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Ehsan Hajsafi

Hajsafi with Iran during 2022 FIFA World Cup

Personal information

Full name

Ehsan Hajsafi

Date of birth

25 February 1990 (age 35)

Place of birth

EsfahanKashan, Iran

Height

1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)

Position(s)

Left-back

Team information

Current team

Sepahan

Number

Youth career

2000–2006

Sepahan

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

2006–2015

Sepahan

204

(28)

2011–2012

→ Tractor (loan)

(9)

2015–2016

FSV Frankfurt

(2)

2016–2017

Sepahan

(5)

2017–2018

Panionios

(1)

2018

Olympiacos

(1)

2018–2021

Tractor

(7)

2021

Sepahan

(1)

2021–2025

AEK Athens

(3)

2025–

Sepahan

(0)

International career^‡

2005–2006

Iran U17

(2)

2007–2008

Iran U20

(2)

2007–2011

Iran U23

(1)

2008–2024

Iran

142

(7)

Medal record


Representing Iran
WAFF Championship
Winner	2008 Iran
CAFA Nations Cup
Winner	2023 Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan	Team

*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10:01, 12 May 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 7 February 2024

Ehsan Hajsafi (born 25 February 1990) is a professional footballer from Iran. He currently plays for Sepahan.

Ehsan is known as a utility player. This means he can play in many different positions on the field. He can play as a winger, a left-back, or a defensive midfielder.

In 2009, Goal.com chose Ehsan as the most promising young player in Asian football. He has played for Iran in the FIFA World Cup three times: in 2014, 2018, and 2022. He also played in the AFC Asian Cup four times: in 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023.

Ehsan's Club Journey
Playing for His Country: Iran
Career Statistics
- Club Appearances and Goals
- International Appearances and Goals
Awards and Achievements
Images for kids
See also

Ehsan's Club Journey

Starting with Sepahan

Ehsan Hajsafi with Sepahan in 2016

Ehsan Hajsafi celebrating a league win with Sepahan in 2015

Ehsan Hajsafi began his football journey at Zob Ahan in 2000. He moved to Sepahan in 2006. He was discovered by coach Luka Bonačić at Sepahan's youth academy.

Ehsan played in two matches at the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup. He became a regular player for Sepahan. The team finished second in the 2007 AFC Champions League.

He often took set pieces for Sepahan. He played in both central and left midfield. In the 2007–08 season, he scored six league goals. In the final game of that season, he scored a goal that almost won Sepahan the league title. However, their opponent, Persepolis, scored a last-minute goal to win. Ehsan continued to play well and scored great goals in the 2008–09 season. He also played as a left-back in the 2009–10 season when Sepahan won the league. He then signed a new contract with Sepahan for two more years.

Playing for Tractor (on loan)

In June 2011, Ehsan joined Tractor on a loan contract. This meant he played for Tractor for a while but was still a Sepahan player. He reunited with his former coach, Amir Ghalenoei, at Tractor. Tractor finished second in the league, which was their best result ever at that time. Ehsan's loan ended in January 2012, and he went back to Sepahan.

Back to Sepahan

Ehsan returned to Sepahan in January 2012. He played under coach Zlatko Kranjčar. He helped the team win the 2012–13 Hazfi Cup. After that season, he signed another two-year contract with Sepahan.

In August 2014, Ehsan almost joined Fulham, a team in England. But the deal did not happen because of work permit issues. So, Ehsan returned to Iran and signed another two-year contract with Sepahan.

Playing in Germany with FSV Frankfurt

On 30 August 2015, Ehsan joined FSV Frankfurt in Germany. He signed a two-year contract. He played his first league game on 13 September 2015. He quickly became the player who took set-pieces for the team.

Ehsan scored his first goal for FSV Frankfurt on 2 March 2016. He scored another amazing goal from 50 yards on 13 March 2016. After FSV was moved to a lower league, Ehsan's contract was ended, and he became a free agent.

Moving to Greece: Panionios

On 24 June 2017, Ehsan signed a two-year contract with Panionios, a team in the Greek Super League. He joined his fellow countryman Masoud Shojaei there. Ehsan was the third Iranian player to play for the club in recent years.

He played his first game for Panionios on 13 July 2017. In his league debut on 20 August 2017, he made an assist from a corner kick.

Short Time at Olympiacos

On 29 December 2017, after six months with Panionios, Ehsan joined Olympiacos, another Greek team. He signed a three-and-a-half-year contract. He made his debut for Olympiacos on 11 February 2018. He scored a goal in that game, helping Olympiacos get a draw.

Back to Tractor

On 2 September 2018, Ehsan returned to Tractor. He signed a three-year contract with them.

Success with AEK Athens

On 3 August 2021, Ehsan went back to Greece and signed with AEK Athens. On 24 October 2021, he came into a game as a substitute and helped secure a 3–1 win. Ehsan quickly became a strong left-back for the team.

When a new coach, Matias Almeyda, took over, AEK Athens had a historic season. Ehsan was the only fit left-back for the team. He played in almost every game and was known for being calm with the ball and defending well. On 14 May 2023, Ehsan helped AEK win the championship by assisting a goal in a 4–0 win. A few days later, he also played in the cup final, where AEK won and achieved their third "double" (winning both the league and the cup). Ehsan renewed his contract with AEK Athens for another year. In the 2023–24 season, he played in the Europa League group stage. On 21 September 2023, he started in AEK's big win against Brighton and gave two assists from set pieces.

Playing for His Country: Iran

Ehsan Hajsafi played for the Iran U17 national team in 2006. He later played for the U-20 and U-23 teams.

On 25 May 2008, Ehsan played his first game for the senior national team against Zambia. He had a great debut, giving two assists in Iran's 3–2 win. His first international goal was against Qatar in 2008. Iran won that game 6–1.

He played in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. In March 2014, he was named captain for the first time in his 57th game for the national team.

On 1 June 2014, he was chosen for Iran's 2014 FIFA World Cup team. He played the full game against Nigeria, which ended in a 0–0 draw. He also started against Argentina and was a key player. He was substituted late in the game, and then Argentina scored their only goal. Iran was eliminated in the group stages.

He was also part of Iran's 2015 AFC Asian Cup team. On 11 January 2015, he scored the first goal in Iran's opening match against Bahrain. He was named man of the match in that 2–0 win.

In August 2017, Ehsan was briefly not allowed to play for the national team because of a club match. This decision was later changed. In May 2018, he was named in Iran's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He played his 100th international game on 15 November 2018, at the age of 28.

During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Ehsan and his teammates showed support for people protesting in Iran by not singing their national anthem before their match against England. Ehsan stated that the team supported the protestors.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sepahan	2006–07	Persian Gulf Cup	8	0	1	0	7	0	—		16	0
	2007–08		32	6	3	1	5	0	2	0	42	7
	2008–09		29	6	1	2	4	0	—		34	8
	2009–10		32	5	1	0	6	0			39	5
	2010–11		28	2	3	0	7	0			38	2
	Total		129	19	9	3	29	0	2	0	171	22
Tractor (loan)	2011–12	Persian Gulf Cup	32	5	1	0	—		—		33	5
	2012–13	Iran Pro League	13	4	0	0	0	0	—		13	4
	Total		45	9	1	0	0	0	—		46	9
Sepahan	2012–13	Iran Pro League	16	2	3	0	5	0	—		24	2
	2013–14		29	2	1	0	6	0			36	2
	2014–15		25	2	1	0	0	0			26	2
	2015–16		5	3	0	0	0	0			5	3
	Total		75	9	5	0	11	0	—		91	9
FSV Frankfurt	2015–16	2. Bundesliga	27	2	1	0	—		—		28	2
Sepahan	2016–17	Iran Pro League	25	5	4	1	0	0			29	6
Panionios	2017–18	Super League Greece	14	1	3	1	3	0			20	2
Olympiacos	2017–18	Super League Greece	6	1	1	0	0	0			7	1
Tractor	2018–19	Persian Gulf Pro League	24	0	0	0	—				24	0
	2019–20		29	6	3	0	—				35	6
	2020–21		16	1	0	0	0	0			16	1
	Total		69	7	3	0	0	0	—		72	7
Sepahan	2020–21	Persian Gulf Pro League	13	1	0	0	0	0	—		13	1
AEK Athens	2021–22	Super League Greece	28	2	4	1	0	0			32	3
	2022–23		29	0	5	0	—				34	0
	2023–24		19	0	0	0	10	0			29	0
	2024–25		15	1	4	0	4	0			23	1
	Total		91	3	13	1	14	0	0	0	118	4
Career total			500	56	40	6	57	0	2	0	599	62

International Appearances and Goals

Ehsan Hajsafi playing for Iran against Argentinian star Lionel Messi in the 2014 FIFA World Cup

Ehsan Hajsafi and Sergio Ramos during the Iran-Spain match in the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Iran	2008	9	1
	2009	10	1
	2010	10	0
	2011	11	0
	2012	11	0
	2013	5	0
	2014	10	1
	2015	10	1
	2016	6	2
	2017	8	0
	2018	11	0
	2019	9	0
	2020	2	0
	2021	5	1
	2022	7	0
	2023	11	0
	2024	7	0
Total		142	7

Scores and results list Iran's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Hajsafi goal.

List of international goals scored by Ehsan Hajsafi
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	11 August 2008	Takhti Stadium, Tehran, Iran	Qatar	4–1	6–1	2008 WAFF Championship
2	28 December 2009	Suhaim bin Hamad, Doha, Qatar	Qatar	2–2	2–3	Qatar Friendship Cup
3	8 June 2014	CT Joaquim Grava, São Paulo, Brazil	Trinidad and Tobago	1–0	2–0	Friendly
4	11 January 2015	Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne, Australia	Bahrain	1–0	2–0	2015 AFC Asian Cup
5	24 March 2016	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	India	1–0	4–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
6	24 March 2016	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	India	3–0	4–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
7	16 November 2021	King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan	Syria	2–0	3–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification