Ali Daei

Who is this?

Ali Daei (born 21 March 1969) is an Iranian former professional footballer and manager who played as a striker. He was the captain of the Iranian national team between 2000 and 2006 and played in the Bundesliga for Arminia Bielefeld, Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin. He is regarded as one of the greatest Iranian footballers of all time as well as one of the greatest footballers from Asia. Daei is the all-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. He was the world's top international goal-scorer with 109 goals until his record was broken by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2021 and went to third after being surpassed again by Lionel Messi in 2024. During his playing career, Daei was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2001. Following his retirement, Daei served as a member of the FIFA Football Committee between 2007 and 2013. In 2014, he was inducted into the Asian Football Hall of Fame.

Career

1. 1969
   Born
2. 1990
   Joined Bank Tejarat F.C.
3. 1993
   Joined Iran men's national football team
4. 1994
   Joined Persepolis F.C.
5. 1996
   Joined Al Sadd Sports Club
6. 1997
   Joined Arminia Bielefeld
7. 1998
   Joined FC Bayern Munich
8. 1999
   Joined Hertha BSC
9. 2002
   Joined Al Shabab Al Arabi Club
10. 2002
    Joined Iran national under-23 football team
11. 2003
    Joined Persepolis F.C.
12. 2004
    Joined Saba Qom F.C.
13. 2006
    Joined Saipa F.C.

Trivia

• •Place of birth: Tehran
• •Citizenship: Pahlavi Iran
• •Known as: association football player, entrepreneur, businessperson, association football coach
• •Sport: association football