 Ghayedi withEsteghlal in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mehdi Ghayedi[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1998-12-05)5 December 1998 (age 27) | ||
| Place of birth | Bushehr, Iran[1] | ||
| Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Al-Nasr | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2012 | Iranjavan | ||
| 2012–2013 | Esteghlal Bushehr | ||
| 2013–2016 | Shahin Bushehr | ||
| 2016 | Iranjavan | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Iranjavan | 29 | (10) |
| 2017–2021 | Esteghlal | 81 | (19) |
| 2021–2025 | Shabab Al Ahli | 22 | (4) |
| 2022–2023 | →Esteghlal (loan) | 29 | (12) |
| 2023–2025 | →Kalba (loan) | 48 | (28) |
| 2025– | Al-Nasr | 6 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017 | Iran U20 | 2 | (1) |
| 2018–2020 | Iran U23 | 8 | (2) |
| 2020– | Iran | 27 | (9) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 6 January 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 25 March 2025 | |||
Mehdi Ghayedi (Persian:مهدی قایدی; born 5 December 1998) is an Iranian professionalfootballer who plays as awinger orsecond striker forUAE Pro League clubAl-Nasr and theIran national team.
Ghayedi was born inBushehr and began his career at the youth level with local sideIranjavan Bushehr.[3] After his promotion to the senior squad, he was named the 2016–17Azadegan League Young Player of the Season for scoring 10 league goals.[4]
On 8 June 2017, Ghayedi signed a three-year contract withEsteghlal.[5] Upon signing, he was given the number 16.[6]
At the start of the 2017–18 season, theFFIRI barred Ghayedi from playing for Esteghlal, along with club teammatesMajid Hosseini andOmid Noorafkan, as the three were expected to join the Iran under-23 training camp.[7] However, the order was cancelled on 29 July 2017, with Ghayedi missing only the first week of the new season.[8] He made his debut for Esteghlal as a substitute on 4 August 2017 in a 0–0 draw againstEsteghlal Khuzestan, becoming the youngest league player to ever play for the club.[9][10] Despite limited minutes, Ghayedi was praised on his debut for his skills and effort.[11]
Ghayedi made his first start for the club in a 3–0 victory over Sepahan on 6 December 2017.[12] On 25 January 2018, he was namedman of the match for his performance in a 4–0 victory againstPars Jonoubi Jam, during which he provided anassist and won apenaltykick.[13]
On 29 January 2018, Ghayedi was involved in a serious car crash in his hometown of Bushehr, along with friends and a cousin, who died a few days later.[14] As a result of the accident, Ghayedi required surgery on hisspleen and was ruled out for the rest of the season.[15] A day later, Esteghlal beatSanat Naft inHazfi Cup, and Ghayedi's teammates dedicated the victory to him.[16]
During the summer of 2021, Ghayedi was heavily linked with a move toQatari sideAl-Gharafa.[17] However on 23 August 2021, he signed forEmerati sideShabab Al Ahli on a five-year contract.[18]
Ghayedi was selected by managerAmir Hossein Peiravani to join theIran under-20 team for the2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. After sitting on the bench for Iran's opening match againstCosta Rica, Ghayedi made his tournament debut againstZambia, playing for 18 minutes in Iran's 4–2 defeat.[19] He also played for a few minutes againstPortugal as Iran lost the match and was knocked out of the competition.[20]
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On 8 October 2020, Ghayedi made his senior international debut in afriendly againstUzbekistan.[21]
Ghayedi often usesnutmeg skill for dribbling in one-on-one situations. He is also known for his use of long range shots.[22]
On 24 January 2026, Ghayedi shared on Instagram a poem by the 11th-century Persian poetFerdowsi, "Surely, come to mourn with us... from the sight of the blood that has fallen to the earth." He did so in reaction to a video from the2025–2026 Iranian protests showing a father inKahrizak searching for the body of his son, who waskilled by regime forces.[23] On 31 January, rumors began circulating that Ghayedi would withdraw from the national team in response to the government's suppression of the protests; however, theFFRI dismissed the claims as false.[24]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | goals | ||
| Iranjavan | 2016–17 | Azadegan League | 29 | 10 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 30 | 10 | ||
| Esteghlal | 2017–18 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | – | 15 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | – | 15 | 3 | ||
| 2019–20 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 30 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 6[b] | 3 | – | 41 | 15 | ||
| 2020–21 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 29 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 6[b] | 3 | – | 40 | 9 | ||
| Total | 81 | 19 | 14 | 2 | 16 | 6 | – | 111 | 27 | |||
| Shabab Al Ahli | 2021–22 | UAE Pro League | 22 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 5 |
| Esteghlal (loan) | 2022–23 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 29 | 12 | 5 | 0 | – | 1[c] | 0 | 35 | 12 | |
| Kalba FC (loan) | 2023–24 | UAE Pro League | 25 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 34 | 16 |
| 2024–25 | UAE Pro League | 23 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 19 | |
| Total | 48 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 60 | 34 | ||
| Al-Nasr | 2025–26 | UAE Pro League | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 4 |
| Career total | 215 | 75 | 28 | 8 | 17 | 6 | 13 | 3 | 273 | 92 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iran | 2020 | 2 | 1 |
| 2021 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 15 | 7 | |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 27 | 9 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 November 2020 | Koševo City Stadium,Sarajevo,Bosnia and Herzegovina |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 11 June 2021 | Bahrain National Stadium,Riffa,Bahrain |  Cambodia | 9–0 | 10–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 9 January 2024 | Al Rayyan Training,Al Rayyan,Qatar |  Indonesia | 4–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 4 | 5–0 | |||||
| 5 | 14 January 2024 | Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar |  Palestine | 3–0 | 4–1 | 2023 AFC Asian Cup |
| 6 | 19 January 2024 | Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar |  Hong Kong | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2023 AFC Asian Cup |
| 7 | 26 March 2024 | Ashgabat Stadium,Ashgabat,Turkmenistan |  Turkmenistan | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 10 September 2024 | Hazza bin Zayed Stadium,Al-Ain,United Arab Emirates |  United Arab Emirates | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 14 November 2024 | New Laos National Stadium,Vientiane,Laos |  North Korea | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Esteghlal[25]
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