Karim Bagheri facts for kids
Bagheri in 2019
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 20 February 1974 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Tabriz, Iran | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Persepolis (Caretaker) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | Tractor Sazi | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | Keshavarz | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Persepolis | 20 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2000 | Arminia Bielefeld | 51 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | → Al-Nasr (loan) | 8 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Charlton Athletic | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Al-Sadd | 11 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2011 | Persepolis | 178 | (29) | ||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–2010 | Iran | 87 | (50) | ||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Persepolis (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2023 | Persepolis (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | Iran (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Persepolis (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Persepolis (caretaker) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Karim Bagheri is a famous Iranian football coach and former player. He was born on February 20, 1974. He played for the Iran national team and spent most of his career with Persepolis in the Persian Gulf Pro League. Karim Bagheri is known for scoring many goals as a midfielder, holding a record for international goals in that position. He is currently the head coach of Persepolis.
Contents
Karim Bagheri's Club Journey
Starting His Football Career
Karim Bagheri was born in Tabriz, Iran. He started playing football for his hometown club, Tractor. His talent was quickly noticed. Later, he joined Keshavarz. On August 1, 1996, Bagheri moved to Persepolis for free. He became very popular there and helped the team win many titles. His great performances caught the eye of European clubs. A year later, on August 1, 1997, he joined the German club Arminia Bielefeld with another Iranian player, Ali Daei.
Playing in Germany
Bagheri's first year in Germany was tough. His team, Arminia Bielefeld, was moved down to a lower league called the 2. Bundesliga. In his second season, he became a key player. He played as a "libero," which is a defensive player who also helps with attacks. He helped his team get back into the top league, the Bundesliga. His strong playing in the 1998–99 season earned him a spot in a special team chosen by Kicker magazine. He stayed one more season in Germany. After that, he decided to leave and returned to Persepolis. Persepolis then loaned him to Al-Nasr in the United Arab Emirates.
Time in England
After playing in the UAE, English clubs became interested in Bagheri. Charlton Athletic, a team in England's top league, the Premiership, signed him. However, his time there was difficult. He faced injuries and had to return to Iran when his father passed away. These things kept him from playing much.
His manager, Alan Curbishley, said Bagheri was a strong midfielder who could score many goals. He mentioned that Bagheri had an amazing record of almost one goal every two games for his country. The manager also said it was a shame Bagheri couldn't stay fit. He only played for 15 minutes in one game against Ipswich Town. This made him the first Iranian to play in the Premiership. After this, he moved to Al Sadd in Qatar.
Returning to Persepolis
In 2002, Bagheri decided to come back to Persepolis. In 2006, there were some disagreements about money the club owed players. Bagheri was disciplined but stayed with the team. He became one of the most loved players at Persepolis. Many fans compare his popularity to the legendary player Ali Parvin.
In the 2007–08 season, he was the team captain. He led Persepolis to win the IPL (Iran Pro League) after six years without a championship. He was injured in the 2008–09 season and missed many games. He also had some disagreements with the coach. In the 2009–10 season, he was the team's top scorer and a very important player. He scored a winning goal in a big game against their rival, Esteghlal, ending a long streak of draws.
Retiring from Club Football
On December 1, 2010, Karim Bagheri announced that he would retire from playing football and leave Persepolis.
Karim Bagheri's International Career
Playing for Iran
Karim Bagheri first joined the Iran national team, also known as Team Melli, during the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. His first game was against Pakistan on June 6, 1993. He quickly became a regular player in the midfield for Iran. He played in the 1996 AFC Asian Cup and helped Team Melli finish in third place.
He played a huge role in Iran's comeback against Australia in 1997. This game was a qualifier for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Iran was losing 2–0, but Bagheri scored the first goal to help them tie the game 2–2. This tie allowed Iran to qualify for the World Cup. He scored 19 goals during the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification games, which was the most by any player from any continent. He also played in the 1998 Asian Games and helped Iran win the gold medal. Bagheri was known for his powerful shots from long range. He scored many amazing goals, like his tying goal against South Korea in the 2000 Asian Cup.
Amazing Goal Scoring Record
On June 2, 1997, Bagheri scored seven goals in one game against the Maldives. This tied the record for the most goals scored in a World Cup qualifying match. However, this record was broken in 2001 by another player who scored 13 goals. In 1997, Bagheri was named the world's second-highest goal scorer in official international matches. He scored 20 goals for Iran that year.
First Retirement from National Team
Bagheri decided to retire from the national team in November 2001. He had played 80 games and scored 47 goals for Iran. This was after Iran did not qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2002. He was asked to come back after the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but he said he was retired and would not return.
Coming Back to the National Team
On October 9, 2008, Iran's national team coach, Ali Daei, asked Bagheri to return to the team because another player was injured. On November 9, 2008, Bagheri played for Team Melli again in a friendly game against Qatar, after almost seven years. He was the captain for Iran in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification game against the UAE and scored a goal. He was given his favorite number 6 jersey back. He played a few more important games for Iran in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. He was later invited by another coach, but he said he only came back for Ali Daei and would not play any more matches.
Final International Match
On October 2, 2010, Bagheri announced that his last game for the Iran national team would be on October 7, 2010. It was a match against Brazil in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Karim Bagheri's Coaching Career
Two years after he stopped playing, Karim Bagheri was offered a coaching job at Persepolis. He became an assistant coach to the new head coach, Yahya Golmohammadi. He was later promoted to be the first-team coach under Ali Daei.
On April 8, 2015, Karim Bagheri became an assistant manager for Persepolis again. He has continued to be a part of the coaching staff for the club and also for the Iran national team.
Honours and Achievements
Persepolis
- Iranian Football League: 1996–97, 2007–08
- Hazfi Cup: 2009–10, 2010–11
Arminia Bielefeld
- 2. Bundesliga: 1998–99
Al-Sadd
- Arab Club Champions Cup: 2001
Iran National Team
- Asian Games Gold Medal: 1998
Individual Awards
- Asian Player of the Month: July 1997
- Asian Goal of the Month: July 1997
- AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament: 2000
- Football Iran News & Events: Midfielder of the year (2007–08)
- Iran Football Federation Award: Player of the year (2007–08)
- MasterCard Asian/Oceanian Team of the 20th Century: 1998
- Asian All Stars: 1997, 2000
See also
In Spanish: Karim Bagheri para niños
- List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals
