 Iraj playing at1970 Asian Champion Club Tournament | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1951-03-11)11 March 1951 | ||
| Place of birth | Tehran,Iran[1] | ||
| Date of death | 12 December 2018(2018-12-12) (aged 67) | ||
| Place of death | Shiraz,Iran | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1970–1972 | Taj | ||
| 1972–1974 | Oghab | ||
| 1974–1977 | Pas | ||
| 1977–1980 | Taj | ||
| 1980–1984 | Tulsa Roughnecks | 67 | (3) |
| 1980–1984 | Tulsa Roughnecks(indoor) | 32 | (12) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 1977–1980 | Iran | 17 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 August 2006 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 30 August 2006 | |||
Iraj Danaeifard (Persian:ايرج دانايی فرد, 11 March 1951 – 12 December 2018) was an Iranianfootball player who played most of his career forTaj and also theIran national football team.
Danaeifard became involved in football at a young age. His father,Ali Danaeifard was one of the founders ofTaj SC football club. He became famous in Iran while playing for the club, winning the Iranian league in1971. He also played forOghab F.C. andPas F.C., where he won the IranianTakht Jamshid in1977. In 1977, he returned to Taj.[1]
In 1980, he moved to the United States and started playing for theNASL team, theTulsa Roughnecks. He remained in the club until 1984 when the league folded, and retired from football soon thereafter.
Danaeifard was invited to thenational team for the first time in 1977 and helped the team qualify for1978 World Cup. He played well in the tournament and many still remember his goal againstScotland, which was Iran's first goal ever at a World Cup. After theAsian Cup in Kuwait in 1980 and reaching the third place he retired from international football with 17 caps and 3 goals for his country.[1]
Danaeifard died on 12 December 2018 of liver failure.[2][3][4] He was 67.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 7 Jun 1978 | Estadio Chateau Carreras,Córdoba,Argentina |  Scotland | 1–1 | D | 1978 FIFA World Cup | |||||||||||
| 2. | 5 Sep 1980 | Al-Ain Stadium,Al-Ain,United Arab Emirates |  United Arab Emirates | 2–0 | W | Friendly | |||||||||||
| 3. | 24 Sep 1980 | Sabah Al Salem Stadium,Kuwait City,Kuwait |  North Korea | 3–2 | W | 1980 AFC Asian Cup | |||||||||||
| Correct as of 24 July 2021[5] | |||||||||||||||||
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