Mehdi Mahdavikia
Encyclopedia
Mehdi Mahdavikia is an Iran
ian football
player who plays for Damash Gilan
in the Iranian Pro League. He has won Asian Young Footballer of the Year
award in 1997, as well as Asian Footballer of the Year
in 2003. He was the captain of the Iran national football team
from 2006 to 2009, and currently is the third most capped Iranian International After Ali Daei
and Ali Karimi
. As a product of Bank Melli
, He joined Persepolis and after his performance in FIFA World Cup 1998, he was transferred to Hamburger SV
in Fußball-Bundesliga
, where he played for eight seasons. He usually plays as a right winger or full-back. He is known for his crossing, speed and dribbling.
before moving to VfL Bochum
in Germany. After Bochum's relegation, he signed for Bundesliga side Hamburg
where he stayed for the next eight seasons.
His initial position for HSV was right fullback, from which he was known for his attacking runs, as he has previous experience as a right winger and at times has played as a striker
. He also played some matches for PAS Tehran F.C. in Asian games as help for the club. Mahdavikia under coach Frank Pagelsdorf
used to play wide striker. For the 2006–07 Bundesliga season he has moved back to his natural position of right wing, in support of Center Midfielder Rafael van der Vaart
. He was awarded Hamburg Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004 by the fans, and also attained the envious title of the top assister of goals in the Bundesliga
. However, compared to his previous season, he had a poor season in 2004–05 and was benched. In the 2005–06 season he has gained his old form back and was able to regain his spot as a starter, being influential in many of Hamburg's victories, such as scoring the winning goal against Bundesliga heavyweights Schalke
.
Mehdi Mahdavikia's strongest points are his vision, passing skills, fast paced runs, and set-pieces such as corners, spotkicks and free kicks
. He is usually the right-footed alternative to Van der Vaart's well known left foot. Apart from being a total professional on the pitch, he is also known as a perfect gentleman off the pitch, always finding the time for fans and reporters to answer questions or sign autographs.
His nickname in Hamburg is The Carpet (der Teppich) for his ability to "magically glide past" his opponents like the enchanted carpet
.
On 8 June 2007 he signed a 3-year contract with Eintracht Frankfurt
.
In his first season he had two bad injuries that forced him to miss many matches.In the second season he was mostly benched and not used in many matches which showed that the club did not want him anymore. After 255 Games (26 goals, 55 assists) in the Fußball-Bundesliga for HSV, Bochum and Eintracht Frankfurt, left Germany to sign for Steel Azin
in January 2010.
On 4 July 2011, Mahdavikia sign a contract with Amir Abedini
, President of the Damash Gilan F.C.
to join to the club for one year.
|-
|1995–96||rowspan="3"|Persepolis
||rowspan="3"|Azadegan League||11||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||11||1
|-
|1996–97||28||9||2||2||7||1||37||12
|-
|1997–98||15||8||0||0||4||3||19||11
|-
54||18||2||2||11||4||67||24
|-
|-
|1998–99||Bochum||Bundesliga||12||3||0||0||colspan="2"|-||12||3
|-
12||3||0||0||0||0||12||3
|-
|1999–00||rowspan="8"|Hamburg
||rowspan="8"|Bundesliga||29||4||1||0||0||0||30||4
|-
|2000–01||29||5||1||1||2||0||32||6
|-
|2001–02||10||1||0||0||colspan="2"|-||10||1
|-
|2002–03||26||2||0||0||colspan="2"|-||26||2
|-
|2003–04||30||5||0||0||2||0||32||5
|-
|2004–05||26||2||0||0||0||0||26||2
|-
|2005–06||31||5||0||0||9||0||40||5
|-
|2006–07||27||2||0||0||6||0||33||2
|-
208||26||2||1||19||0||229||27
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="3"|Eintracht Frankfurt
||rowspan="3"|Bundesliga||20||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||20||0
|-
|2008–09||12||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||14||0
|-
|2009–10
||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0
|-
32||0||2||0||0||0||34||0
|-
|-
|2009–10
||rowspan="2"|Steel Azin||rowspan="3"|Pro League||8||2||3||2||colspan="2"|-||11||4
|-
|2010–11
||26||2||0||0||colspan="2"|-||26||2
|-
|2011-12||Damash
||8||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||8||0
96||22||5||4||11||4||106||30
252||29||4||1||19||0||275||30
348||49||9||5||30||4||381||60
|}
award in 1997, Mahdavikia was considered Iran's best player in the 1998 FIFA World Cup
and was named in the list from which the team of the tournament was chosen. In 2003, he was awarded Asian Player of the Year by the Asian Football Confederation
. He was also the top assister in the 2004 Asian Cup, exhibiting stunning form to steer Iran's attack to superb attacking football. He played in four Asian Cups (1996, 2000, 2004, 2007) and two World Cups (1998, 2006).
Mahdavikia was one of the influential players that played in Iran's crucial 1–0 victory over Bahrain
to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
held in Germany. Following the FIFA World Cup in Germany, 2006, Mahdavikia was expected to assume the role of Captain in the Iranian national side, replacing Ali Daei
and Yahya Golmohammadi
who had publicly announced their intention to retire after the tournament. Mahdavikia was given the captain's band on 16 August 2006 in an Asian Cup qualifier versus Syria
.
Mahdavikia has reportedly been forced to "retire" from international football after wearing a green bracelet in the final World Cup 2010 qualification match against the Republic of Korea. The green bracelet was a sign of support for those protesting the highly contested Iranian presidential election
.
He was forced to retire from Team Melli
after 13 years and playing in 2 World Cups (1998, 2006), 4 Asian Cups (1996, 2000, 2004, 2007), 1 Asian Games tournament (1998), 4 World Cup qualifying campaigns (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010), 3 Asian Cup qualifying campaigns (2000, 2004, 2007) and one AFC/OFC Cup.
|-
|1996||3||0
|-
|1997||21||5
|-
|1998||17||2
|-
|1999||2||0
|-
|2000||15||2
|-
|2001||11||1
|-
|2002||0||0
|-
|2003||3||0
|-
|2004||10||1
|-
|2005||7||1
|-
|2006||7||0
|-
|2007||6||0
|-
|2008||3||1
|-
|2009||6||0
|-
!Total||111||13
|}
With Hamburger SV
With Persepolis F.C.
In April 2006, Mahdavikia caused a stir when it came out he married a second wife named Samira while being in his native Iran, thus practising bigamy
. He himself has stated that he made a "big mistake", was "lured into a trap" and ended the affair after a short while. As of May 2006, Mahdavikia plans to prosecute Samira for slander.
Mahdavikia's brother, Hadi
currently plays for Homa F.C. and his nephew, Mostafa
plays for Foolad Natanz
.
's match against Juventus
in the Champions League
. He was the impetus that rallied Hamburg back after being down 3–1 by scoring once, assisting one and winning a penalty for Hamburg that saw Hamburg take a 4–3 lead; Juve managed to equalise with an Inzaghi penalty.
Another famous game in the HSV shirt came in week 30 of the 2002–03 season. Mahdavikia scored one and assisted another two goals in Hamburg's 4–0 win over 1. FC Nuremberg. Kicker gave him a much rare perfect note of 1.0.
Mehdi's greatest national team match, arguably, was against South Korea in the 2004 Asia Cup where he assisted three goals in Iran's 4–3 win. Many also point to his dynamic game against the United States
in World Cup 1998
that saw him score Iran's second and winning goal, as his best ever. Another excellent match where he scored two great goals was against China in the qualification round for the 1998 World Cup when he was just 20 years old.
|
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...
player who plays for Damash Gilan
Damash Gilan F.C.
Sports Club Damash Gilan is an Iranian football club based in Rasht, Gilan. They compete in the Iran Pro League. Damash Football Club is owend by mineral water company Damash Iranian....
in the Iranian Pro League. He has won Asian Young Footballer of the Year
Asian Young Footballer of the Year
The Asian Young Footballer of the Year award is presented to the best young football player from AFC. Officially awarded since 1995.- Winners :-Wins By Country:-See also:* Asian Footballer of the Year* AFC...
award in 1997, as well as Asian Footballer of the Year
Asian Footballer of the Year
The Asian Footballer of the Year is an award that annually honors Asian footballer each year, has been conferred by Asian Football Confederation since 1994...
in 2003. He was the captain of the 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...
from 2006 to 2009, and currently is the third most capped Iranian International After 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 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....
. As a product of Bank Melli
Bank Melli F.C.
Bank Melli F.C. was an Iranian football club based in Tehran as the Sports subordinate of Bank Melli Iran. The club which was famous for having a weighty Youth system, is now dissolved.- Players :...
, He joined Persepolis and after his performance in FIFA World Cup 1998, he was transferred to Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
in Fußball-Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
, where he played for eight seasons. He usually plays as a right winger or full-back. He is known for his crossing, speed and dribbling.
Club career
Mehdi first played for Persepolis club in his native IranIran
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...
before moving to VfL Bochum
VfL Bochum
Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft, commonly referred to as simply VfL Bochum, is a German association football club based in the city of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia.-Founding to World War II:...
in Germany. After Bochum's relegation, he signed for Bundesliga side Hamburg
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
where he stayed for the next eight seasons.
His initial position for HSV was right fullback, from which he was known for his attacking runs, as he has previous experience as a right winger and at times has played as a 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...
. He also played some matches for PAS Tehran F.C. in Asian games as help for the club. Mahdavikia under coach Frank Pagelsdorf
Frank Pagelsdorf
Frank Pagelsdorf is a German football manager formerly managing Al-Nasr Sports Club.-Coaching career:He was manager of Hamburger SV from 1997 to 2001. He has also had a brief time as manager in UAE.-External links:* *...
used to play wide striker. For the 2006–07 Bundesliga season he has moved back to his natural position of right wing, in support of Center Midfielder Rafael van der Vaart
Rafael van der Vaart
Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart is a Dutch footballer who plays for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Dutch national team. His preferred position is as an attacking midfielder; he can, however, also operate in other positions, such as second striker...
. He was awarded Hamburg Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004 by the fans, and also attained the envious title of the top assister of goals in the Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
. However, compared to his previous season, he had a poor season in 2004–05 and was benched. In the 2005–06 season he has gained his old form back and was able to regain his spot as a starter, being influential in many of Hamburg's victories, such as scoring the winning goal against Bundesliga heavyweights Schalke
FC Schalke 04
Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
.
Mehdi Mahdavikia's strongest points are his vision, passing skills, fast paced runs, and set-pieces such as corners, spotkicks and free kicks
Direct free kick
A direct free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football following a foul. Unlike an indirect free kick, a goal may be scored directly against the opposing side without the ball having first touched another player.-Award:...
. He is usually the right-footed alternative to Van der Vaart's well known left foot. Apart from being a total professional on the pitch, he is also known as a perfect gentleman off the pitch, always finding the time for fans and reporters to answer questions or sign autographs.
His nickname in Hamburg is The Carpet (der Teppich) for his ability to "magically glide past" his opponents like the enchanted carpet
Magic carpet
A magic carpet, also called a flying carpet, is a legendary carpet that can be used to transport persons who are on it instantaneously or quickly to their destination.-In literature:...
.
On 8 June 2007 he signed a 3-year contract with Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt is a German sports club, based in Frankfurt, Hesse that is best known for its association football club.- Club origins :...
.
In his first season he had two bad injuries that forced him to miss many matches.In the second season he was mostly benched and not used in many matches which showed that the club did not want him anymore. After 255 Games (26 goals, 55 assists) in the Fußball-Bundesliga for HSV, Bochum and Eintracht Frankfurt, left Germany to sign for Steel Azin
Steel Azin F.C.
Steel Azin Football Club is an Iranian football club based in Semnan, Iran.The club is owned by Hossein Hedayati, owner of Steel Azin Co.Steel Azin club also had a volleyball team, sponsored by the same Company, which competed in the Iranian Volleyball Super League.-Ekbatan football club:Ekbatan...
in January 2010.
On 4 July 2011, Mahdavikia sign a contract with Amir Abedini
Amir Abedini
Amir Abedini is an Iranian football club chairman, former professional footballer and member of the City Council of Tehran.Abedini played for Persepolis and Paykan in the 1960s....
, President of the Damash Gilan F.C.
Damash Gilan F.C.
Sports Club Damash Gilan is an Iranian football club based in Rasht, Gilan. They compete in the Iran Pro League. Damash Football Club is owend by mineral water company Damash Iranian....
to join to the club for one year.
Club Career Statistics
- Last Update: 8 August 2011
|-
|1995–96||rowspan="3"|Persepolis
Persepolis FC
Persepolis Football Club is an Iranian football club based in Tehran. Persepolis F.C. is the football club of the multisport Persepolis Athletic and Cultural Club....
||rowspan="3"|Azadegan League||11||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||11||1
|-
|1996–97||28||9||2||2||7||1||37||12
|-
|1997–98||15||8||0||0||4||3||19||11
|-
54||18||2||2||11||4||67||24
|-
|-
|1998–99||Bochum||Bundesliga||12||3||0||0||colspan="2"|-||12||3
|-
12||3||0||0||0||0||12||3
|-
|1999–00||rowspan="8"|Hamburg
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
||rowspan="8"|Bundesliga||29||4||1||0||0||0||30||4
|-
|2000–01||29||5||1||1||2||0||32||6
|-
|2001–02||10||1||0||0||colspan="2"|-||10||1
|-
|2002–03||26||2||0||0||colspan="2"|-||26||2
|-
|2003–04||30||5||0||0||2||0||32||5
|-
|2004–05||26||2||0||0||0||0||26||2
|-
|2005–06||31||5||0||0||9||0||40||5
|-
|2006–07||27||2||0||0||6||0||33||2
|-
208||26||2||1||19||0||229||27
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="3"|Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt is a German sports club, based in Frankfurt, Hesse that is best known for its association football club.- Club origins :...
||rowspan="3"|Bundesliga||20||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||20||0
|-
|2008–09||12||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||14||0
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Fußball-Bundesliga
The 2009–10 Fußball-Bundesliga was the 47th season of the Fußball-Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season commenced on 7 August 2009 with the traditional season opening match involving the defending champions VfL Wolfsburg and VfB Stuttgart. The last games were played on 8 May 2010...
||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0
|-
32||0||2||0||0||0||34||0
|-
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Persian Gulf Cup
The 2009–10 Persian Gulf Cup began on August 8, 2009 and ended on May 19, 2010. This was the ninth Iran Pro League season since its establishment...
||rowspan="2"|Steel Azin||rowspan="3"|Pro League||8||2||3||2||colspan="2"|-||11||4
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Persian Gulf Cup
The 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...
||26||2||0||0||colspan="2"|-||26||2
|-
|2011-12||Damash
Damash Gilan F.C.
Sports Club Damash Gilan is an Iranian football club based in Rasht, Gilan. They compete in the Iran Pro League. Damash Football Club is owend by mineral water company Damash Iranian....
||8||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||8||0
96||22||5||4||11||4||106||30
252||29||4||1||19||0||275||30
348||49||9||5||30||4||381||60
|}
- Assist Goals
Season Team Assists 09–10 2009–10 Persian Gulf CupThe 2009–10 Persian Gulf Cup began on August 8, 2009 and ended on May 19, 2010. This was the ninth Iran Pro League season since its establishment...Steel Azin Steel Azin F.C.Steel Azin Football Club is an Iranian football club based in Semnan, Iran.The club is owned by Hossein Hedayati, owner of Steel Azin Co.Steel Azin club also had a volleyball team, sponsored by the same Company, which competed in the Iranian Volleyball Super League.-Ekbatan football club:Ekbatan...2 10–11 2010–11 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...Steel Azin Steel Azin F.C.Steel Azin Football Club is an Iranian football club based in Semnan, Iran.The club is owned by Hossein Hedayati, owner of Steel Azin Co.Steel Azin club also had a volleyball team, sponsored by the same Company, which competed in the Iranian Volleyball Super League.-Ekbatan football club:Ekbatan...4 11-12 Damash Damash Gilan F.C.Sports Club Damash Gilan is an Iranian football club based in Rasht, Gilan. They compete in the Iran Pro League. Damash Football Club is owend by mineral water company Damash Iranian....
|2
International career
Having been awarded the Asian Young Footballer of the YearAsian Young Footballer of the Year
The Asian Young Footballer of the Year award is presented to the best young football player from AFC. Officially awarded since 1995.- Winners :-Wins By Country:-See also:* Asian Footballer of the Year* AFC...
award in 1997, Mahdavikia was considered Iran's best player in the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
and was named in the list from which the team of the tournament was chosen. In 2003, he was awarded Asian Player of the Year by the Asian Football Confederation
Asian Football Confederation
The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football in Asia. It has 46 member countries, mostly located on the Asian continent. However, due to the disputed boundary of Europe and Asia, nations such as Russia and Turkey which are located mostly in geographic Asia are...
. He was also the top assister in the 2004 Asian Cup, exhibiting stunning form to steer Iran's attack to superb attacking football. He played in four Asian Cups (1996, 2000, 2004, 2007) and two World Cups (1998, 2006).
Mahdavikia was one of the influential players that played in Iran's crucial 1–0 victory over Bahrain
Bahrain national football team
The Bahrain national football team is the national team of the Kingdom of Bahrain and is controlled by the Bahrain Football Association; it was founded in 1951 and joined FIFA in 1966. They have never reached the finals of the World Cup, but have twice come within one match of doing so...
to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
Iran at the 2006 FIFA World Cup
Iran participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. This was their third appearance.-World Cup Squad:Pld = matches played, YC = yellow cards, RC = red cards.-Round Robin:See also: 2006 FIFA World Cup - Group DFirst Round...
held in Germany. Following the FIFA World Cup in Germany, 2006, Mahdavikia was expected to assume the role of Captain in the Iranian national side, replacing 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 Yahya Golmohammadi
Yahya Golmohammadi
Yahya Golmohammadi is a retired Iranian football player. His position usually was the central defender. He is currently with Tarbiat Yazd as a manager and has now retired from the Iranian national football team...
who had publicly announced their intention to retire after the tournament. Mahdavikia was given the captain's band on 16 August 2006 in an Asian Cup qualifier versus Syria
Syria national football team
The Syria national football team represents Syria in association football and is controlled by the Syrian Football Association, the governing body for football in Syria. Syria's home grounds are Abbasiyyin Stadium and Aleppo International Stadium...
.
Mahdavikia has reportedly been forced to "retire" from international football after wearing a green bracelet in the final World Cup 2010 qualification match against the Republic of Korea. The green bracelet was a sign of support for those protesting the highly contested Iranian presidential election
2009 Iranian election protests
Protests following the 2009 Iranian presidential election against the disputed victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi occurred in major cities in Iran and around the world starting June 13, 2009...
.
He was forced to retire from Team Melli
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...
after 13 years and playing in 2 World Cups (1998, 2006), 4 Asian Cups (1996, 2000, 2004, 2007), 1 Asian Games tournament (1998), 4 World Cup qualifying campaigns (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010), 3 Asian Cup qualifying campaigns (2000, 2004, 2007) and one AFC/OFC Cup.
|-
|1996||3||0
|-
|1997||21||5
|-
|1998||17||2
|-
|1999||2||0
|-
|2000||15||2
|-
|2001||11||1
|-
|2002||0||0
|-
|2003||3||0
|-
|2004||10||1
|-
|2005||7||1
|-
|2006||7||0
|-
|2007||6||0
|-
|2008||3||1
|-
|2009||6||0
|-
!Total||111||13
|}
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 April 1997 | Tabriz, Iran | 3–0 | Win | Friendly | |
| 2 | 2 June 1997 | Damascus, Syria | 17–0 | Win | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification -Qualified teams:The following 32 teams qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup: - qualified automatically as hosts - qualified automatically as defending champions-Notes:... |
|
| 3 | 11 June 1997 | Tehran, Iran | 9–0 | Win | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification -Qualified teams:The following 32 teams qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup: - qualified automatically as hosts - qualified automatically as defending champions-Notes:... |
|
| 4 | 13 September 1997 | Dalian, China | 4–2 | Win | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification -Qualified teams:The following 32 teams qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup: - qualified automatically as hosts - qualified automatically as defending champions-Notes:... |
|
| 5 | 13 September 1997 | Dalian, China | 4–2 | Win | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification -Qualified teams:The following 32 teams qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup: - qualified automatically as hosts - qualified automatically as defending champions-Notes:... |
|
| 6 | 31 January 1998 | Hong Kong, Hong Kong | 1–1 | Draw | Friendly | |
| 7 | 21 June 1998 | Lyon, France | 2–1 | Win | 1998 FIFA World Cup 1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final... |
|
| 8 | 16 January 2000 | Pasadena, USA | 1–1 | Draw | Friendly | |
| 9 | 31 March 2000 | Aleppo, Syria | 8–0 | Win | 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification - Group 1 :All matches were held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.--------------------- Group 2 :Played in Damascus, Syria.--------------------Played in Tehran, Iran.--------------------- Group 3 :... |
|
| 10 | 12 October 2001 | Tehran, Iran | 2–1 | Win | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 199 teams entered the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. and , as the co-hosts, and , as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 29 spots open for competition.... |
|
| 11 | 18 February 2004 | Tehran, Iran | 3–1 | Win | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition... |
|
| 12 | 30 March 2005 | Pyongyang, North Korea | 2–0 | Win | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition... |
|
| 13 | 15 October 2009 | Tehran, Iran | 2–1 | Win | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification The qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament... |
|
Individual
- HSV Player of the Year: 2002–03 and 2003–04
- Asian Footballer of the YearAsian Footballer of the YearThe Asian Footballer of the Year is an award that annually honors Asian footballer each year, has been conferred by Asian Football Confederation since 1994...
: 2003 - Chosen as the best offensive winger of the Bundesliga in the 2002–03 season by KickerKicker (sports magazine)kicker Sportmagazin is Germany's leading sports magazine and is focused primarily on football. The magazine was founded in 1920 by German football pioneer Walther Bensemann and is published twice a week, usually Monday and Thursday, in Nuremberg...
- Asian Young Footballer of the YearAsian Young Footballer of the YearThe Asian Young Footballer of the Year award is presented to the best young football player from AFC. Officially awarded since 1995.- Winners :-Wins By Country:-See also:* Asian Footballer of the Year* AFC...
: 1997 - Bank Melli F.C Golden Boot award: 1995
Team
With the Iran national football teamIran 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...
- FIFAFIFAThe Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
World Cup- Appearances and Goals: 1998 (1), 2006
- AFC Asian CupAFC Asian CupThe AFC Asian Cup is an international association football tournament run by the Asian Football Confederation . It is the second oldest continental football championship in the world after Copa América. The winning team becomes the champion of Asia and automatically qualifies for the FIFA...
- Appearances: 1996 (Third place), 2000 (Quarter Finals), 2004 (Third Place), 2007 (Quarter Finals)
- AFC/OFC Cup ChallengeAFC/OFC Cup ChallengeThe AFC – OFC Challenge Cup was a football tournament, set up as the successor of the discontinued Afro-Asian Cup of Nations. It was a biannual event, with Oceania represented by the winners of the OFC Nations Cup and Asia alternately by the winners of the Asian Cup and those of the Asian...
:1- 2003
With Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
- German League Cup: 2003
- UEFA Intertoto CupUEFA Intertoto CupThe UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
: 2005
With Persepolis F.C.
- Iranian Premier 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...
champion: 1995–1996, 1996–1997, 1998–1999
Personal life
Mahdavikia is married to Sepideh and has a daughter, Asal.In April 2006, Mahdavikia caused a stir when it came out he married a second wife named Samira while being in his native Iran, thus practising bigamy
Bigamy
In cultures that practice marital monogamy, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. Bigamy is a crime in most western countries, and when it occurs in this context often neither the first nor second spouse is aware of the other...
. He himself has stated that he made a "big mistake", was "lured into a trap" and ended the affair after a short while. As of May 2006, Mahdavikia plans to prosecute Samira for slander.
Mahdavikia's brother, Hadi
Hadi Mahdavikia
Mohammad Hadi Mahdavikia is an Iranian football player who currently plays for Homa F.C. in the Azadegan League. He is the younger brother of former Iran national football team captain and former Hamburger SV star Mehdi Mahdavikia.-References:...
currently plays for Homa F.C. and his nephew, Mostafa
Mostafa Mahdavikia
Mostafa Mahdavikia is an Iranian football player and nephew of Mehdi Mahdavikia, who is a prominent player of Eintracht Frankfurt and the Iran national football team. He currently plays for Naft Tehran...
plays for Foolad Natanz
Foolad Natanz F.C.
Foolad Natanz Football Club is an Iranian football club based in Natanz, Iran. In 2010, the license of Sepahan Novin Football Club was bought by Foolad Natanz.They competed in the 2010–11 Azadegan League.-Season-by-season:...
.
Famous matches
Mahdavikia's most prolific club match was Hamburger SVHamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
's match against Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
in the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. He was the impetus that rallied Hamburg back after being down 3–1 by scoring once, assisting one and winning a penalty for Hamburg that saw Hamburg take a 4–3 lead; Juve managed to equalise with an Inzaghi penalty.
Another famous game in the HSV shirt came in week 30 of the 2002–03 season. Mahdavikia scored one and assisted another two goals in Hamburg's 4–0 win over 1. FC Nuremberg. Kicker gave him a much rare perfect note of 1.0.
Mehdi's greatest national team match, arguably, was against South Korea in the 2004 Asia Cup where he assisted three goals in Iran's 4–3 win. Many also point to his dynamic game against the United States
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
in World Cup 1998
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
that saw him score Iran's second and winning goal, as his best ever. Another excellent match where he scored two great goals was against China in the qualification round for the 1998 World Cup when he was just 20 years old.
External links
- RSSSF archive of Mehdi Mahdavikia's international appearances
- Mehdi Mahdavikia at TeamMelli.com
- Mehdi Mahdavikia at Football Database
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