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 (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Persepolis (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 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) | ||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–2010 | Iran | 87 | (50) | ||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Persepolis (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2023 | Persepolis (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | Iran (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Persepolis (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Persepolis (caretaker) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||
Karim Bagheri ([] Error: {{Langx}}: no text (help); born on February 20, 1974) is a famous Iranian football coach and former player. He was a midfielder who played for the Iranian national team and the club Persepolis. He is known for scoring many goals as a midfielder, holding a special record for international goals in that position. He also works as an assistant coach for Persepolis.
Contents
Playing Career
Starting Out
Karim Bagheri was born in Tabriz, Iran. He started his football journey with his hometown club, Tractor. His talent quickly caught attention, and he moved to Keshavarz. On August 1, 1996, Bagheri joined Persepolis, a big club in Iran. He became very popular there and helped the team win many titles. His great performances made European clubs notice him. A year later, on August 1, 1997, he signed with Bundesliga team Arminia Bielefeld in Germany, along with another Iranian star, Ali Daei.
Time in Germany
Bagheri's first season in Germany was tough because his team, Bielefeld, was moved down to a lower league called the 2. Bundesliga. In his second season, he became a key player, often playing as a "libero." A libero is a defender who also helps attack. He helped his team get back into the top league. He stayed in Bielefeld for one more season. After that, he decided to leave and returned to Persepolis. However, Persepolis loaned him to Al-Nasr in the United Arab Emirates for a short time.
Playing in England
After his time in the UAE, English clubs became interested in Bagheri. Charlton Athletic, a team in the top English league (the Premiership), signed him. But his time there was difficult. He faced injuries, and he also had to return to Iran when his father passed away. These things stopped him from playing much.
His manager at Charlton, Alan Curbishley, said that Bagheri was a strong midfielder who could score goals. He mentioned that Bagheri had an amazing record of scoring almost every other game for Iran. The main problem was that Bagheri kept getting injured and had to miss games. Even though he didn't speak English well, his teammates liked and respected him. He only played for 15 minutes in one game against Ipswich Town, becoming the first Iranian to play in the Premiership. After this, he moved to Al Sadd in Qatar.
Back to Persepolis
In 2002, Bagheri returned to Persepolis again. He became one of the most loved players at the club. In the 2007–08 season, he was the team captain and led them to win the Iranian Premier League after six years. He was the top scorer for the team in the 2009–10 season. In a very important match against their rivals, known as the "Sorkhabi derby," Bagheri scored a goal from far away in the 87th minute. This goal helped Persepolis win the game.
Retirement from Club Play
On December 1, 2010, Karim Bagheri announced that he would retire from playing football and leave Persepolis.
International Career
Early Days with Iran
Bagheri first joined the Iran national team during the qualifiers for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. 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 (the national team's nickname) finish in third place.
World Cup Qualifiers and Records
In 1997, Bagheri played a huge role in Iran's comeback against Australia during the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Iran was losing 2-0, but he scored the first of two goals that tied the game 2-2. This draw helped Iran qualify for the World Cup. He scored an amazing 19 goals during the 1998 World Cup qualification games, more than any other player from all six continents. He also played in the 1998 Asian Games and helped Iran win the gold medal. Bagheri was known for his powerful right-footed shots and scored many fantastic goals, like his tying goal against South Korea in the quarter-finals of the 2000 Asian Cup.
On June 2, 1997, Bagheri scored seven goals against the Maldives. This tied a record for the most goals scored in a World Cup qualifying match. Later, in 2001, another player broke this record. Bagheri was named the world's second-highest goal scorer in official international matches by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) for scoring 20 goals for Iran in 1997.
First Retirement from National Team
Bagheri decided to retire from the national team after Iran did not qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2002. He had played 80 games and scored 47 goals for Iran. After the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he was asked to return, but he said he was retired and would not come back.
Return to the National Team
On October 9, 2008, Iran's coach, Ali Daei, asked Bagheri to return to the national team because another player was injured. On November 9, 2008, Bagheri played for Team Melli again in a friendly match against Qatar, after almost seven years away. He was the captain for Iran in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against the UAE on November 19, 2008, and even scored a goal. He played a few more important matches for Iran in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.
Final Match
On October 2, 2010, Bagheri announced that his last game for the Iran national team would be on October 7, 2010. This match was against Brazil in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Coaching Career
Two years after he stopped playing, Karim Bagheri was offered a coaching job at Persepolis by the new head coach, Yahya Golmohammadi. He became a first-team coach. On April 8, 2015, Karim was named assistant manager of Persepolis again. He has continued to serve as an assistant coach for Persepolis, including a period as caretaker manager in late 2024 and early 2025. He also served as an assistant coach for the Iran national team from 2020 to 2022.
Honors and Achievements
Persepolis
- Iranian Football League: 1996–97, 2007–08
- Hazfi Cup: 2009–10, 2010–11
Arminia Bielefeld
- 2. Bundesliga: 1998–99 (promoted to top league)
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
- Midfielder of the Year (Iran): 2007–08
- Player of the Year (Iran): 2007–08
- MasterCard Asian/Oceanian Team of the 20th Century: 1998
- Asian All Stars: 1997, 2000
Images for kids
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Bagheri in 2019
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Bagheri training with Persepolis in 2008.
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Bagheri during Persepolis training in 2020.
See also
In Spanish: Karim Bagheri para niños
