 Ezatolahi training withIran in 2018 | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Saeid Ezatolahi Afagh[1] | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1996-10-01)1 October 1996 (age 29) | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bandar-e Anzali, Iran | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[1] | |||||||||||||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | |||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||
Current team | Shabab Al Ahli | |||||||||||||
| Number | 6 | |||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Shahrdari Bandar Anzali | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2014 | Malavan | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Atlético Madrid | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Malavan | 19 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Atlético Madrid C | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2015–2020 | Rostov | 18 | (2) | |||||||||||
| 2017 | →Anzhi Makhachkala (loan) | 11 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | →Amkar Perm (loan) | 16 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | →Reading (loan) | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | →Eupen (loan) | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2020–2024 | Vejle | 73 | (8) | |||||||||||
| 2022 | →Al-Gharafa (loan) | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2024– | Shabab Al Ahli | 40 | (8) | |||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Iran U17 | 33 | (10) | |||||||||||
| 2014 | Iran U20 | 4 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 2015– | Iran | 81 | (1) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 7 January 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 November 2025 | ||||||||||||||
Saeid Ezatolahi Afagh (Persian:سعید عزتاللهی آفاق; born 1 October 1996) is an Iranian professionalfootballer who plays as adefensive midfielder for clubShabab Al Ahli inUAE Pro League and theIran national team.
Ezatolahi came up throughMalavan'syouth academy and impressed from an early age, making his first team debut in 2012 and being theIran Pro League's youngest ever player at the age of 16. Ezatolahi has earned several accolades, including the Iranian federation'syoung player of the year award. In 2014, he was named one of the most talented football players according to Wonderkids.[2]
Ezatolahi became the youngestgoalscorer in the history of theIran national football team at the age of 19 years and 42 days after scoring in a 3–1 victory againstTurkmenistan on 12 November 2015.[3] This record was broken by 17-year-oldAllahyar Sayyadmanesh on 6 June 2019.[4]
Ezatolahi's father, Nader, and uncle Ghader Ezatolahi played for Malavan in theTakht Jamshid Cup. Saeid started his career withShahrdari Bandar Anzali in 2008 as a youth player.[5]
He moved to theMalavan youth academy in the summer of 2010 and was promoted to the first team in July 2012.
Ezatolahi made his debut againstRah Ahan on 26 October 2012 as a substitute just 25 days after his 16th birthday, making him the youngest ever player in the history of theIran Pro League.[6][7] At the end of the season,Tehran giantsEsteghlal reportedly made an offer for him.[8] He was also awarded the prize foryoung player of the year.[9]
He made his season debut as a regular starter againstSaba Qom.[10] After giving an impressive performance at the2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in October 2013, European clubs likeBesiktas,Lugano andLausanne Sport were reported to follow the youngster closely. In December 2013, Ezatolahi seemed to be on his way to Brazilian Serie A clubAtlético Paranaense, which was rapidly denied by his management. In the first week of December 2013,Rubin Kazan showed concrete interest in Ezatolahi by sending an invitation letter.[11]
Ezatolahi was enrolled for Malavan's2014–15 squad, but he did not play any matches due to finalizing his contract with Atlético.[12]
On 27 August 2014, Ezatolahi signed a one-year contract withSpanish sideAtlético Madrid, with an option to extend for four-years following the end of the 2014–15 season.[13][14] He competed in the2014–15 División de Honor Juvenil de Fútbol forAtlético Madrid.[15] He started in a 4–2 league debut win overAlcorcón on 29 November 2014.[16] He was also added to Atlético's2014–15 UEFA Youth League squad.[17] He scored his first goal in a 3–1 victory against UDC Sur.[18] On 14 February 2015, he scored in a 4–1 win overCF Rayo Majadahonda.[19][20][21] Ezatolahi made hisUEFA Youth League debut on 10 March 2015 in thequarter-finals, playing the full 90 minutes againstChelsea.[22][23]
In April 2015, Ezatolahi practiced with the seniorAtlético Madrid team with managerDiego Simeone.[24][25] On 12 April 2015, Ezatolahi made his debut forAtlético Madrid C in theTercera Division, playing 30 minutes in a 1–0 loss toParla.[26] On 3 May 2015, Ezatolahi assisted a goal in Atlético Madrid C's 1–1 draw againstAlcorcón B.[27] Ezatolahi's good performances with Atlético Madrid C drew interest fromLa Liga clubGetafe CF.[24][28]
At the end of the 2014–15 season, Ezatolahi chose not to sign withAtlético Madrid B, and on 21 July 2015, Ezatolahi joined international teammateSardar Azmoun atRussian Premier League clubRostov with a four-year contract.[29][30] Due toVisa issues, he could not play for Rostov until 2016, and in January 2016, Ezatolahi's Visa issues were resolved.[31] He made his debut for the club on 2 February 2016 playing in a 3–0 friendly win against Chinese sideJiangsu Sainty.[32] Ezatolahi scored his first goal for Rostov on 27 February 2016 in a 2–0 friendly win against Norwegian sideStabæk.[33]
Ezatolahi made his first team debut forRostov on 12 May 2016 in a 3–1 victory againstFC Dynamo Moscow.
On 26 July 2016, Ezatolahi made his first start for Rostov in an official game in the first leg of the2016–17 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round againstR.S.C. Anderlecht and scored a goal in the 16th minute, equalizing the score to 1–1. In the second half of the game, another shot by him from outside of the box was denied by the crossbar, and the game ended with a score of 2–2.[34] He is the first scorer of the club in a European match (not counting theUEFA Intertoto Cup) and also the youngest ever Iranian player to score at the Champions League.[35] He scored his firstRussian Premier League goal for Rostov on 20 August 2016 in a 3–0 victory overFC Tom Tomsk.[36]
His contract withFC Rostov expired in 2016. His agent Mehdi Hagitali said his new team would be a team where he would consistently play.[37] FC Rostov removed him from theirRussian Premier League roster on 31 December 2016.[38]
In February 2017, Ezatolahi was loaned toRussian Premier League sideAnzhi Makhachkala for six months. Ezatolahi made his first appearance for the club on 8 February 2017, coming on as a second-half substitute in a friendly againstDukla Prague. On 24 February 2017, he officially signed a new contract withFC Rostov and finalized the loan deal with Anzhi.[39] In his first league game for Anzhi againstFC Rubin Kazan on 6 March 2017, he was sent-off in the 77th minute after receiving two yellow cards, with his team conceding a goal in an 0–1 loss shortly after.[40] During his loan, he started in only three league games out of 13 that Anzhi played in that span, making additional seven appearances as a substitute, with Anzhi achieving its objective of avoiding relegation from the Russian Premier League.
Upon returning from the Anzhi loan, he didn't make any appearances for FC Rostov in the first eight games of the season, and on 31 August 2017, he joinedFC Amkar Perm on loan until the end of the 2017–18 season.[41] He made his first appearance for Amkar on 21 September 2017 in aRussian Cup match.
The loan contract is reportedly worth €1.3 million.[42]
On 31 August 2018,Reading announced the signing of Ezatolahi on a season-long loan deal fromRostov.[43] He had a couple of man of the match performances in his first few games before an unfortunate season-ending injury.
On 28 August 2019, he moved on loan to the Belgian clubEupen.[44]
In June 2020, he returned to Rostov and became a free agent when his contract expired later that month.[45]
On 20 August 2020, Ezatolahi signed a three-year deal with newly promotedDanish Superliga clubVejle Boldklub.[46]
On 19 January 2022, he was sent on a six-month loan toQatar Stars League clubAl-Gharafa.[47]
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Saeid Ezatolahi participated with theIran U17 national team in all group matches as well as the round of 16 in the2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[48]
He was invited to theIran U20 byAli Doustimehr. He scored his first goal againstthe United Arab Emirates.[49] Ezatolahi played two matches for Iran during the2014 AFC U-19 Championship.
As the2016 AFC U-23 Championship was not held during theFIFA International Match Calendar, Ezatolahi was not released by Rostov.[50]
He was invited to theIran senior national team camp byCarlos Queiroz on 16 May 2015.[51] Ezatolahi was included in the final list for thefriendly match againstUzbekistan and the2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier againstTurkmenistan. He debuted as a starter against Uzbekistan on 11 June 2015 in a 1–0 win.[52] He scored his first senior national team goal during his fourth cap on 12 November 2015 in a 3–1 World Cup qualifying win over Turkmenistan.[53] He became the youngest goal scorer for the Iranian national team at the age of 19 years and 42 days.[3] In May 2018, he was named in Iran's preliminary squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[54][55] He missed Iran's first group match againstMorocco because of a red card in qualification but played other two matches againstSpain andPortugal. He was ruled out of Iran's squad for2019 AFC Asian Cup because of injury.
-15.jpg)
Ezatollahi is son of Nader Ezatolahi, an Iranian football coach inMalavan Academy who is also his agent.
In 2019, Ezatollah published a rap song supporting the Iranian team at2019 AFC Asian Cup since he got injured playing for Reading before the cup and could not be with the team.
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Malavan | 2012–13 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 21 | 0 | |||||
| Atlético Madrid C | 2014–15 | Tercera División | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Rostov | 2015–16 | Russian Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | — | 17 | 2 | ||||
| 2017–18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | — | 18 | 2 | ||||
| Anzhi (loan) | 2016–17 | Russian Premier League | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 0 | |||
| Amkar Perm (loan) | 2017–18 | Russian Premier League | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | ||
| Reading (loan) | 2018–19 | EFL Championship | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| Eupen (loan) | 2019–20 | Belgian First Division A | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| Vejle | 2020–21 | Danish Superliga | 29 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 32 | 4 | |||
| 2021–22 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | 17 | 2 | |||||
| 2022–23 | Danish First Division | 20 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 24 | 2 | ||||
| 2023–24 | Danish Superliga | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 73 | 8 | 11 | 1 | — | — | — | 84 | 9 | |||||
| Al-Gharafa (loan) | 2021–22 | Qatar Stars League | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| Shabab Al Ahli | 2023–24 | UAE Pro League | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 14 | 2 | |||
| 2024–25 | 20 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 7 | ||
| 2025–26 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 1 | ||
| Total | 40 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 65 | 10 | ||
| Career total | 184 | 18 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 243 | 22 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iran | 2015 | 4 | 1 |
| 2016 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 16 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 81 | 1 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 November 2015 | Azadi Stadium,Tehran, Iran |  Turkmenistan | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Vejle
Shabab Al Ahli
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