Ali Daei facts for kids
Daei in 2019
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 21 March 1969 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ardabil, Iran | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 189 cm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Centre forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1987 | Esteghlal Ardabil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1989 | Esteghlal Ardabil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Taxirani | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1994 | Bank Tejarat | 75 | (49) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | Persepolis | 38 | (23) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Al Sadd | 16 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Arminia Bielefeld | 25 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Bayern Munich | 23 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2002 | Hertha BSC | 59 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Al Shabab | 21 | (11) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Persepolis | 28 | (16) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Saba Battery | 51 | (23) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Saipa | 26 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 362 | (287) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–2006 | Iran | 148 | (108) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | Iran Olympic (Wild Card) | 3 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Saipa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Iran Students | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Iran | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Islamic Azad University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Persepolis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Rah Ahan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Persepolis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Saba Qom | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Naft Tehran | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | Saipa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Ali Daei (born March 21, 1969) is a famous Iranian football manager and former professional player. He was a powerful striker and the captain of the Iranian national team from 2000 to 2006. He played for big clubs in Germany, like Arminia Bielefeld, Bayern Munich, and Hertha Berlin. Many people consider him one of the greatest Iranian footballers ever, and one of the best from Asia.
Ali Daei was known for scoring lots of goals, especially with his head. He was the world's top international goal-scorer with 108 goals for his country. This amazing record stood for a long time until Cristiano Ronaldo broke it in 2021. Later, Lionel Messi also passed his record in 2024. While playing, Daei also became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2001, helping children around the world. After he stopped playing, he worked with FIFA from 2007 to 2013. In 2014, he was honored in the Asian Football Hall of Fame.
Contents
Ali Daei's Amazing Football Journey
Starting His Career in Iran
Ali Daei was born in Ardabil, Iran. He comes from an Iranian Azerbaijani family. He studied Materials Engineering at Sharif University of Technology. He started playing football at age 19 for his hometown club, Esteghlal Ardabil.
After that, he played for Taxirani F.C. and then Bank Tejarat in Tehran. He was a fantastic scorer at Bank Tejarat, netting 49 goals in 75 games over four years. This success helped him move to one of Tehran's top clubs, Persepolis, in 1994. He continued to score many goals there, with 23 goals in 38 games.
Playing in Europe
Ali Daei's great performance in the Asian Cup in 1996 caught the eye of European clubs. He first played for Al Sadd in Qatar for a season. Then, in 1997, he moved to Germany to play for Bundesliga team Arminia Bielefeld. His Iranian teammate, Karim Bagheri, also joined the club.
Later, Daei moved to Bayern Munich, one of the biggest clubs in Germany. However, he didn't get to play as much as he wanted there. This was partly because of his duties with the Iranian national team. He decided to leave Bayern and joined Hertha BSC before his contract ended. Bayern Munich won the league title in 1999 that year.
At Hertha Berlin, Ali Daei made history. He became the first Asian player to play in a UEFA Champions League match. He even scored two goals in a Champions League game against Chelsea in 1999, helping Hertha win 2–1. He also scored against A.C. Milan at the famous San Siro stadium.
Returning to Asia
After his time in Europe, Ali Daei returned to Asia. In 2001, he joined Al-Shabab in the United Arab Emirates league. In 2003, he came back to his former team in Tehran, Persepolis.
Later, he moved to Saba Battery, where he played for two years. He scored 23 goals and helped them win the Hazfi Cup. After the 2006 World Cup, he left Saba Battery and signed with another Tehran club, Saipa, in 2006.
On May 28, 2007, after Saipa won the 2006–07 Persian Gulf Cup, Ali Daei announced he was retiring from playing football. He decided to focus on his new career as a coach.
Ali Daei's International Achievements
Ali Daei was a goal-scoring machine for the Iranian national team. The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) named him the world's top scorer in international games in 1996. He scored 20 goals for Iran that year, including an amazing four goals against South Korea in the Asian Cup 1996. By the end of 1996, he had scored 29 goals in 38 games for Iran.
He continued his incredible scoring in the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, scoring nine goals in 17 matches. This brought his total to 38 goals in 52 games for his country.
On November 28, 2003, in an Asian Cup qualifier against Lebanon, he scored his 85th international goal. This made him the top scorer in international matches, passing the legendary Hungarian player Ferenc Puskás.
Then, on November 17, 2004, he scored four goals against Laos in a World Cup qualifier. This gave him 102 goals, making him the first male player to score 100 goals in international football! He played 148 games for Iran. His record of 109 international goals stood until September 2021 when Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed it. Ali Daei himself congratulated Ronaldo on this achievement.
Ali Daei as a Coach
Coaching Saipa
After retiring as a player, Ali Daei quickly became a coach. In October 2006, he was appointed as the temporary manager for Saipa. He soon became the full-time manager. In his first season, on May 28, Saipa won the Persian Gulf Cup championship!
For his second season, Daei stopped playing completely and focused only on coaching. Saipa finished 11th in the league that year. However, he led Saipa to the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League before leaving to coach the national team.
Coaching the Iran National Team
On March 2, 2008, Ali Daei was officially named the new head coach of the Iranian national football team. He coached Iran to a good record of 16 wins, 6 draws, and 3 losses. However, after a loss to Saudi Arabia in a 2010 World Cup Qualifier in March 2009, he was removed as head coach. During his time, he introduced many new young players to the team.
Coaching Persepolis and Other Clubs
In December 2009, Ali Daei became the coach of Persepolis. In his first season, Persepolis finished fourth in the league but won the Hazfi Cup. They won the Hazfi Cup again the next season in 2011. Daei helped bring up many young players during his time at Persepolis.
After Persepolis, Daei coached Rah Ahan from 2011 to 2013. He helped them achieve their best league finish since 1937, finishing 8th. His popularity also brought more fans to Rah Ahan's matches.
He returned to coach Persepolis in May 2013. In his first year back, his team finished second in the league, just two points behind the champions. He was later removed from the position in September 2014.
Ali Daei also coached Saba Qom (2015-2016) and Naft Tehran (2016-2017), where he won another Hazfi Cup title. He then returned to coach Saipa for two seasons from 2017 to 2019.
Ali Daei's Life Off the Field
Business and Charity Work
Ali Daei is also a successful businessman. He owns his own company called Daei Sport's Wears & Equipments. This company makes sportswear for various sports clubs in Iran and around the world. They even made jerseys for the Iranian national team.
He is also known for his kindness and charity work. He has given a lot of money to good causes and has played in charity football matches with other famous players. He also appeared in a UNICEF commercial with David Beckham and Madeleine Albright, showing his commitment to helping children.
Personal Beliefs
Ali Daei is a follower of Shia islam. When he played for Bayern Munich, he famously refused to hold a glass of beer for an advertisement. This was because alcoholic drinks are not allowed in his religion.
Health and Safety
In March 2012, Ali Daei was in a car accident while driving back to Tehran. His car overturned, but thankfully, he was in stable condition and recovered well. Many people, including Sepp Blatter, the President of FIFA, sent him wishes for a speedy recovery.
In November 2020, Ali Daei was attacked by two thieves who tried to steal his gold necklace in Tehran. The police later arrested the thieves.
Speaking Up for People
Ali Daei has also used his voice to support people. In December 2022, a flight carrying his wife and daughter was forced to return to Iran. This happened because he had shown support for people protesting in Iran.
Honours and Awards
As a Player
- Persepolis:
- Azadegan League: 1995–96
- Bayern Munich:
- Bundesliga: 1998–99
- DFB-Ligapokal: 1998
- Saba Battery:
- Hazfi Cup: 2004–05
- Iranian Super Cup: 2005
- Saipa:
- Persian Gulf Cup: 2006–07
- Iran U23:
- Asian Games Gold Medal: 2002
- Iran National Team:
- ECO Cup: 1993
- LG Cup (3): 2001, 2002 (March), 2002 (September)
- Asian Games Gold Medal: 1998
- AFC–OFC Challenge Cup: 2003
- WAFF Championship: 2004
As a Manager
- Saipa:
- Iran Pro League: 2006–07
- Iran National Team:
- WAFF Championship: 2008
- Persepolis:
- Hazfi Cup: 2009–10, 2010–11
- Naft Tehran:
- Hazfi Cup: 2016–17
Individual Awards
- AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament: 1996
- AFC Asian Cup top goalscorer: 1996
- AFC Asian Footballer of the Year: 1999
- IFFHS World's Top Goal Scorer: 2000 (20 goals)
- Asian Football Hall of Fame: 2014
- IFFHS Legends: 2016
- AFC Asian Cup Fans' All Time Best XI: 2018
- IFFHS Asian Men's Team of the 20th Century: 1901–2000
- Iranian Manager of the Year: 2006
Images for kids
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Daei during Persepolis training.
See Also
In Spanish: Ali Daei para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
- List of top international men's football goal scorers by country
- List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals
- Glyptothorax alidaeii
