Farhad Majidi
Encyclopedia
Farhad Majidi is an Iran
ian football
striker
who currently plays for Esteghlal in Iran's Premier Football League
. He was also a member of Iran national football team
.
was not accepted by the Austrians, and they released Majidi who joined Al-Wasl
in the UAE.
In the UAE League
and in combination with his compatriot Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht
, Majidi scored a handful of goals and topped the league chart with Al Wasl FC
. Majidi was unlucky with injuries and was out of action for quite a few matches.
One of the highlights of Majidi's career was his short loan to Al-Ain
. Majidi was the star of the AFC Champions League 2002-03
semi-final game against Dalian Shide. His goal helped Al Ain to reach the AFC Champions League
final match, eventually winning the trophy for the first time in the club's history.
All together in the 5 years Majidi played for Al Wasl FC he scored over 100 goals. He left Al Wasl in 2006, joining another UAE club, Al-Nasr.
On February 10, 2007 Majidi signed a contract until the end of the season with Al-Ahli. At the end of the season, Majidi signed a season-long contract with Esteghlal.He extended his contract with Esteghlal for two more season and he was mostly used as the attacking midfielder in 2008-09 season where they won the league.He had a very good season in 2009-10 season where he was the top scorer of the team and one of the top scorers of ACL
. He continued to be one of the influential players for the team in the next season and is one of the main players for the team.
|rowspan="2"|2002-03 ||rowspan="1"|Al Wasl
||rowspan="7"|UAE Football League
||||12||||||colspan="2"|–||||
|-
|rowspan="1"|→ Al Ain
||colspan="4"|–||4||1||4||1
|-
|2003-04||rowspan="2"|Al Wasl
||||13||||||colspan="2"|–||||
|-
|2004-05 ||||7||||||colspan="2"|–||||
|-
|2005-06||→ Al Ahli (loan)||23||11||||||colspan="2"|–||||
|-
|rowspan="2"|2006-07||rowspan="1"|Al Nasr
||||3||||1||colspan="2"|–||||4
|-
||Al Ahli||5||1||||0||colspan="2"|–||||1
|-
|-
|2007-08||rowspan="5"|Esteghlal||rowspan="5"|Persian Gulf Cup
|22||7||6||2||colspan="2"|–||28||9
|-
|2008-09
||23||3||2||1||5||0||30||4
|-
|2009-10||30||10||1||1||7||5||38||16
|-
|2010-11||26||10||2||1||6||5||34||16
|-
|2011-12||13||7||1||0||0||0||14||7
|-
||47||||||4||1||||
114||37||12||5||18||10||144||52
|||84||||||21||10||||
.He was mostly benched by Branko Ivankovic
because of Ali Daei
and Arash Borhani
and decided to leave Team Melli camp in 2004 just before the 2004 AFC Asian Cup
. As of 2007, he has 41 appearances in official international matches for Team Melli, scoring 10 goals.He was invited by Amir Ghalenoei
and Afshin Ghotbi
in 2006 and 2009 for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification
and 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification
. He was again invited on 23 August 2011 by Carlos Queiroz
. He was the oldest player in the Iran national football team since he had been a member of the team since 1996, however he does not have many international caps. Farhad Majidi and the Persepolis F.C. captain, Ali Karimi
, were considered two of the fans' favorite players during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
. On 27 September 2011, Majidi annonced his retirement from international playing.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
who currently plays for Esteghlal in Iran's Premier Football League
Iran's Premier Football League
The Iran Pro League , is a professional football league competition for clubs located at the highest level of the Iranian football league system.The league system resembles the system being used in England currently...
. He was also a member of Iran national football team
Iran national football team
The national football team of Iran represents Iran in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran...
.
Club career
Having played for Esteghlal for several seasons, Majidi's performance attracted Rapid Vienna to recruit him for one season. However, the asking price for a permanent transfer to AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
was not accepted by the Austrians, and they released Majidi who joined Al-Wasl
Al Wasl FC
Al Wasl Sports Club is a multi-sports club in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. It is best known for its football team.-The Cheetahs:Being one of the most popular clubs in the UAE, AlWasl have had several nicknames. The most famous one being...
in the UAE.
In the UAE League
UAE League
The UAE Pro League Committee , commonly known as PLC, is the professional association football league of the United Arab Emirates. Founded in 1973, the league currently holds a number of tournaments for the 12 participating teams, including the Etisalat Pro-League, the Etisalat Cup, Etisalat...
and in combination with his compatriot Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht
Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht
Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht is an Iranian professional football player.-Club career:Starting out in F.C. Aboomoslem and then being transferred to Esteghlal F.C., he improved in a short period of time...
, Majidi scored a handful of goals and topped the league chart with Al Wasl FC
Al Wasl FC
Al Wasl Sports Club is a multi-sports club in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. It is best known for its football team.-The Cheetahs:Being one of the most popular clubs in the UAE, AlWasl have had several nicknames. The most famous one being...
. Majidi was unlucky with injuries and was out of action for quite a few matches.
One of the highlights of Majidi's career was his short loan to Al-Ain
Al Ain FC
Al-Ain Sports and Cultural Club is a professional association football and mult-sports club based in the city of Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates. The football section of Al Ain won the 2003 AFC Champions League competition with a 2-1 aggregate victory over BEC Tero Sasana of Thailand.Al Ain...
. Majidi was the star of the AFC Champions League 2002-03
AFC Champions League 2002-03
The 2002–03 AFC Champions League was the 22nd edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament and the 1st edition under the current AFC Champions League title...
semi-final game against Dalian Shide. His goal helped Al Ain to reach the AFC Champions League
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League is the premier Asian club football competition hosted annually by Asian Football Confederation . The tournament is contested among the top thirty-two clubs from the top 10 Asian leagues, two of which must qualify through the playoffs...
final match, eventually winning the trophy for the first time in the club's history.
All together in the 5 years Majidi played for Al Wasl FC he scored over 100 goals. He left Al Wasl in 2006, joining another UAE club, Al-Nasr.
On February 10, 2007 Majidi signed a contract until the end of the season with Al-Ahli. At the end of the season, Majidi signed a season-long contract with Esteghlal.He extended his contract with Esteghlal for two more season and he was mostly used as the attacking midfielder in 2008-09 season where they won the league.He had a very good season in 2009-10 season where he was the top scorer of the team and one of the top scorers of ACL
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League is the premier Asian club football competition hosted annually by Asian Football Confederation . The tournament is contested among the top thirty-two clubs from the top 10 Asian leagues, two of which must qualify through the playoffs...
. He continued to be one of the influential players for the team in the next season and is one of the main players for the team.
Club career statistics
|-|rowspan="2"|2002-03 ||rowspan="1"|Al Wasl
Al Wasl FC
Al Wasl Sports Club is a multi-sports club in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. It is best known for its football team.-The Cheetahs:Being one of the most popular clubs in the UAE, AlWasl have had several nicknames. The most famous one being...
||rowspan="7"|UAE Football League
||||12||||||colspan="2"|–||||
|-
|rowspan="1"|→ Al Ain
Al Ain FC
Al-Ain Sports and Cultural Club is a professional association football and mult-sports club based in the city of Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates. The football section of Al Ain won the 2003 AFC Champions League competition with a 2-1 aggregate victory over BEC Tero Sasana of Thailand.Al Ain...
||colspan="4"|–||4||1||4||1
|-
|2003-04||rowspan="2"|Al Wasl
Al Wasl FC
Al Wasl Sports Club is a multi-sports club in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. It is best known for its football team.-The Cheetahs:Being one of the most popular clubs in the UAE, AlWasl have had several nicknames. The most famous one being...
||||13||||||colspan="2"|–||||
|-
|2004-05 ||||7||||||colspan="2"|–||||
|-
|2005-06||→ Al Ahli (loan)||23||11||||||colspan="2"|–||||
|-
|rowspan="2"|2006-07||rowspan="1"|Al Nasr
Al-Nasr Sports Club
Al-Nasr Sports Club , is a professional association football club located in Dubai and plays in the UAE Pro-League. Al-Nasr, literally translating to "victory" in Arabic was founded in 1945 and considered as the first and the oldest club in the UAE...
||||3||||1||colspan="2"|–||||4
|-
||Al Ahli||5||1||||0||colspan="2"|–||||1
|-
|-
|2007-08||rowspan="5"|Esteghlal||rowspan="5"|Persian Gulf Cup
|22||7||6||2||colspan="2"|–||28||9
|-
|2008-09
Persian Gulf Cup 2008-09
The following is the standings of the Persian Gulf Cup's 2008/09 football season. This season will be the 8th season since the establishment of the Iran Pro League . Persepolis are the defending champions.-Teams:...
||23||3||2||1||5||0||30||4
|-
|2009-10||30||10||1||1||7||5||38||16
|-
|2010-11||26||10||2||1||6||5||34||16
|-
|2011-12||13||7||1||0||0||0||14||7
|-
||47||||||4||1||||
114||37||12||5||18||10||144||52
|||84||||||21||10||||
- Assists
Season Team Assists 07/08 Esteghlal 2 08/09 Persian Gulf Cup 2008-09The following is the standings of the Persian Gulf Cup's 2008/09 football season. This season will be the 8th season since the establishment of the Iran Pro League . Persepolis are the defending champions.-Teams:...Esteghlal 3 09/10 Esteghlal 2 10/11 Esteghlal 5 11/12 Esteghlal 1
International career
He made his debut for Iran national football team in December 1996 in the 1996 Asian Cup match against Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia national football team
Saudi Arabia national football team is the national team of Saudi Arabia and is controlled by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation...
.He was mostly benched by Branko Ivankovic
Branko Ivankovic
Branko Ivanković is a Croatian football coach and former player. After a 12-year playing career at Varteks Varaždin, Ivanković started his coaching career at the same club in 1991. He led the Iranian national football team at the 2006 World Cup...
because of Ali Daei
Ali Daei
Ali Daei is an Iranian retired football player and former national team coach who currently manages a local Iranian team, Rah Ahan. He is a former captain of the Iran national football team, and is the world's all-time leading goalscorer in international matches...
and Arash Borhani
Arash Borhani
Arash Borhani is an Iranian football player who currently plays for Esteghlal in Iran's Premier Football League and is a member of Iran national football team....
and decided to leave Team Melli camp in 2004 just before the 2004 AFC Asian Cup
2004 AFC Asian Cup
The 2004 AFC Asian Cup football competition is the thirteenth staging of AFC Asian Cup. It was held from July 17 to August 7, 2004 in China. The defending champions Japan defeated China in the final in Beijing....
. As of 2007, he has 41 appearances in official international matches for Team Melli, scoring 10 goals.He was invited by Amir Ghalenoei
Amir Ghalenoei
Amir Ghalenoei is an Iranian football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of Tractor Sazi...
and Afshin Ghotbi
Afshin Ghotbi
Afshin Ghotbi is an Iranian-American football coach and current head coach of the Japanese side Shimizu S-Pulse in J-League.-Early life:Though his family were from Shiraz, Mr. Afshin Ghotbi was born in the country's capital Tehran...
in 2006 and 2009 for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification
2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification
The 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification was held in late 2005 and the final qualification round was held from February to November 2006 with 25 nations participating....
and 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification
2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification
The 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification saw various countries take part to determine 10 spots to the final tournament in Qatar under the new qualification system set by the Asian Football Confederation ....
. He was again invited on 23 August 2011 by Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Manuel Brito Leal Queiroz ComIH is a Portuguese football manager. He is currently the manager of the Iran national football team. A former manager of Real Madrid, and Portugal national football team, he has also twice been Alex Ferguson's assistant manager at English club Manchester...
. He was the oldest player in the Iran national football team since he had been a member of the team since 1996, however he does not have many international caps. Farhad Majidi and the Persepolis F.C. captain, Ali Karimi
Ali Karimi
Mohammad Ali Karimi Pashaki better known as Ali Karimi, is an Iranian professional footballer who is currently playing for Persepolis in Iran Pro League. He was awarded the Asian Footballer of the Year in 2004....
, were considered two of the fans' favorite players during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2014 FIFA World Cup will feature 32 teams. One place was allocated to the hosts, , but no automatic place is given to the defending champions, . The remaining 31 places will be determined by a qualification process, in which entrants from among the other 207 teams from the six FIFA...
. On 27 September 2011, Majidi annonced his retirement from international playing.
Club
- Iran's Premier Football LeagueIran's Premier Football LeagueThe Iran Pro League , is a professional football league competition for clubs located at the highest level of the Iranian football league system.The league system resembles the system being used in England currently...
- Winner: 1
- 2008-09 with Esteghlal
- Runner up: 1
- 2010-112010–11 Persian Gulf CupThe 2010–11 Persian Gulf Cup was the tenth season of the Iran Pro League and the fifth under the name Persian Gulf Cup. It began on 26 July 2010 and ended on 20 May 2011. Sepahan, the defending champion, repeated their title in this season...
with Esteghlal
- 2010-11
- Third Place: 1
- 2009-10 With Esteghlal
- Winner: 1
- Azadegan League
- Winner: 2
- 1997-98 with Esteghlal
- 2000-01 with Esteghlal
- Winner: 2
- Hazfi CupHazfi CupThe Hazfi Cup is a knockout cup competition in Iranian football, run by the Iranian Football Federation. The competition wasn't regarded important by clubs until the IRIFF decided to award one of Iran's four AFC Champions League spots to the champion....
- Winner: 1
- 2007-08 with Esteghlal
- Runner up: 1
- 1998-99 with Esteghlal
- Winner: 1
- UAE Football League Winner:1
- 2005-2006 with Al-Ahli Dubai
- AFC Champions LeagueAFC Champions LeagueThe AFC Champions League is the premier Asian club football competition hosted annually by Asian Football Confederation . The tournament is contested among the top thirty-two clubs from the top 10 Asian leagues, two of which must qualify through the playoffs...
- winner: 1
- 2002-2003 with Al-Ain
- Runner up: 1
- 1998–99 with Esteghlal
- winner: 1