Saeid Ezatolahi facts for kids
Ezatolahi training with Iran in 2018
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Saeid Ezatolahi Afagh | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 1 October 1996 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bandar-e Anzali, Iran | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.90 m | ||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | ||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||
| Current club | Shabab Al Ahli | ||||||||||||
| Number | 66 | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Shahrdari Bandar Anzali | ||||||||||||
| 2010–2014 | Malavan | ||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Atlético Madrid | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Malavan | 19 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Atlético Madrid C | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2015–2020 | Rostov | 18 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2017 | → Anzhi Makhachkala (loan) | 11 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | → Amkar Perm (loan) | 16 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | → Reading (loan) | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | → Eupen (loan) | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2020–2024 | Vejle | 73 | (8) | ||||||||||
| 2022 | → Al-Gharafa (loan) | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2024– | Shabab Al Ahli | 12 | (2) | ||||||||||
| National team‡ | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Iran U17 | 33 | (10) | ||||||||||
| 2014 | Iran U20 | 4 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2015– | Iran | 74 | (1) | ||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Saeid Ezatolahi Afagh (Persian: سعید عزتاللهی آفاق) was born on October 1, 1996. He is an Iranian professional footballer. Saeid plays as a defensive midfielder for the club Shabab Al Ahli in the UAE Pro League. He also plays for the Iran national team.
Saeid started playing football at a young age in the Malavan youth academy. He was very good and made his first team debut in 2012. At just 16 years old, he became the youngest player ever in the Iran Pro League. Saeid has won awards, including the "young player of the year" in Iran. In 2014, he was even called one of the most talented young football players.
Ezatolahi also became the youngest player to score a goal for the Iran national football team. He scored when he was 19 years and 42 days old in a game against Turkmenistan in 2015. Later, another player, Allahyar Sayyadmanesh, broke this record.
Contents
- Saeid's Football Journey
- Playing for Iran: International Career
- Saeid's Life Outside Football
- Achievements and Awards
- Images for kids
- See also
Saeid's Football Journey
Starting Out: Early Years
Saeid's father, Nader, and his uncle, Ghader Ezatolahi, were also footballers. They played for Malavan. Saeid began his own football journey with Shahrdari Bandar Anzali in 2008 when he was a youth player.
Playing for Malavan
In the summer of 2010, Saeid joined the Malavan youth academy. He quickly moved up to the main team in July 2012.
Becoming the Youngest Player (2012–2013)
Saeid played his first game for Malavan on October 26, 2012. He came in as a substitute against Rah Ahan. This was just 25 days after his 16th birthday! This made him the youngest player ever to play in the Iran Pro League. Because of his great start, he won the "young player of the year" award.
Catching European Eyes (2013–2014)
Saeid became a regular player for Malavan. After he played very well in the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in October 2013, big European clubs started to notice him. Teams like Besiktas and Rubin Kazan were interested in him.
Moving to Atlético Madrid
Playing in Spain (2014–2015)
On August 27, 2014, Saeid signed a one-year contract with the Spanish team Atlético Madrid. He played for their youth team, Atlético Madrid, in a league called the 2014–15 División de Honor Juvenil de Fútbol. He scored his first goal in a 3–1 win against UDC Sur.
Saeid also played in the 2014–15 UEFA Youth League, which is a competition for youth teams of top European clubs. He even got to train with the main Atlético Madrid team and their famous manager, Diego Simeone. Later, he played for Atlético Madrid C, which is a lower team for Atlético.
Playing in Russia: FC Rostov
Starting in Russia (2015–2016)
After his time in Spain, Saeid decided to join Rostov, a team in the Russian Premier League. He signed a four-year contract in July 2015. He joined his Iranian teammate, Sardar Azmoun, there. Saeid's first game for Rostov was a friendly match in February 2016. He scored his first goal for Rostov in another friendly game later that month.
He made his official first team debut for Rostov on May 12, 2016.
Champions League Goal (2016–2017)
On July 26, 2016, Saeid made his first start for Rostov in a big European game. It was a Champions League qualifying match against R.S.C. Anderlecht. He scored a goal in the 16th minute! This made him the first player from Rostov to score in a European match. He was also the youngest Iranian player ever to score in the Champions League.
Loan Spells and New Clubs
Saeid was loaned to other clubs to get more playing time.
- In February 2017, he played for Anzhi Makhachkala in Russia for six months.
- In August 2017, he joined Amkar Perm, another Russian team, on loan.
- On August 31, 2018, Saeid moved to Reading in England on a loan deal. He played well at first but then got an injury that ended his season early.
- In August 2019, he went on loan to the Belgian club Eupen.
In June 2020, his contract with Rostov ended, and he became a free agent.
Moving to Denmark: Vejle
On August 20, 2020, Saeid signed a three-year contract with Vejle Boldklub, a team in the Danish Superliga. While playing for Vejle, he was also loaned to Al-Gharafa in Qatar for six months in 2022.
Playing in the UAE: Shabab Al Ahli
Currently, Saeid plays for Shabab Al Ahli in the UAE Pro League.
Playing for Iran: International Career
Youth Teams
Saeid played for the Iran U17 national team in the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He played in all the group matches and the round of 16.
He was also invited to play for the Iran U20 team. He scored his first goal for the U20 team against the United Arab Emirates.
Senior National Team
Saeid was called up to the Iran senior national team by coach Carlos Queiroz in May 2015. He played his first game for the senior team on June 11, 2015, against Uzbekistan.
He scored his first goal for the senior national team on November 12, 2015, in a World Cup qualifying game against Turkmenistan. As mentioned before, this made him the youngest goal scorer for Iran's national team at the time.
Saeid was part of Iran's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He missed the first game but played in the other two matches against strong teams like Spain and Portugal. Sadly, he missed the 2019 AFC Asian Cup due to an injury.
Saeid's Life Outside Football
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Saeid's father, Nader Ezatolahi, is a football coach at the Malavan Academy. He is also Saeid's agent, helping him with his career.
In 2019, Saeid even released a rap song! He made the song to support the Iranian team at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. He couldn't play in the cup himself because of an injury, so he supported them with his music.
Achievements and Awards
Saeid has won some great awards and titles during his career:
Vejle Boldklub
- Danish 1st Division: 2022–23 (This means his team won the league title!)
Individual Awards
- Iranian Young Player of the Year: 2012–13 (He was recognized as the best young player in Iran.)
- AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament: 2023 (He was chosen as one of the best players in the AFC Asian Cup tournament.)
Images for kids
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Ezatolahi before a Rostov match.
See also
In Spanish: Saeid Ezatolahi para niños
