_(cropped).jpg) Jahanbakhsh withIran in the2022 FIFA World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alireza Jahan Bakhsh Jirandeh[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1993-08-11)11 August 1993 (age 31)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Jirandeh, Iran[2] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Winger,Attacking midfielder[2] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | SC Heerenveen | |||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 30 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Payam Alborz Qazvin[2] | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Persian Qazvin[2] | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Damash Gilan[2] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Damash Tehran | 12 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Damash Gilan | 44 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | NEC | 55 | (17) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | AZ | 85 | (34) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2021 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 50 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2024 | Feyenoord | 71 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | SC Heerenveen | 12 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2013 | Iran U20 | 17 | (11) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2015 | Iran U21 | 6 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2013– | Iran | 91 | (17) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 January 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 March 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Persian:علیرضا جهانبخش,romanized: Jahânbaxš Jirende,pronounced[æliːɾezɑːdʒæhɑːnˈbæxʃ][clarification needed]; born 11 August 1993) is an Iranian professionalfootballer who plays as aright winger andattacking midfielder for DutchEredivisie clubSC Heerenveen andcaptains theIran national team.
In 2014 Jahanbakhsh was voted the second greatest young talent of the 2013–14Eredivisie season.[3] In the2017–18 Eredivisie season, Jahanbakhsh scored 21 league goals, making him the first Asian player to become top scorer in a major European league.[4][5]
Internationally, Jahanbakhsh represented Iran at theFIFA World Cup in2014,2018 and2022, and theAFC Asian Cup in2015,2019 and2023. He also played for the nation at both theunder-20 andunder-21 levels.
Jahanbakhsh was born on 11 August 1993 inJirandeh, a small city located inRudbar County,Gilan Province. He grew up inQazvin and is an ethnicTat.[2][6][7]
Jahanbakhsh played most of his youth inRasht and PersianQazvin before joining the youth academy ofDamash Tehran in 2008. Jahanbaksh started his career inTehran withDamash Tehran, an affiliate of Damash Gilan in the2nd Division. In 2011, Jahanbakhsh returned to Gilan and at the age of 17. In 2011, Jahanbakhsh played his first game forDamash Gilan in theIran Pro League againstMes as one of Damash's youngest ever players.[8][9] Jahanbakhsh scored his first goal on 15 January 2012 in a 1–0 victory againstFajr. In 42 league appearances with Damash, he scored 10 goals.
Though he was expected to join Iran's giants,Persepolis, On 26 May 2013, Jahanbakhsh reached a verbal agreement with Dutch Eredivisie outfitNEC for a three-year deal. This deal was subject to a medical examination and obtaining a visa and work permit.[10][11] He officially joined the club on 1 July 2013. He made his debut as a substitute in a league match againstGroningen on 3 August 2013.[12] He scored his first goal in an 8–0 win overHarkemase Boys in theKNVB Cup.[13] On 1 December 2013, Jahanbakhsh scored two goals and assisted the other in a 3–2 league match win overAZ Alkmaar.[14] On 22 December, he scored and assisted atFC Groningen while providing a secondary assist on 15 February 2014 against RKC Waalwijk. On 22 March, when NEC were down 2–0 at halftime, Jahanbakhsh came on as a substitute after the half and provided an assist toMichael Higdon in their 2–2 draw atHeerenveen.[15]
On the final day of the2013–14 season, Jahanbakhsh scored two late goals againstAjax to save NEC from automatic relegation, instead securing a relegation playoff spot.[16][17][18] Jahanbakhsh was originally voted the Eredivisie's greatest talent of the season before becoming runner-up toMemphis Depay.[19][20]
On the opening day of the2014–15 Jupiler League, Jahanbakhsh scored a goal in a 3–1 win againstFC Eindhoven.[21] On 29 August, he scored two goals and provided two assists in a 4–1 win atHelmond Sport.[22] On 20 September, he scored againstFC Emmen to help bring NEC to the top of the league table.[23] Three days later, on 23 September, AJ scored afree kick in extra time and converted a penalty in their win againstAjax II atAmsterdam during the second round of the2014–15 Dutch Cup.[24][25] On 3 October, he scored a goal and provided an assist in a 2–1 win againstAlmere City to send NEC to theEredivisie play-offs as quarter-season league champions.[26][27] On 17 October 2014, Jahanbakhsh was named the Best Player of the First Period of the2014–15 Jupiler League.[28]
On 28 November, he opened the scoring with avolley and provided two assists in a 5–1 win overJong Twente.[29] On 1 February 2015, in his first game upon his return from the2015 AFC Asian Cup, he scored abicycle kick and was namedman of the match in the 3–1 win overHelmond Sport.[30][31] On 13 February, he scored a goal and provided two assists in a 3–2 win overFC Emmen with another goal againstAchilles '29 days later to bring his tally to 4 goals in 5 consecutive matches after the Asian Cup.[32][33]
At the end of the season, Jahanbakhsh was selected by fans as NEC's player of the season.[34] On 12 May 2015 Jahanbakhsh was voted as the Eerste Divisie's best player for the 2014–15 season, with twelve goals and eighteen assists in the league.[35][36]
On 3 August 2015, Jahanbakhsh signed a five–year contract with Dutch clubAZ Alkmaar.[37][38] He was given number nine as his jersey number, and made hisEredivisie debut for AZ on 12 September 2015 in a 3–1 win overDe Graafschap.[39] Jahanbakhsh made hisUEFA Europa League debut in a 2–1group stage win overAthletic Bilbao on 1 October 2015.[40] Jahanbakhsh recorded his first assist for AZ on 21 November 2015 in a 3–1 victory againstHeerenveen. Jahanbakhsh scored his first goal for AZ on 30 January 2016 in a match against his former clubNEC.[41] He scored his second goal of the season and also recorded his fourth assist on 13 February 2016 in a 6–3 victory overHeracles Almelo.
In June 2016 Jahanbakhsh switched from number 9 to number 7 for the upcoming 2016–17 season.[42] On 2 July 2016, in AZ's first preseason match, Jahanbakhsh recorded a goal and an assist in his team's 5–1 victory. On 28 August he scored his first goal of the season againstFC Utrecht. The match was ended 2-1 which Jahanbakhsh scored the winning goal.
On 13 January 2017, Jahanbakhsh scored a brace and recorded an assist, as well as being named man of the match in a 3–1 victory againstGo Ahead Eagles. On 21 August 2016, he scored his first goal of the season in a 2–1 win overUtrecht.[43] On 16 February 2017, he scored his first everEuropean goal in a 4–1 loss toLyon in Round of 32 of theEuropa League.[44]
Jahanbakhsh was named the best winger of the 2016–17 season in the Dutch League.[45]
Jahanbakhsh scored a hat trick and recorded an assist on 18 April 2018 against Vitesse in the2017–18 Eredivisie.[46] Jahanbakhsh scored another hat trick on the last match day to become the leading goal scorer of the Eredivisie season with 21 goals, and also finished joint third with 12 assists.[5] He became the first Asian player ever to become the top goalscorer in a top level European league.[47]
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On 25 July 2018, Jahanbakhsh transferred toPremier League sideBrighton & Hove Albion for an undisclosed club record fee, signing a five-year contract.[48] He announced on hisInstagram that he will wear number 16, the same number he used to wear in his first season atNEC.[49]
On 11 August 2018, Jahanbakhsh made his debut for Brighton as a substitute in the club's opening match of thePremier League season againstWatford.[50] Even though he played 25 matches in the season due to injuries and poor performance he amounted no goals and no assists.[51]
With the managerial change at Brighton withGraham Potter replacingChris Hughton, Jahanbakhsh rarely found himself in the match squad until 8 December 2019 when he came on as a substitute in a match againstWolverhampton. On 28 December 2019, he scored his first goal for the club on his first start againstBournemouth. Jahanbakhsh was overcome with emotion and was seen crying after scoring his first ever goal for his club.[52] On 1 January 2020, he scored an equalising bicycle kick goal for Brighton againstChelsea. The goal against Chelsea was later voted by people as thePremier League Goal of the Month for January, in which Jahanbakhsh described it as the best goal he has ever scored.[53]
Jahanbakhsh came on as a sub in theBrighton's opening day of the season in a 3–1 home loss against Chelsea in the league.[54] He scored a cracker in the next game, a 4–0 home thrashing overPortsmouth in theEFL Cup on 17 September.[55] He scored again 6 days later again coming in the EFL Cup, this time a 2–0 away win overPreston.[56] Jahanbakhsh started in Brighton's 3–2 home victory over championsManchester City on 18 May 2021, with fans returning to football. Brighton came back from 2–0 down to secure their first win overThe Sky Blues since 1989.[57]
On 17 July 2021,Feyenoord announced that Jahanbakhsh had joined the club on a 3-year contract with an option for a fourth year.[58] He made his debut for Feyenoord on 29 July in the second leg of theUEFA Europa Conference League tie againstFC Drita where he started the match but later substituted in the 3–2 home victory, with Feyenoord also going through 3–2 on aggregate.[59] He scored his first two goals for the club on 12 August, scoring Feyenoord's first two goals in a 3–0 win againstFC Luzern in thethird qualifying round of the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League.[60] Jahanbakhsh made his league debut for theRotterdam side on 22 August starting in the 2–0 home victory overGo Ahead Eagles.[61]
On 6 November 2024, Jahanbakhsh signed a contract with Dutch Eredivisie club SC Heerenveen until the end of the season.[62]
Jahanbakhsh was part of the squad that played at the2010 AFC U-19 Championship in China, playing in two games. Being only 16 at the start of the championships in 2010, he continued at the same age group, captaining thenational under-20 team for their successful2012 AFC U-19 Championship qualification by scoring 5 goals in four appearances. At thechampionships, he added two more to his tally against theUnited Arab Emirates andSouth Korea.[63]
Jahanbakhsh was called intoIran'sOlympicqualifiers in March 2015 and was named teamcaptain.[64] With the presence of Jahanbakhsh the under-23 team qualified to the2016 AFC U-23 Championship inQatar. As the2016 AFC U-23 Championship was not held during theFIFA International Match Calendar, Jahanbakhsh was not released by AZ Alkmaar.[65]
On 5 October 2013, Jahanbakhsh was called up toTeam Melli in a2015 Asian Cup qualifier againstThailand by managerCarlos Queiroz, and he served his first cap as a substitute in the 82nd minute.[66][67] His first national team goal came in his second game on 15 November in a 3–0 win at Thailand.[68] On 1 June 2014, he was called into Iran's2014 FIFA World Cup squad by Queiroz.[69] He played in all three matches againstNigeria,Argentina andBosnia and Herzegovina. He was called into Iran's2015 AFC Asian Cup squad on 30 December 2014 by Queiroz.[70]
In May 2018, he was named in Iran's squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[71] He played all three group matches againstMorocco,Spain andPortugal.
In December 2018, Jahanbakhsh was selected forIran's 23-man squad for the2019 AFC Asian Cup.[72] On 16 January 2019, he made his competitive debut in a 0–0 draw againstIraq in the last match of the group stage.[73] In the latter match, he scored his first goal in the tournament in the 2–0 victory againstOman.[74]
Jahanbakhsh was called up for Iran's2022 FIFA World Cup campaign.[75] He played in Iran's first two games againstEngland andWales. In these games he accumulated two yellow cards which resulted in his suspension for Iran's final game of the tournament against theUnited States.[76]
On 2 January 2024, he was named in the Iranian squad for the2023 AFC Asian Cup.[77] During the competition's quarter-finals againstJapan, he converted a penalty in the stoppage time to grant his country a 2–1 victory and qualification to the semi-finals.[78]
Jahanbakhsh has been compared to Iranian legendMehdi Mahdavikia.[79] In Holland, Jahanbakhsh established himself as a dangerous and pacy player.[80]In several interviews Jahanbakhsh revealed his life time dream is to play inBundesliga, although there is huge interest in him from Italian and English sides declaring that as a kid he grew up watching his idolsAli Daei,Ali Karimi andVahid Hashemian play forBayern Munich and Mehdi Mahdavikia forHamburger SV.[81][82]
In January 2020, Jahanbakhsh said that he posted onInstagram a photo of Iranian major generalQasem Soleimani, who was assassinated by US at the2020 Baghdad International Airport airstrike, and that the post was taken down.[83]
Jahanbakhsh is outfitted by German sportswear manufacturerAdidas.[84]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Damash Tehran | 2010–11 | Iranian 2nd Division | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | |||
| Damash Gilan | 2011–12 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 2 | |||
| 2012–13 | 28 | 8 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | 32 | 9 | |||||
| Total | 44 | 10 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | 50 | 11 | |||||
| NEC | 2013–14 | Eredivisie | 27 | 5 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 2[c] | 0 | 33 | 6 | ||
| 2014–15 | Eerste Divisie | 28 | 12 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 31 | 13 | ||||
| Total | 55 | 17 | 7 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 64 | 19 | ||||
| AZ | 2015–16 | Eredivisie | 23 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 3[d] | 0 | — | 29 | 3 | ||
| 2016–17 | 29 | 10 | 4 | 0 | — | 9[d] | 1 | 1[c] | 1 | 43 | 12 | |||
| 2017–18 | 33 | 21 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | 39 | 22 | |||||
| Total | 85 | 34 | 13 | 1 | — | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 111 | 37 | |||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2018–19 | Premier League | 19 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 2 | ||||
| 2020–21 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 25 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 50 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 61 | 4 | ||||
| Feyenoord | 2021–22 | Eredivisie | 27 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 14[e] | 4 | — | 42 | 8 | ||
| 2022–23 | 28 | 5 | 4 | 0 | — | 8[d] | 3 | — | 40 | 8 | ||||
| 2023–24 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 5[f] | 1 | 1[g] | 0 | 23 | 1 | |||
| Total | 71 | 9 | 6 | 0 | — | 27 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 105 | 17 | |||
| Heerenveen | 2024–25 | Eredivisie | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 329 | 74 | 39 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 39 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 415 | 90 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iran | 2013 | 3 | 1 |
| 2014 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2022 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 15 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 91 | 17 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 15 November 2013 | Rajamangala Stadium,Bangkok, Thailand |  Thailand | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
| 2. | 24 March 2016 | Azadi Stadium,Tehran, Iran |  India | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 1 September 2016 |  Qatar | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 4. | 13 November 2017 | Stadion de Goffert,Nijmegen, Netherlands |  Venezuela | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 5. | 16 October 2018 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran |  Bolivia | 1–0 | 2–1 | |
| 6. | 20 January 2019 | Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium,Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |  Oman | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2019 AFC Asian Cup |
| 7. | 6 June 2019 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran |  Syria | 1–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 8. | 11 June 2021 | Bahrain National Stadium,Riffa, Bahrain |  Cambodia | 1–0 | 10–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9. | 3 September 2021 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran | Syria | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10. | 7 September 2021 | Khalifa International Stadium,Doha, Qatar |  Iraq | 1–0 | 3–0 | |
| 11. | 12 October 2021 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran |  South Korea | 1–1 | 1–1 | |
| 12. | 29 March 2022 | Imam Reza Stadium,Mashhad, Iran |  Lebanon | 2–0 | 2–0 | |
| 13. | 12 June 2022 | Suheim bin Hamad Stadium,Doha, Qatar |  Algeria | 1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 14. | 13 June 2023 | Dolen Omurzakov Stadium,Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |  Afghanistan | 4–0 | 6–1 | 2023 CAFA Nations Cup |
| 15. | 17 October 2023 | Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan | Qatar | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2023 Jordan International Tournament |
| 16. | 3 February 2024 | Education City Stadium,Al Rayyan, Qatar |  Japan | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2023 AFC Asian Cup |
| 17. | 7 February 2024 | Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar | Qatar | 2–2 | 2–3 |
NEC
AZ
Feyenoord
Iran U20
Iran
Individual
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