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Mehdi Mahdavikia
Personal information

Full name	Mehdi Mahdavikia
Date of birth	(1977-07-24) 24 July 1977 (age 48)
Place of birth	Ray, Iran
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s)	Right winger, right back
Youth career
1991–1995	Bank Melli
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1995–1999	Persepolis	54	(18)
1998–1999	→ VfL Bochum (loan)	12	(3)
1999–2007	Hamburger SV	211	(26)
2002	→ Hamburger SV Amateure (loan)	2	(0)
2007–2010	Eintracht Frankfurt	32	(0)
2010–2011	Steel Azin	34	(4)
2011–2012	Damash Gilan	14	(0)
2012–2013	Persepolis	27	(3)
Total		386	(54)
International career
1994	Iran U20	2	(0)
1994–1999	Iran U23	12	(2)
1997	Iran CISM	3	(1)
1996–2009	Iran	110	(13)
Managerial career
2013	Iran U17 (technical manager)
2013–2015	Iran U19 (technical manager)
2015–2018	Hamburger SV Academy (offensive coach)
2018	Hamburger SV U16 (assistant)
2018–2019	Hamburger SV II (assistant)
2021–2022	Iran U23
2024–	Al Jazirah Al Hamra Club
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mehdi Mahdavikia ([] Error: {{Langx}}: no text (help); born on July 24, 1977) is an Iranian football coach and former player. He usually played as a right winger or right back.

He worked as a youth coach at Hamburger SV and also ran his own youth academy, FC KIA. Currently, he is the head coach of Al Jazeera Al Hamra F.C. in UAE League 2.

Mahdavikia represents the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on the Football Advisory Panel of the International Football Association Board (IFAB). He joined this group in 2019. In 2013, he was also named an AFC Grassroots Ambassador.

During his playing days, Mahdavikia played for the Iranian national team. He was their captain from 2006 to 2009. He is currently the fourth most capped player for Iran. He played for Iranian clubs like Bank Melli, Persepolis, Steel Azin, and Damash Gilan. He also played for German clubs VfL Bochum, Hamburger SV, and Eintracht Frankfurt. He spent 12 seasons in the Bundesliga, which is Germany's top football league.

He won the Asian Young Footballer of the Year award in 1997. He also won the Asian Footballer of the Year award in 2003. People knew him for his great crossing, speed, and dribbling skills.

Playing Career Highlights
International Career
Coaching Career
Memorable Matches
Personal Life
Career Statistics
- Club Appearances
- International Appearances
Awards and Achievements
See also

Playing Career Highlights

Early Days in Football

Mahdavikia started his career playing for Persepolis in Iran. After that, he moved to Germany to play for VfL Bochum. When Bochum was moved down to a lower league, he joined Hamburg in the Bundesliga. He stayed with Hamburg for eight seasons.

Time at Hamburger SV

When Mahdavikia first joined Hamburg, he played as a right fullback. He was known for his strong attacking runs. This was because he had played as a right winger and even a striker before. He also played some matches for Pas in Asian games.

Under coach Frank Pagelsdorf, Mahdavikia often played as a wide striker. For the 2006–07 season, he moved back to his usual position as a right winger. He helped the team's central midfielder, Rafael van der Vaart. Hamburg fans voted him Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004. He was also the top player for giving assists in the Bundesliga.

In the 2004–05 season, he didn't play as well as before and was sometimes on the bench. But in the 2005–06 season, he got his old form back. He became a regular starter and helped Hamburg win many games. He even scored the winning goal against Schalke.

Mahdavikia was great at seeing the field, passing the ball, and making fast runs. His nickname in Iran was "The Rocket" because of his speed. He was also good at set-pieces like corners and free kicks. He was known as a true professional on the field and a kind person off it. He always took time for fans and reporters.

His nickname in Hamburg was The Carpet (der Teppich). This was because he could "magically glide past" his opponents, like a flying carpet.

Moving to Eintracht Frankfurt

On June 8, 2007, Mahdavikia signed a three-year contract with Eintracht Frankfurt. In his first season, he had two bad injuries and missed many games. In his second season, he was mostly on the bench. This showed that the club no longer wanted him as much. After playing 255 games in the Bundesliga for HSV, Bochum, and Eintracht Frankfurt, he left Germany. He then signed with Steel Azin in Iran in January 2010.

Coming Back to Iran

On July 4, 2011, Mahdavikia signed a one-year contract with Damash Gilan. However, he later joined his favorite club, Persepolis, in the middle of the season. He wanted to play for them in his last year of football. He extended his contract with Persepolis for another season in June 2012.

Retiring from Football

Mahdavikia in his last match for Persepolis

On March 2, 2013, Mahdavikia announced he would retire at the end of the 2012–13 season. Persepolis said his farewell match would be a friendly game against A.C. Milan in June 2013. This game was planned for the Azadi Stadium. Later, it was announced that his last match would be against his former club, Hamburger SV, in the same stadium.

Mahdavikia confirmed on March 14, 2013, that he had ended his playing career. He played his very last match in the 2013 Hazfi Cup Final. He came on as a substitute during extra time. On November 28, 2013, he played a special farewell match at Azadi Stadium. It was between a team of Persepolis legends and a team of A.C. Milan legends. Many famous players from both clubs took part. Mahdavikia came on as a substitute in the 32nd minute. He even assisted the only goal for the Persepolis team.

International Career

Mahdavikia in 2006

Mahdavikia won the Asian Young Footballer of the Year award in 1997. He was seen as Iran's best player in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. In 2003, the Asian Football Confederation named him Asian Footballer of the Year. He was also the top player for assists in the 2004 Asian Cup. He helped Iran's attack play amazing football. He played in four Asian Cups (1996, 2000, 2004, 2007) and two World Cups (1998, 2006).

Mahdavikia was a key player in Iran's important 1–0 win over Bahrain. This win helped Iran qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. After the 2006 World Cup, Mahdavikia became the captain of the Iranian national team. He took over from Ali Daei and Yahya Golmohammadi. He was given the captain's armband on August 16, 2006, in an Asian Cup qualifier against Syria.

After the 2010 World Cup qualification match against South Korea, Mahdavikia retired from international football. He had played for the Team Melli for 13 years. During that time, he played in two World Cups, four Asian Cups, one Asian Games tournament, and many qualification campaigns.

Coaching Career

Mahdavikia has coached Iranian youth teams. In 2015, he started the KIA Football Academy with Ali Doustimehr. He also works as a youth coach for Hamburger SV. In May 2019, Mahdavikia earned his UEFA A Licence. He plans to continue his coaching education in Germany.

Memorable Matches

One of Mahdavikia's most famous club matches was for Hamburger SV against Juventus in the Champions League. Hamburg was losing 3–1, but Mahdavikia helped them come back. He scored one goal, assisted another, and won a penalty. This helped Hamburg take a 4–3 lead.

Another great game for HSV was in the 2002–03 season. Mahdavikia scored one goal and assisted two others in Hamburg's 4–0 win over 1. FC Nuremberg.

Mehdi's best national team match was arguably against South Korea in the 2004 Asia Cup. He assisted three goals in Iran's 4–3 victory. Many also remember his amazing game against the United States in the 1998 World Cup. He scored Iran's second and winning goal in that match. Another excellent game was against China in the 1998 World Cup qualifiers. He scored two great goals when he was only 20 years old.

Personal Life

Mahdavikia in 2012

When he was young, Mahdavikia played several sports. He was especially good at handball and was even captain of Iran's under-14 team.

Mahdavikia is married to Sepideh and they have a daughter named Asal.

Mahdavikia's younger brother, Hadi, also played football for Homa F.C. and Persepolis F.C.. Hadi is now the head coach of the KIA Football Academy. Mahdavikia's nephew, Mostafa, is also a football player in Iran.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Bank Melli	1994–95	Division 2									18	10
Persepolis	1995–96	Azadegan League	11	1	–		–		–		11	1
	1996–97		28	9	2	2	–		7	1	37	12
	1997–98		6	6	–		–		4	3	10	9
	1998–99		9	2	0	0	–		–		9	2
	Total		54	18	2	2	–		11	4	67	24
Pas (loan)	1998–99	–	–		–		–		2	0	2	0
Bochum (loan)	1998–99	Bundesliga	12	3	0	0	–		–		12	3
Hamburger SV	1999–00	Bundesliga	29	4	1	0	–		6	2	36	6
	2000–01		29	5	1	1	1	0	9	3	40	9
	2001–02		11	1	0	0	–		–		11	1
	2002–03		26	2	2	0	–		–		28	2
	2003–04		32	5	2	1	3	0	2	0	39	6
	2004–05		26	2	1	0	–		0	0	27	2
	2005–06		31	5	3	1	–		10	0	44	6
	2006–07		27	2	1	0	2	0	8	0	38	2
	Total		211	26	11	3	6	0	35	5	263	34
Hamburger SV Amateure	2002–03	Regionalliga Nord	2	0	0	0	–		–		2	0
Eintracht Frankfurt	2007–08	Bundesliga	20	0	1	0	–		–		21	0
	2008–09		12	0	2	0	–		–		14	0
	2009–10		0	0	0	0	–		–		0	0
	Total		32	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	35	0
Steel Azin	2009–10	Iran Pro League	8	2	3	2	–		–		11	4
	2010–11	Iran Pro League	26	2	0	0	–		–		26	2
	Total		34	4	3	2	–		0	0	37	6
Damash	2011–12	Iran Pro League	14	0	2	0	–		–		16	0
Persepolis	2011–12	Iran Pro League	11	0	0	0	–		3	0	14	0
	2012–13	Iran Pro League	16	3	2	0	–		–		18	3
	Total		27	3	2	0	–		3	0	32	3
Career total			386	54	23	7	6	0	51	9	484	80

International Appearances

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Iran	1996	3	0
	1997	21	5
	1998	17	2
	1999	2	0
	2000	14	2
	2001	11	1
	2003	3	0
	2004	10	1
	2005	7	1
	2006	7	0
	2007	6	0
	2008	3	1
	2009	6	0
Total		110	13

1.Excluding a friendly match against Ghana U-23 that is not considered a full international.

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

List of international goals scored by Mehdi Mahdavikia
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Result	Competition
1	21 April 1997	Tabriz, Iran	Kenya	3–0	Friendly
2	2 June 1997	Damascus, Syria	Maldives	17–0	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	11 June 1997	Tehran, Iran	Maldives	9–0	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	13 September 1997	Dalian, China	China	4–2	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
5	13 September 1997	Dalian, China	China	4–2	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
6	31 January 1998	Hong Kong, Hong Kong	Chile	1–1	Friendly
7	21 June 1998	Lyon, France	United States	2–1	1998 FIFA World Cup
8	16 January 2000	Pasadena, USA	United States	1–1	Friendly
9	31 March 2000	Aleppo, Syria	Maldives	8–0	2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification
10	12 October 2001	Tehran, Iran	Iraq	2–1	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
11	18 February 2004	Tehran, Iran	Qatar	3–1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
12	30 March 2005	Pyongyang, North Korea	North Korea	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
13	15 October 2008	Tehran, Iran	North Korea	2–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification