Morteza Pouraliganji facts for kids
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Pouraliganji with Persepolis in 2023
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Morteza Pouraliganji | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 19 April 1992 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Babol, Iran | ||||||||||||
| Height | 185cm | ||||||||||||
| Playing position | Centre-back | ||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||
| Current club | Persepolis | ||||||||||||
| Number | 8 | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Paykan Babol | ||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Pas Tehran | ||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Eshan Rey | ||||||||||||
| 2010–2013 | Naft Tehran | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||
| 2010–2015 | Naft Tehran | 74 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2015 | Tianjin Teda | 26 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Al Sadd | 51 | (9) | ||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Eupen | 6 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Al-Arabi | 22 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | Shenzhen | 13 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2022– | Persepolis | 34 | (1) | ||||||||||
| National team‡ | |||||||||||||
| 2009 | Iran U17 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2010 | Iran U20 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Iran U23 | 14 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2015– | Iran | 54 | (3) | ||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Morteza Pouraliganji (Persian: مرتضی پورعلیگنجی; born April 19, 1992) is a professional footballer from Iran. He plays as a centre-back, which means he helps protect his team's goal. Morteza currently plays for the Persian Gulf Pro League club Persepolis and also for the Iran national team.
He has played for Iran in big tournaments like the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Morteza Pouraliganji was born in Pain Ganj Afruz, a small village in Babol County, Iran. He started playing football at a young age, dreaming of becoming a professional player.
Club Career Journey
Starting with Naft Tehran
Morteza began his senior football career with Naft Tehran in 2010. This was his first professional team. He scored his first goal for the club in 2011 during a 4–1 win against Paykan. He played for Naft Tehran for five years.
Moving to Tianjin Teda
In 2015, Morteza joined Chinese Super League club Tianjin Teda in China. He signed a one-year contract. His first game for Tianjin Teda was on April 8, 2015. He scored his first goal for the team in June 2015 in a match that ended in a 2–2 draw. After the season, he decided not to extend his contract and left the club.
Playing for Al Sadd in Qatar
On January 8, 2016, Morteza chose to join Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd. He had offers from teams in Europe and China, but he decided to play in Qatar. One big reason he joined Al Sadd was the chance to play alongside the famous Spanish footballer Xavi. He signed a short contract at first, but then decided to stay for another season. He scored his first goal for Al Sadd in February 2016.
Joining Persepolis
On June 6, 2022, Morteza Pouraliganji returned to Iran to play for Persepolis. This club is a major team in the Persian Gulf Pro League. He signed a two-year deal with them, continuing his career in his home country.
International Career for Iran
Youth National Teams
Morteza played for Iran's youth national teams. He represented the Iran U-17 squad in the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Later, in 2012, he joined the Iran U23 team. He was part of the squad for the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.
Senior National Team
After his strong performance at the 2014 Asian Games, Morteza was called up to the senior Iran national team. He made his debut in a friendly match against Iraq in January 2015.
He was chosen for Iran's team at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. He played well in the tournament, even scoring his first goal for Iran in the quarter-final match against Iraq. The game ended in a 3–3 draw, but Iran lost in a penalty shootout.
In May 2018, Morteza was selected to be part of Iran's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. This is one of the biggest football tournaments in the world. He also played in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
Career Statistics
Club Performance
| Club | Season | Division | League | National Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Naft Tehran | 2010–11 | Pro League | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 12 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||||||
| 2012–13 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||||||
| 2013–14 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||||||
| 2014–15 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 74 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 3 | ||
| Tianjin Teda | 2015 | CSL | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 27 | 2 | ||
| Al Sadd | 2015–16 | QSL | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
| 2016–17 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 4 | ||
| 2017–18 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 3 | ||
| Total | 49 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 61 | 9 | ||
| K.A.S. Eupen | 2018–19 | Belgian First Division A | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 7 | 2 | ||
| Al-Arabi | 2018–19 | QSL | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | ||
| 2019–20 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 2 | ||
| Shenzhen | 2020 | CSL | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 6 | 1 | ||
| 2021 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | ||
| Persepolis | 2022–23 | Pro League | 25 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 30 | 1 | ||
| 2023–24 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | ||||
| 2024–25 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Total | 34 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 225 | 19 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 251 | 21 | ||
International Appearances
- These numbers are correct as of October 17, 2023.
| Iran | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2015 | 10 | 2 |
| 2016 | 6 | 0 |
| 2017 | 9 | 0 |
| 2018 | 7 | 0 |
| 2019 | 9 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | 2 | 1 |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | 54 | 3 |
International Goals Scored
- This section shows the goals Morteza scored for Iran's national teams.
Iran U23 Goals
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 18 September 2014 | Munhak Stadium, Incheon, South Korea |  Kyrgyzstan |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2014 Asian Games |
Iran Senior Team Goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 23 January 2015 | Canberra Stadium, Canberra, Australia |  Iraq |
2–2 | 3–3 | 2015 AFC Asian Cup |
| 2. | 12 November 2015 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran |  Turkmenistan |
1–0 | 3–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 11 June 2021 | Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain |  Cambodia |
6–0 | 10–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours and Achievements
Morteza Pouraliganji has won several trophies with his clubs:
Club Trophies
- Al-Sadd
- Qatar Crown Prince Cup: 2017
- Qatar Emir Cup: 2017
- Sheikh Jassim Cup: 2017
- Persepolis
- Persian Gulf Pro League: (2) 2022–23, 2023–24
- Hazfi Cup: 2022–23
- Iranian Super Cup: 2023
See also
In Spanish: Morteza Pouraliganji para niños
