Youngest & oldest footballers of Iran in 2022 World Cup

The latest list of the Iran football players has been released by the newly-appointed coach Carlos Queiroz for two World Cup warm-up matches against Uruguay and Senegal. Among his 27 selections for this camp are 16 players who were with him at the ’18 World Cup. Team Melli will meet Uruguay and Senegal on September 23 and 27 in Austria.

Saleh Hardani, 23, who is a defender is the youngest player, whereas, Omid Ebrahimi, 35, who plays as a midfielder is the oldest member of Iran’s national football team.

Alireza Biranvand (29), Amir Abedzadeh (29), Hossein Hosseini (30), and Payam Niazamand (27) are invited goalkeepers to Team Melli, according to the list.

Ali Gholizadeh (26) and Karim Ansarifard (32) are the youngest and oldest strikers of the team respectively. Also, Sardar Azmoun (27), Mehdi Torabi (28), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (29), and Mehdi Taremi (30) are other footballers who will play as forwards.

While Shoja Khalilzadeh (33) is the oldest defender, Saleh Hardani (23) is the youngest defender of the team.

While both Mohammad Hossein Kananizadegan and Milad Mohammadi are 28 years old defenders, Sadegh Moharrami and Majid Hosseini are 26.

Ramin Rezaeian (32), Morteza Pouraliganji (30), Omid Noorafkan (25), and Abolfazl Jalali (24) are among the other defenders.

Omid Ebrahimi (35), and Vahid Amiri (34) are the oldest and second-oldest midfielders of the squad.

Saman Ghoddos and Ahmad Nourollahi are both 29 years old among midfielders.

Ehsan Hajsafi (32), Milad Sarlak (27), and Saeid Ezatolahi (25) are the other midfielders of the team.

The baby of Team Melli!

Saleh Hardani, 23, is regarded as the youngest player of Iran’s national football team in the World Cup.

Born on 26, 1998, Hardani plays as a right-back for the Persian Gulf Pro League club Esteghlal.

He made his debut for Foolad in the first fixtures of the 2019–20 Iran Pro League.

The 176-centimeter player made his debut for Team Melli on September 2, 2021, in a match against Syria.

To be on the final list of the Iranian national team, the young athlete should convince his head coach that he is better than his teammates Ramin Rezaeian (32), and Sadegh Moharrami (26).

The most experienced footballer of Team Melli

Although the global average retirement age for a football player is around 35, Omid Ebrahimi, aged 35, who still plays as a midfielder is the oldest and most experienced footballer on Iran’s national football team.

Born on September 15, 1987, Ebrahimi made his debut under Carlos Queiroz on December 9, 2012, in a match against Saudi Arabia.

He joined Sepahan in 2010 after spending the previous season at Shahrdari Bandar Abbas in the Azadegan League.

On 10 June 2014, Ebrahimi signed a two-year contract with Esteghlal. He spent an excellent career in Blues of the Capital and was selected as the best midfielder of the Persian Gulf Pro League in the 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons and also became the best goalscorer among midfielders in the history of Esteghlal.

During 2018-2021 he played for the Qatari club Al Ahli SC.

He currently plays for Al-Wakrah Sport Club in Qatar.

The FIFA World Cup will take place in Qatar from 21 November to 18 December 2022.

The “Persian Leopards” in Group B of the tournament will face England, the US, and Wales.

Iran football team became the 14th team to book their place in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Moreover, the ‘Persian Leopards’ became the first Asian team to book their place in a major competition.

Iran, No. 21 in the current FIFA world rankings, will kick off the World Cup campaign in Qatar against fifth-ranked England on November 21.

Reported by Amin Mohammadzadegan Khoyi