Masoud Shojaei facts for kids
Shojaei with Iran in 2019
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Masoud Soleimani Shojaei | ||
| Date of birth | 9 June 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Shiraz, Iran | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2000 | Sanat Naft | ||
| 2000–2002 | Saipa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2003 | Sanat Naft | 12 | (1) |
| 2003–2006 | Saipa | 60 | (5) |
| 2006–2008 | Al-Sharjah | 12 | (3) |
| 2008–2013 | Osasuna | 101 | (8) |
| 2013–2014 | Las Palmas | 29 | (5) |
| 2014–2015 | Al Shahaniya | 24 | (5) |
| 2015–2016 | Al-Gharafa | 25 | (4) |
| 2016–2018 | Panionios | 41 | (7) |
| 2018 | AEK Athens | 12 | (0) |
| 2018–2021 | Tractor | 84 | (7) |
| 2021–2023 | Nassaji | 24 | (2) |
| 2023 | → Havadar (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2005 | Iran B | 6 | (1) |
| 2004–2019 | Iran | 90 | (8) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2020 | Tractor (player-manager) | ||
| 2023–2024 | Havadar | ||
| 2024–2025 | Mes Rafsanjan | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Masoud Soleimani Shojaei (Persian: مسعود سلیمانی شجاعی; born on June 9, 1984) is an Iranian football coach and former professional player. Shojaei mainly played as an attacking midfielder. He could also play as a winger or forward.
He played for two clubs in his home country. He also played for Al-Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Later, he spent several seasons in Spain with Osasuna. He played in 112 official matches there.
Shojaei has been an Iranian international player since 2004. He has represented his country in three World Cups and four Asian Cups.
Contents
Masoud Shojaei's Football Journey
Starting His Career
Shojaei was born in Shiraz, Iran. He spent most of his life in Abadan and Tehran. He began his football journey with Sanat Naft Abadan F.C.. After that, he moved to Saipa F.C. in Karaj. He joined Saipa at 19 years old and played for them for three seasons.
After the 2006 World Cup, Shojaei moved to the United Arab Emirates. He signed with Al Sharjah SC. He scored his first goal for the club in the UAE Football League on October 3, against Emirates Club.
Playing in Spain with Osasuna
On June 23, 2008, Shojaei signed a three-year contract with the Spanish team CA Osasuna. He joined his fellow Iranian player Javad Nekounam there.
Shojaei played his first game in La Liga on August 31, 2008. He played for 32 minutes in a 1–1 draw against Villarreal CF. In his first two seasons, he often came on as a substitute. He helped Osasuna stay in the top division.
Shojaei played regularly for Osasuna in the 2010–11 season. He also spent one month playing for his national team in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. In May, he extended his contract with the club for two more seasons.
Shojaei missed the entire 2011–12 season due to an injury. On February 25, 2013, he scored a great goal. This helped Osasuna win 2–0 against Levante UD. He was released from Osasuna in June 2013.
Time with Las Palmas
On September 3, 2013, Shojaei joined Segunda División team UD Las Palmas in Spain. He signed a one-year contract. He scored in his very first game, a 3–1 win against CE Sabadell FC in the Copa del Rey.
Shojaei scored two goals and made an assist in a league game against the same team. This happened on March 15, 2014, in a big 5–0 home win.
Playing in Qatar
After the 2014 World Cup, Shojaei moved to Al-Shahania Sports Club in the Qatar Stars League. He joined his teammate Mehrdad Pooladi there. On December 14, 2014, he scored three goals (a hat-trick) in a 3–1 win against Al Sadd SC. One year later, after his team was relegated, he joined Al-Gharafa.
Playing in Greece
On July 22, 2016, Shojaei joined Super League Greece team Panionios. He signed a one-year contract. He had a great first season. He then extended his contract until June 2018.
On December 25, 2017, he left Panionios. Three days later, he joined AEK Athens for six months. He announced on his Instagram that he would wear number 24 to honor Hadi Norouzi, who passed away in 2015. He played his first game on January 6, helping his team win 4–1. He made an assist in his first start three days later. He was named the best player of the match.
On March 1, 2018, Shojaei scored his first goal for AEK Athens. He helped the club win its first national championship in 24 years. After this, he left the club.
Time with Tractor
On August 2, 2018, Shojaei joined Tractor S.C. on a three-year contract. Eight days later, he played his first game in a 3–0 loss. He was chosen as the team's first captain.
During the 2019–20 season, Shojaei was offered the temporary coaching job. He said no, and instead became an assistant coach.
Playing for Nassaji
On October 5, 2021, Shojaei joined Nassaji on a two-year contract. He became the team's new captain. On February 27, 2022, he played in the 2022 Hazfi Cup Final. His team won the cup after a penalty shootout.
Playing for His Country
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While playing for Saipa, Shojaei earned a spot on the Iranian national under-23 team. This caught the attention of the main team coach. He was first called to play for the senior team in November 2004. This was for a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Laos. This was his only "cap" (appearance) until the training camp before the World Cup in Germany. He was part of the final team but only played once in the tournament.
Shojaei started playing more regularly in the 2010 World Cup qualification games. He scored in a 1–1 draw against South Korea. However, Iran did not qualify for that tournament. Iran did make it to the 2014 World Cup, with Shojaei as a regular player in the qualifying matches.
On June 1, 2014, Shojaei was included in the team for the World Cup. He came on as a substitute in the team's first game, a draw with Nigeria. He started the next group matches against Argentina and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
On December 30, 2014, Shojaei was called up for Iran's 2015 AFC Asian Cup team. He scored Iran's second goal in their first game, a 2–0 win against Bahrain. Shojaei was the captain for Iran in 2018 World Cup qualification home games.
In August 2017, there was a discussion about Shojaei and his teammate Ehsan Hajsafi. They had played for their club Panionios against an Israeli team. The Iranian Football Federation looked into the matter. Hajsafi later returned to the team. Shojaei said they were pressured by their club to play.
On March 18, 2018, Shojaei was called up for friendly games. He was chosen for the World Cup finals in Russia as team captain. This made him the first Iranian player to go to three World Cups. He played his first game in the tournament on June 15. In December 2018, Shojaei was selected for Iran's team for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. He became the only Iranian to take part in seven international tournaments.
Making a Difference
Shojaei has used his voice to support important causes. In June 2009, he showed support for a movement by wearing a green bracelet during a game.
He has also spoken about making football in Iran fair. He has also been a strong supporter of allowing women to attend football games in Iran. He has shared his sadness that his mother, sister, and wife could not watch him play. He reportedly asked the president to lift the ban in July 2017.
Personal Life
Masoud Shojaei's sister, Maryam, has also worked to support women's rights in Iran.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sanat Naft | 2002–03 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||
| Saipa | 2003–04 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 2 | |||
| 2004–05 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 1 | ||||
| 2005–06 | 24 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 60 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 61 | 5 | ||||
| Sharjah | 2006–07 | UAE Pro League | 20 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 7 | ||
| 2007–08 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 40 | 12 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 12 | ||||
| Osasuna | 2008–09 | La Liga | 33 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 3 | ||
| 2009–10 | 36 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 41 | 3 | ||||
| 2010–11 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 2 | ||||
| 2011–12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2012–13 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 101 | 8 | 11 | 1 | — | — | 112 | 9 | ||||
| Las Palmas | 2013–14 | Segunda División | 29 | 5 | 2 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 31 | 6 | |
| Al Shahaniya | 2014–15 | Qatar Stars League | 24 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 5 | ||
| Al Gharafa | 2015–16 | Qatar Stars League | 25 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 4 | ||
| Panionios | 2016–17 | Super League Greece | 30 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | 37 | 4 | |
| 2017–18 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 15 | 3 | |||
| Total | 41 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 52 | 7 | ||
| AEK Athens | 2017–18 | Super League Greece | 12 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 18 | 1 | |
| Tractor | 2018–19 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 25 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 4 | ||
| 2019–20 | 24 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 28 | 4 | ||||
| 2020–21 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| Total | 65 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 71 | 7 | ||
| Nassaji | 2021–22 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 24 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 27 | 2 | |
| Havadar | 2022–23 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 446 | 56 | 33 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 489 | 61 | ||
Managerial Statistics
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | GF | GA | +/- | |||
| Tractor | December 2020 | February 2020 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 50.00 | 12 | 10 | +2 |
| Havadar | December 2023 | June 2024 | 20 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 30.00 | 25 | 36 | -11 |
| Mes Rafsanjan | November 2024 | January 2025 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 33.33 | 11 | 17 | -6 |
| Total | 39 | 14 | 9 | 16 | 35.90 | 48 | 63 | -15 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iran | 2004 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2010 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 87 | 8 | |
- Scores and results list Iran's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Shojaei goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 March 2009 | Azadi, Tehran, Iran | 20 |  Saudi Arabia |
1–0 | 1–2 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 17 June 2009 | World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea | 24 |  South Korea |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 12 August 2009 | Asim Ferhatović Hase, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina | 25 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
1–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 4 | 7 September 2010 | World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea | 31 | South Korea |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 5 | 26 March 2013 | Al-Sadaqua Walsalam, Kuwait City, Kuwait | 42 |  Kuwait |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2015 Asian Cup qualification |
| 6 | 11 January 2015 | Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne, Australia | 56 |  Bahrain |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2015 AFC Asian Cup |
| 7 | 17 November 2015 | National Football Stadium, Tamuning, Guam | 63 |  Guam |
4–0 | 6–0 | 2018 World Cup qualification, 2019 Asian Cup qualification |
| 8 | 7 June 2016 | Azadi, Tehran, Iran | 65 |  Kyrgyzstan |
1–0 | 6–0 | Friendly |
Awards and Achievements
AEK Athens
- Super League: 2017–18
Tractor
- Hazfi Cup: 2019–20
Nassaji
- Hazfi Cup: 2021–22
Iran
- Islamic Solidarity Games: Bronze medal 2005
Individual
- Super League Greece Team of the Season: 2016–17
See also
In Spanish: Masoud Shojaei para niños
