Daei in 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ali Daei[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1969-03-21)21 March 1969 (age 56) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ardabil,Imperial State of Iran | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1987 | Esteghlal Ardabil | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1989 | Esteghlal Ardabil | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Taxirani | 20 | (14) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1994 | Bank Tejarat | 75 | (49) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | Persepolis | 38 | (23) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Al Sadd | 16 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Arminia Bielefeld | 25 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Bayern Munich | 23 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2002 | Hertha BSC | 59 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Al Shabab | 21 | (11) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Persepolis | 28 | (16) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Saba Battery | 51 | (23) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Saipa | 26 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 382 | (175) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–2006 | Iran[a] | 148 | (108) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | Iran Olympic (Wild Card) | 3 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Saipa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Iran Students | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Iran | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Persepolis F.C. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Rah Ahan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Persepolis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Saba Qom | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Naft Tehran | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | Saipa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ali Daei (Persian:علی داییⓘpronounced[ʔæliːdɑːjiː]; born 21 March 1969) is an Iranianfootball manager and former professional footballer. Astriker, he was thecaptain of theIranian national team between 2000 and 2006. He played in theGermanBundesliga forArminia Bielefeld,Bayern Munich andHertha Berlin. He is regarded as one of the greatest Iranian footballers of all time as well as one of the greatest footballers fromAsia.[4] Daei is theall-time Asian men's top goal scorer in international football (108).
A tall forward, Daei was a prolific goal-scorer, who was known for his heading accuracy and ability in the air.[5] He was the world's top international goal-scorer with109 goals[6] until his record was broken byCristiano Ronaldo in 2021 and went to third after being surpassed again byLionel Messi in 2024. During his playing career, Daei was appointed aUNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2001.[7] Following his retirement, Daei served as a member of theFIFA Football Committee between 2007 and 2013.[8][9] In 2014, he was inducted into theAsian Football Hall of Fame.[10]
Daei was born inArdabil,Imperial Iran, to anIranian Azerbaijani family.[11] Daei graduated fromSharif University of Technology inMaterials Engineering (Metallurgical) with a BSc. degree. He began his playing career at 19 with his hometown club Esteghlal Ardabil. His next club was Taxirani F.C. inTehran, where he played for one season, before joining another Tehran-based club,Bank Tejarat. His tenure with Bank Tejarat lasted four years, scoring 49 goals in 75 games.[12]
After his success with Bank Tejarat FC, in 1994, Daei joined one of Tehran's leading clubs,Persepolis. He scored 23 goals in 38 games for the club from 1994 to 1996. Following his impressive performance in theAsian Cup in 1996, he moved toAl Sadd for the 1996–1997 season before joiningBundesliga sideArminia Bielefeld in 1997 alongside fellow Iranian national teammateKarim Bagheri.
Yet at Bayern, he found himself low in the pecking order. This, coupled with the Iranian national team's scheduling, Daei had found very little time for playing. Daei was unhappy with his club position and decided to move toHertha BSC before the end of his three-year contract when Bayern won the championship title in the 1999Bundesliga.
Daei became the first Asian player to feature in aUEFA Champions League match. He scored his first and second goal in the UEFA Champions League on 21 September 1999 in a group stage match againstChelsea, won by Hertha 2–1.[13] He also scored in a 1–1 draw againstA.C. Milan at theSan Siro.[14] At Hertha he was a hugely influential player since he was only one of the squad's many successful players, who were to fulfill Hertha's Bundesliga andUEFA Champions League dreams.
Daei was playing in numerous continental friendlies against world-class opposition, yet was still unable to maintain a stable position in his club's starting line-up. In 2001, he was not among the top scorers in the Asian Qualifying round and he did not manage to take the team into the World Cup as captain for the first time. He joined theUAE league at 34 years of age, signing a contract withAl-Shabab as a free agent. In 2003, Daei quit theUAE team and joined his team inTehran,Persepolis. Daei moved from Persepolis toSaba Battery on a free transfer for a modest contract of around $300,000.
He spent two years at Saba Battery, scoring 23 goals, winning theHazfi Cup and participating in theAsian Champions League. AfterWorld Cup 2006 and the arrival of Saba Battery's new manager,Farhad Kazemi, it was announced that he was no longer needed on the team and his contract would not be renewed. Despite rumors of retirement, he signed for another industry-linked club from Tehran,Saipa, on 1 August 2006.[15]
On 6 March 2007, Ali Daei was fined $2000 and suspended for four games by the Iranian Football Federation after the incidents in a league game where he delivered a head-butt to the face ofSheys Rezaei.[16]
On 28 May 2007, afterSaipa won the2006–07 Persian Gulf Cup in a match vsMes Kerman, Daei announced his retirement from playing club football and that he would concentrate on his coaching career.[17]
Daei was named the World's top scorer in official international competitions by theInternational Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), having scored 20 goals in competitive matches for Iran in 1996, including his famous four-goal haul againstSouth Korea inAsian Cup 1996. By the end of the 1996 Asian Cup, he had scored 29 goals in 38 appearances for Iran. In the1998 World Cup qualifying campaign, he was again on top of the charts, scoring nine goals in 17 matches for Iran, reaching at that time, 38 goals in 52 appearances for his country.
Daei joined the exclusive circle of players with a century ofcaps. In a 28 November 2003Asian Cup qualifier inTehran againstLebanon, he scored his 85th international goal, elevating him past the HungarianFerenc Puskás to top theall-time list of scorers in international matches.[18] On 17 November 2004, he scored four goals againstLaos in aWorld Cup qualifier, giving him 102 goals and making him the first male player to score 100 goals in international play. He has 148 caps forIran and, as of December 2025, is ranked joint 48th among theworld's most capped players list.[19]
Daei made his debut forTeam Melli at the1993 ECO Cup tournament held in Tehran. He continued his national team appearances and was named the top scorer of the final Asian round of1994 FIFA World Cup qualifications with four goals in 5 matches.
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On 17 November 2004, Daei became the first male footballer with100 international goals when he scored four times againstLaos in a2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier.[20][21][22]
Despite criticism, Daei played in the2006 FIFA World Cup; the complaints, however, were directed more at his fitness and the inability of younger players to play a part in the World Cup. From Iranian media calling for his retirement, Ali Daei has always defended his position inTeam Melli and has rejected that he was too old to play for the team.[23][24]
Daei ended his international career with 109 goals (since downgraded to 108),[25] an all-time record[26] which stood until September 2021 when it was surpassed by Portuguese strikerCristiano Ronaldo.[27] "I am honoured that this remarkable achievement will belong to Ronaldo," Daei wrote onInstagram.[28]
Daei captainedIslamic Azad University football team in2007 World Interuniversity Games, scoring a hat-trick in the final match againstUniversity of Osijek and winning the gold medal.[29]
In the2007 Summer Universiade, Daei was in charge as the head coach of the Iran student's national team.[30]
He was technical manager of theIslamic Azad University team in the2009 World Interuniversity Games.[31]
On 8 October 2006, upon the sudden leave ofSaipa's German coachWerner Lorant, he was appointed as the interim manager of Saipa.[32] He was later officially announced as the full-time manager. On 28 May, Saipa became the Persian Gulf Cup champions in Daei's first season at the helm. Going into his second season as manager, Daei relinquished his playing duties for the defending champions and found himself on the sidelines full-time. The results of Saipa's2007–2008 campaign were not nearly as successful as his team finished 11th in the 18 teamsIran Pro League table. However, Daei did lead Saipa to anAsian Champions League quarterfinal berth before leaving to take over as thefull-time manager of theIranian national football team.
On 2 March 2008,IRIFF officially appointed Ali Daei asTeam Melli's new head coach. Despite admitting that his appointment as manager of the Iranian national team was a "surprise",[33] Daei refused to leave his current coaching job atSaipa F.C., therefore taking on dual managerial careers until after Saipa had entered the Asian Champion League quarterfinals, after which Daei left Saipa by mutual consent. While Daei guided Iran to a respectable 16–6–3 mark, his third loss on 28 March 2009 to aSaudi Arabian team that was down 1–0 to Iran in Tehran proved to be the final straw.
During his tenure as the National Team coach, the Iranian team managed the weakest World Cup Qualification results, with only one win out of 5 WCQ games. After the loss in the 2010 World Cup Qualifier, Daei was fired as head coach after the match. While introducing many new players, such asGholamreza Rezaei, andEhsan Hajsafi, Daei's squad was often in flux as to who would be invited to a fixture. Many critics also pointed towards the failures of Daei's team to score and an unsolved weakness in the central defense as causes for his downfall.
In 2009, Daei turned down a job offer as manager ofRah Ahan.[34] It was widely believed that Daei could be next-in-line for the coaching position ofPersepolis. Still, the club choseZlatko Kranjčar. On 28 December 2009, Daei was chosen as a coach of Persepolis. At the end of the 2009–10 Season, Persepolis finished fourth in the league, but they becameHazfi Cup champions. In theHazfi Cup final, Persepolis defeatedAzadegan League sideGostaresh Foolad Tabriz 4–1 on aggregate to qualify for the2011 AFC Champions League. In the 2010–11 season, Persepolis finished fourth in the league and was eliminated in thegroup stage of the2011 AFC Champions League but at the end of the season, Persepolis won the2010–11 Hazfi Cup after defeating rivals Sepahan, Foolad and Malavan. Daei had many people against him while at Persepolis, including the chairmanHabib Kashani and after contention with Kashani, he stated that "I won't work with Kashani Anymore".[35]
On 20 June 2011, Technical committee of Persepolis re-appointed Daei as Persepolis's head coach[36] but he resigned on 21 June.[37] The technical committee choseHamid Estili as Daei's successor on that day.[38] During his time at Persepolis, Daei brought up many youngsters such asHamidreza Ali Asgari andSaman Aghazamani and other players such asHadi Norouzi andMaziar Zare were chosen for Team Melli thanks to Daei. Despite the fact that many challenges and difficulties, such as the leaders of fans and the clubs' Chairman Kashani were in Daei's way, Persepolis was crowned Hazfi Cup Champions for two successive years, and the fans themselves always loved and cheered Daei. Still, at the same time, they did not cheer for any player. Under the management of Daei, Persepolis won back-to-back trophies for the first time in 13 seasons.
On 14 July 2011, Daei signed a one-year contract as head coach ofRah Ahan.[39] In his first match as head coach of Rah Ahan, he made a 2–2 draw withZob Ahan. In his first season as Rah Ahan's head coach, he led the club to the 11th position.
During the2012–13 season, Ali Daei used many young players such asMojtaba Shiri andOmid Alishah. Rah Ahan finished the season in 8th place, the clubs' best finish in the league since 1937. Thanks to Daei's popularity, more people started to watch Rah Ahan's matches, and for the second straight year, Daei beat his former clubPersepolis.
Despite many rumors that Daei will leave Rah Ahan for other clubs such as Persepolis orTractor, he decided to stay with the club "to build a team that can qualify for theAFC Champions League." However, his contract was terminated on 20 May 2013, making way for him to become head coach ofPersepolis.
On 20 May 2013, he signed a three-year contract to become head coach ofPersepolis after a long negotiation.[40] It was the second time that he signed with Persepolis, he returned to his former side after two seasons. He officially began his work with Persepolis on 1 June 2013. His first match came againstTractor, which Persepolis won 1–0, with the goal coming fromMehdi Seyed Salehi. At the end of his first year at Persepolis, his side finished runners-up, two points less than the championsFoolad.
He was sacked on 10 September 2014 after a poor start of2014–15 season.[41]
On 1 July 2015, Daei became head coach ofSaba Qom, signing a two-year contract. In two seasons with Saba, he finished ninth and seventh in the Persian Gulf Pro League. He left Saba a few weeks before the 2016–17 season due to uncertainty in the Saba's ownership situation.
Daei became manager ofNaft Tehran on 5 July 2016 by signing a two-year contract, replacingAlireza Mansourian.[42][43] He led Naft to theHazfi Cup title. Still, he left the club at the end of the season.
Daei became manager ofSaipa on 14 May 2017, a club where he started his coaching career in 2006 and led them to the league title in 2007. He led the club for two seasons and was sacked at the end of2018–19 season.
Daei was one of the Personnel involved in the2022 FIFA World Cup draw held in Qatar on 1 April 2022.[44][45]
Iranian journalistCamelia Entekhabifard wrote in her memoirs that she married Daei in 1997, but the couple separated.[46]
Daei owns his own football jersey manufacturing company calledDaei Sport's Wears & Equipments, making sportswear forIran sporting clubs in various fields and league clubs worldwide. His company also made jerseys for thenational team. He has made significant charitable donations and has made appearances in charity football matches worldwide (featuring in the World vs. Bosnia match withRoberto Baggio and others). He also appeared in aUNICEF commercial withDavid Beckham andMadeleine Albright, and has regularly been seen working with the organization.
Daei featured on 18 July 2007 in90 Minutes for Mandela, a match between the Africa XI and the Rest of the World XI to celebrate the birthday ofNelson Mandela.[47] Daei played approximately 10 minutes in the match which ended 3–3.
Daei is a follower ofShia Islam. While he played for Bayern Munich, he refused to hold a glass of beer for anErdinger advertisement because alcoholic beverages are forbidden in his religion.[48]
In April 2008, Daei announced that he had begun writing an autobiography, due to be released in March 2010, and that despite reflecting on "bitter and sweet memories," he stated he would "keep some of his secrets in his heart forever".[citation needed] The book has not yet been released.
On 17 March 2012, Daei's car overturned while driving back to Tehran from Isfahan with his brother. Just before the accident, his team,Rah Ahan, had been beaten bySepahan. Daei was then transferred to a hospital nearKashan. Rah Ahan's Media Officer, Hossein Ghadousi stated that "Daei is in a stable condition with regards to his vital signs and is not currently in any acute danger as a result of the accident".[49] He was transferred toLaleh hospital inTehran the following day.
A statement from theAsian Football Confederation (AFC) said: "The AFC wishes Iranian legend Ali Daei, who was involved in a car accident on Saturday, a speedy and full recovery. We stand ready to assist Daei, a true icon of Asian football. Our thoughts and prayers are with him."[50]Sepp Blatter, President ofFIFA, said on his personalTwitter page that he was shocked to hear Daei was injured. He also wished for his recovery.[51][52]
In November 2020, Daei was attacked by two thieves while they were trying to steal his gold necklace inTehran.[53][54]
Police announced that the two thieves were arrested a few days after they attacked Daei.[55][56]
On 26 December 2022, Daei said that an international flight carrying his wife, Mona Farrokhazari, and daughter, which was heading toDubai was forced to return toKish Island, due to his support foranti-government protests.[57]
| Country | Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Iran | Persepolis | 1994–95 | Azadegan League | 25 | 15 | 0 | — | 25 | 15 | ||||
| 1995–96 | 13 | 8 | — | 4[b] | 2 | 2[c] | 1 | 19 | 11 | ||||
| Total | 38 | 23 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 44 | 26 | ||||
| Qatar | Al Sadd | 1996–97 | QSL | 16 | 10 | 2 | 0 | — | 18 | 10 | |||
| Total | 16 | 10 | 2 | 0 | — | 18 | 10 | ||||||
| Germany | Arminia Bielefeld | 1997–98 | Bundesliga | 25 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 7 | ||
| Bayern Munich | 1998–99 | 23 | 6 | 4 | 5[d] | 0 | 32 | 6 | |||||
| Hertha BSC | 1999–2000 | 28 | 3 | 2 | 13[d] | 4 | 1[e] | 0 | 44 | 7 | |||
| 2000–01 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 5[f] | 2 | 2[e] | 32 | 5 | |||||
| 2001–02 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1[f] | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 59 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 88 | 12 | |||
| UAE | Al Shabab | 2002–03 | UPL | 21 | 11 | 0 | — | 21 | 11 | ||||
| Total | 21 | 11 | 0 | — | 21 | 11 | |||||||
| Iran | Persepolis | 2003–04 | Iran Pro League | 28 | 16 | 2 | 1 | — | 30 | 17 | |||
| Saba Battery | 2004–05 | 25 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 30 | 15 | ||||||
| 2005–06 | 26 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 35 | 20 | |||
| Total | 51 | 23 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 65 | 35 | |||
| Saipa | 2006–07 | Iran Pro League | 26 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | 27 | 10 | ||||
| Total | 26 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | 27 | 10 | ||||||
| Career total | 287 | 112 | 24 | 6 | 34 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 351 | 134 | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iran | 1993 | 16 | 7 |
| 1994 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1995 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 18 | 22 | |
| 1997 | 17 | 9 | |
| 1998 | 13 | 9 | |
| 1999 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2000 | 18 | 19 | |
| 2001 | 16 | 10 | |
| 2002 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2003 | 9 | 5 | |
| 2004 | 16 | 17 | |
| 2005 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2006 | 6 | 2 | |
| Total | 148 | 108 | |
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Win % | |||
| Saipa | 1 October 2006 | 1 June 2008 | 67 | 27 | 21 | 19 | 77 | 69 | +8 | 040.30 |
| Iran | 1 March 2008 | 30 March 2009 | 25 | 16 | 6 | 3 | 42 | 15 | +27 | 064.00 |
| Persepolis | 28 December 2009 | 22 June 2011 | 64 | 33 | 14 | 17 | 94 | 71 | +23 | 051.56 |
| Rah Ahan | 14 July 2011 | 31 May 2013 | 69 | 21 | 25 | 23 | 80 | 79 | +1 | 030.43 |
| Persepolis | 1 June 2013 | 10 September 2014 | 40 | 20 | 11 | 9 | 49 | 26 | +23 | 050.00 |
| Saba Qom | 1 July 2015 | 3 July 2016 | 31 | 10 | 15 | 6 | 32 | 25 | +7 | 032.26 |
| Naft Tehran | 5 July 2016 | 13 May 2017 | 36 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 46 | 36 | +10 | 041.67 |
| Saipa | 14 May 2017 | 1 May 2019 | 51 | 24 | 17 | 10 | 68 | 62 | +6 | 047.06 |
| Total | 380 | 161 | 119 | 100 | 484 | 377 | +107 | 042.37 | ||
Persepolis
Bayern Munich
Saba Battery
Saipa
Iran U23
Iran
Saipa
Iran
Persepolis
Naft Tehran
Born to Iranian Azeri parents in the ancient northwestern city of Ardabil, Daei's father did not want him to pursue football until he graduated from high school.
| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Iran Pro League Winning Manager 2006–07 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | Iran national football team captain 2000–2006 | Succeeded by |
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