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Sardar Azmoun
سردار آزمون

Azmoun with Iran at the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Personal information

Full name

Sardar Azmoun

Date of birth

1 January 1995 (age 30)

Place of birth

Gonbad-e Kavus, Iran

Height

1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)

Position(s)

Forward

Team information

Current team

Shabab Al Ahli

Number

Youth career

2004–2006

Oghab Gonbad

2006–2008

Gol Gohar Sirjan

2008–2009

Shamoshak Gorgan

2009–2010

Etka Gorgan

2010–2013

Sepahan

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

2013–2016

Rubin Kazan

(5)

2015–2016

→ Rostov (loan)

(12)

2016–2017

Rostov

(7)

2017–2019

Rubin Kazan

(9)

2019–2022

Zenit Saint Petersburg

(52)

2022–2024

Bayer Leverkusen

(5)

2023–2024

→ Roma (loan)

(3)

2024–

Shabab Al Ahli

(11)

International career^‡

2009–2011

Iran U17

(7)

2011–2015

Iran U20

(19)

2015

Iran U23

(4)

2014–

Iran

(57)

Medal record

AFF U-19 Youth Championship

Representing Iran
CAFA Nations Cup
Winner	2023 Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan	Team
Winner	2012 Vietnam
WAFF U-15 Championship
Winner	2009 Jordan

*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:41, 20 May 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 March 2025

Sardar Azmoun (Persian: سردار آزمون; born January 1, 1995) is a professional footballer from Iran. He plays as a forward for UAE Pro League club Shabab Al Ahli and for the Iran national team.

Azmoun started playing for the Iran national team in 2014 when he was just 19 years old. He has been a key player for Team Melli, as the Iranian national team is known. He played in the AFC Asian Cup in 2015, 2019, and 2023. He also represented Iran in the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and 2022.

Sardar Azmoun is known as one of the most valuable Iranian football players ever. He was also the youngest Iranian player to score a goal in a UEFA Champions League match.

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out in Football

Sardar Azmoun began playing football at a young age. He says he first started kicking a ball on a family trip when he was nine. He played for local teams like Oghab Gonbad. Interestingly, he was also a talented volleyball player and was even invited to join Iran's national under-15 volleyball team! After some time, he joined Etka Gorgan, a team in Iran's second division.

Joining Sepahan

When he was 15, Azmoun joined the youth team of Sepahan, a big club in Iran. Even though he played in some friendly matches, he didn't play in any official games for the main team. Sepahan won the league title that year.

Because of his great skills in Iran's youth teams, European clubs started to notice Azmoun. Rubin Kazan from Russia was very interested. At 17, Azmoun became the youngest Iranian player to move to a European club when he joined Rubin Kazan.

Playing for Rubin Kazan

First Steps in Russia

In January 2013, Azmoun decided to join Rubin Kazan in Russia. He chose this team because their coach, Kurban Berdyev, spoke Turkmen, which is Azmoun's family language. This made Azmoun the first Iranian footballer to play in the Russian Premier League. In his first season, he played for the reserve team and scored two goals. He was often with the main team but didn't play in a senior match yet.

Making His Mark

On July 25, 2013, Azmoun played his first senior game for Rubin Kazan. It was a UEFA Europa League match against Jagodina, and Rubin won 1–0. He scored his first goal for the team on August 29 in another Europa League game, helping Rubin win 3–0 against Molde. He scored his first league goal on October 6, 2013, in a big 5–1 win against Anzhi Makhachkala.

In 2014, big European clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool, and Barcelona showed interest in signing him. He continued to score important goals for Rubin Kazan.

Staying with Rubin Kazan

Rubin Kazan announced in July 2014 that Azmoun would stay with them, even though many top clubs wanted him. He scored his first goal of the 2014–15 season against Terek Grozny. He also scored in a Russian Cup match against Spartak Moscow.

Time at Rostov

Azmoun playing for Rostov against Kuban Krasnodar in 2015

In February 2015, Azmoun joined Rostov on a loan deal. He quickly made an impact, scoring the winning goal against Kuban Krasnodar in March. He also scored against Dynamo Moscow in April, which earned him a spot on the Russian Premier League Team of the Week. He helped Rostov avoid being relegated (moving down to a lower league).

Great Season with Rostov

Azmoun extended his loan with Rostov for the 2015–16 season. He scored his first goal of the season in August 2015. He was linked with English clubs like Stoke City and Everton because of his strong performances.

He scored a goal in Rostov's 3–0 win against Zenit Saint Petersburg in April 2016. He then scored two goals in a 3–1 win over Dynamo Moscow, which helped Rostov stay in second place in the league. His goal against Ural Sverdlovskaya Oblast secured Rostov a spot in the UEFA Champions League playoffs for the first time. He scored in five games in a row, showing how good he was.

Rostov finished second in the Russian Premier League that season. Azmoun ended up as the seventh-highest scorer in the league with nine goals. He was also voted the fifth most valuable player in the league.

Champions League Success

Azmoun in a match against Ajax in 2016

Azmoun made his Champions League debut in July 2016 against Anderlecht. He scored his first Champions League goal in the return game, helping Rostov win and move forward. He scored again in August against Ajax, which meant Rostov reached the group stage of the Champions League for the very first time!

On November 1, 2016, Azmoun scored in a Champions League group stage match against Atlético Madrid. This made him the first Iranian player to score in the Champions League group stage since 2005. He scored another goal on November 23 against Bayern Munich, helping Rostov win 3–2. This was Rostov's first ever win in the Champions League group stage.

His great performances in the Champions League attracted interest from many big European clubs like Marseille, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Bayer Leverkusen.

Back to Rubin Kazan

Azmoun playing for Rubin Kazan in 2017

In June 2017, Azmoun returned to Rubin Kazan. He played in friendly matches and officially rejoined the team in July 2017.

Joining Zenit Saint Petersburg

On February 1, 2019, Azmoun signed a contract with Zenit Saint Petersburg. He had an amazing start, scoring two goals and assisting one in his first game against Fenerbahçe in the UEFA Europa League. UEFA even named him the Player of the Week! He scored the only goal in his Russian Premier League debut for Zenit against Ural Yekaterinburg.

On September 17, 2019, Azmoun scored Zenit's first goal in the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League group stage against Olympique Lyonnais. With another goal against Benfica, he became the Iranian player with the most goals in the UEFA Champions League, scoring four times.

In July 2020, he scored two goals against Krasnodar, helping Zenit win their second Russian Premier League title in a row. He finished that season as the joint top scorer in the league with 17 goals.

In May 2021, he scored three goals in a 6–1 win over Lokomotiv Moscow, which secured Zenit their third league title in a row. He was voted the Russian Premier League Player of the Season for the 2020–21 season.

Moving to Bayer Leverkusen

On January 22, 2022, German club Bayer Leverkusen announced that Azmoun would join them in July 2022. However, Zenit and Bayer Leverkusen agreed for him to move immediately in January 2022. He signed a five-year contract with the German team.

Loan to Roma

On August 26, 2023, Azmoun joined Serie A club Roma in Italy on a loan deal for the 2023–24 season. He was the first Iranian player to play for Roma. He scored his first goal for Roma on November 5, 2023, against Lecce. Roma decided not to sign him permanently after his loan ended in May 2024.

Playing for Shabab Al Ahli

In July 2024, Azmoun moved to Shabab Al Ahli in the UAE Pro League. He signed a three-year contract with the club.

International Career

Azmoun playing for Iran against Sergio Ramos of Spain at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Azmoun playing for Iran against Portugal at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Youth Teams

Azmoun became well-known while playing for the Iran U-20 team. He was the top scorer in the 2012 AFF U-19 Youth Championship. He also scored seven goals in six games in the 2012 Commonwealth of Independent States Cup. In October 2013, he captained the U-20 team and scored two goals in a match against Lebanon.

He was also called up to the U-23 team for Olympic qualifiers in March 2015. He was the top goalscorer in that tournament with four goals.

Senior National Team

Azmoun celebrating his goal against Vietnam in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup

In October 2013, Azmoun was called up to the Iranian national football team. He made his senior debut on May 26, 2014, in a friendly match against Montenegro. He scored his first goal for Iran on November 18, 2014, in a 1–0 win over South Korea.

He was part of Iran's squad for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. He scored important goals in that tournament, including the winning goal against Qatar and a header against Iraq. He continued to score in World Cup qualifiers, including two goals against Guam in September 2015. In June 2016, he scored his first three goals in one game (a hat-trick) for Iran against Macedonia.

In June 2018, he was chosen for Iran's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He played in Iran's first World Cup match, a 1–0 victory over Morocco. After the 2018 World Cup, Azmoun briefly retired from international football at age 23. He explained that criticism from fans had affected his mother's health, and he wanted to be by her side. However, he returned to the team in October 2018 and played in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

In 2022, Azmoun spoke out in support of women's rights in Iran. He said that this stance was worth any personal cost, even if it meant not playing in the World Cup. He was still allowed to play in a friendly match against Senegal, where he scored a goal but chose not to celebrate it.

Playing Style

Sardar Azmoun is known for his excellent ability to head the ball, his creative play, and his quick bursts of speed. Some people have compared him to famous players like Zlatan Ibrahimović and even called him the Iranian Messi. Many also see him as the next great Iranian striker, following in the footsteps of the legendary Ali Daei.

Personal Life

Sardar Azmoun comes from a Sunni family of Turkmen origin. He can speak several languages fluently, including Persian, Turkmen, Turkish, English, and Russian. He often spoke Turkmen with his coach, Kurban Berdyev, at Rubin Kazan and Rostov.

He loves riding horses and is very involved in thoroughbred horse racing and breeding. He owns a large horse complex called Serik Horse Complex in his hometown of Gonbad-e Kavus. In 2022, he mentioned that he owned 52 horses! He has bought Australian racehorses to be trained by famous jockey Michelle Payne.

Azmoun also owns a women's volleyball club in Iran called Serik Gonbad Kavus Women's Volleyball Club.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Rubin Kazan	2013–14	Russian Premier League	14	4	1	0	—		2	1	—		17	5
	2014–15	Russian Premier League	13	1	2	1	—		—		—		15	2
	Total		27	5	3	1	0	0	2	1	0	0	32	7
Rostov (loan)	2014–15	Russian Premier League	11	3	0	0	—		—		1	1	12	4
	2015–16	Russian Premier League	24	9	0	0	—		—		—		24	9
	Total		35	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	36	13
Rostov	2016–17	Russian Premier League	27	7	0	0	—		14	5	—		41	12
Rubin Kazan	2017–18	Russian Premier League	26	5	2	0	—		—		—		28	5
	2018–19	Russian Premier League	14	4	3	1	—		—		—		17	5
	Total		40	9	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	96	22
Zenit Saint Petersburg	2018–19	Russian Premier League	12	9	0	0	—		4	3	—		16	12
	2019–20	Russian Premier League	28	17	3	0	—		6	2	1	2	38	21
	2020–21	Russian Premier League	24	19	0	0	—		4	0	1	0	29	19
	2021–22	Russian Premier League	15	7	0	0	—		5	2	1	1	21	10
	Total		79	52	3	0	0	0	19	7	3	3	104	62
Bayer Leverkusen	2021–22	Bundesliga	9	1	0	0	—		2	0	—		11	1
	2022–23	Bundesliga	23	4	1	0	—		9	0	—		33	4
	Total		32	5	1	0	0	0	11	0	0	0	44	5
Roma (loan)	2023–24	Serie A	23	3	2	0	—		4	0	—		29	3
Shabab Al Ahli	2024–25	UAE Pro League	21	11	3	1	3	4	11	10	1	0	39	26
Career total			284	104	17	3	3	4	61	23	5	4	370	138

International Appearances

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Iran
	2014	3	1
	2015	11	7
	2016	8	8
	2017	8	6
	2018	10	2
	2019	10	8
	2020	1	1
	2021	9	6
	2022	8	2
	2023	7	8
	2024	14	7
	2025	2	1
Total		91	57

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

List of international goals scored by Sardar Azmoun
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	18 November 2014	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	South Korea	1–0	1–0	Friendly
2	4 January 2015	WIN Stadium, Wollongong, Australia	Iraq	1–0	1–0	Friendly
3	15 January 2015	Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia	Qatar	1–0	1–0	2015 AFC Asian Cup
4	23 January 2015	Canberra Stadium, Bruce, Australia	Iraq	1–0	3–3 (6–7 p)	2015 AFC Asian Cup
5	16 June 2015	Sport Toplumy Stadium, Daşoguz, Turkmenistan	Turkmenistan	1–0	1–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
6	3 September 2015	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	Guam	3–0	6–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
7	3 September 2015	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	Guam	4–0	6–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
8	8 September 2015	Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore, India	India	1–0	3–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
9	24 March 2016	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	India	Oman	2–0	4–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
10	29 March 2016	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	Oman	1–0	2–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
11	29 March 2016	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	Oman	2–0	2–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
12	2 June 2016	Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia	Macedonia	1–0	3–1	Friendly
13				2–1
14				3–1
15	7 June 2016	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	Kyrgyzstan	5–0	6–0	Friendly
16	11 October 2016	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	South Korea	1–0	1–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
17	4 June 2017	Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro	Montenegro	1–0	2–1	Friendly
18	4 June 2017	Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro	Montenegro	2–1	2–1	Friendly
19	12 June 2017	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	Uzbekistan	1–0	2–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
20	5 September 2017	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	Syria	1–1	2–2	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
21	5 September 2017	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	Syria	2–1	2–2	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
22	10 October 2017	Kazan Arena, Kazan, Russia	Russia	1–0	1–1	Friendly
23	27 March 2018	UCP Arena, Graz, Austria	Algeria	1–0	2–1	Friendly
24	31 December 2018	Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar	Qatar	2–1	2–1	Friendly
25	7 January 2019	Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	Yemen	4–0	5–0	2019 AFC Asian Cup
26	12 January 2019	Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	Vietnam	1–0	2–0	2019 AFC Asian Cup
27	12 January 2019	Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	Vietnam	2–0	2–0	2019 AFC Asian Cup
28	24 January 2019	Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	China	2–0	3–0	2019 AFC Asian Cup
29	10 September 2019	Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong	Hong Kong	1–0	2–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
30	10 October 2019	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	Cambodia	2–0	14–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
31				5–0
32				7–0
33	8 October 2020	Pakhtakor Central Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan	Uzbekistan	1–0	2–1	Friendly
34	30 March 2021	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	Syria	2–0	3–0	Friendly
35	7 June 2021	Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain	Bahrain	1–0	3–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
36	7 June 2021	Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain	Bahrain	2–0	3–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
37	15 June 2021	Al Muharraq Stadium, Arad, Bahrain	Iraq	1–0	1–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
38	11 November 2021	Saida Municipal Stadium, Sidon, Lebanon	Lebanon	1–1	2–1	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
39	16 November 2021	King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan	Syria	1–0	3–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
40	29 March 2022	Imam Reza Stadium, Mashhad, Iran	Lebanon	1–0	2–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
41	27 September 2022	Motion invest Arena, Maria Enzersdorf, Austria	Senegal	1–1	1–1	Friendly
42	13 June 2023	Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan	Afghanistan	1–0	6–1	2023 CAFA Nations Cup
43	16 June 2023	Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan	Kyrgyzstan	4–1	5–1	2023 CAFA Nations Cup
44	16 June 2023	Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan	Kyrgyzstan	5–1	5–1	2023 CAFA Nations Cup
45	20 June 2023	Milliy Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan	Uzbekistan	1–0	1–0	2023 CAFA Nations Cup
46	13 October 2023	Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan	Jordan	1–0	3–1	2023 Jordan International Tournament
47	17 October 2023	Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan	Qatar	3–0	4–0	2023 Jordan International Tournament
48	16 November 2023	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	Hong Kong	1–0	4–0	2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
49	16 November 2023	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	Hong Kong	2–0	4–0	2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
50	14 January 2024	Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar	[[Palestinian National Authority {{{altlink}}}\|Palestinian National Authority]]	4–1	4–1	2023 AFC Asian Cup
51	7 February 2024	Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar	Qatar	1–0	2–3	2023 AFC Asian Cup
52	21 March 2024	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	Turkmenistan	2–0	5–0	2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
53	6 June 2024	Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong	Hong Kong	4–2	4–2	2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
54	15 October 2024	Rashid Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	Qatar	1–1	4–1	2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
55	15 October 2024	Rashid Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	Qatar	2–1	4–1	2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
56	19 November 2024	Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan	Kyrgyzstan	3–2	3–2	2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
57	20 March 2025	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	United Arab Emirates	1–0	2–0	2026 FIFA World Cup qualification