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Sardar Azmoun
سردار آزمون
Sardar Azmoun - IRN vs USA - FIFA WC 2022.jpg
Azmoun with Iran at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Date of birth (1995-01-01) 1 January 1995 (age 30)
Place of birth Gonbad-e Kavus, Iran
Height 1.86 m
Playing position Forward
Club information
Current club Shabab Al Ahli
Number 20
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 27 (5)
2015–2016 → Rostov (loan) 35 (12)
2016–2017 Rostov 27 (7)
2017–2019 Rubin Kazan 40 (9)
2019–2022 Zenit Saint Petersburg 79 (52)
2022–2024 Bayer Leverkusen 32 (5)
2023–2024 → Roma (loan) 23 (3)
2024– Shabab Al Ahli 9 (8)
National team‡
2009–2011 Iran U17 6 (7)
2011–2015 Iran U20 19 (19)
2015 Iran U23 4 (4)
2014– Iran 89 (56)
Honours
Representing  Iran
CAFA Nations Cup
Winner 2023 Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan Team
AFF U-19 Youth Championship
Winner 2012 Vietnam
WAFF U-15 Championship
Winner 2009 Jordan
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 09:25, 16 January 2025 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19 November 2024

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

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

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

Sardar Azmoun: Football Star

Early Life and Career

Sardar Azmoun started his football journey at Oghab Gonbad in his hometown. He was also very good at volleyball and even played for Iran's national under-15 volleyball team. Later, he joined other youth clubs like Shamoushak Gorgan and Etka Gorgan.

When he was 15, Azmoun joined Sepahan's youth team. Even though he played in some friendly matches, he didn't play any official games for the club. But his talent was noticed by European clubs, especially Rubin Kazan in Russia. At 17, Sardar became the youngest Iranian player to move to a European club.

Playing for Clubs

Rubin Kazan and Rostov

In January 2013, Sardar Azmoun joined Rubin Kazan. He was the first Iranian to play in the Russian Premier League. He made his first team debut in July 2013 in a UEFA Europa League match. In August, he scored his first goal for Rubin Kazan in the Europa League. He quickly showed his skills by scoring and assisting in his league debut in October 2013.

Serdar Azmun Rubin 2013
Azmoun training with Rubin Kazan in 2013

Big clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool, and Barcelona became interested in him.

In February 2015, Azmoun moved to Rostov on a loan. He quickly made an impact, scoring important goals. He helped Rostov avoid relegation and then extended his loan. In the 2015–16 season, he scored many goals, helping Rostov finish second in the league. This earned them a spot in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers.

Rostov-Kuban (3)
Azmoun playing for Rostov in 2015

In the 2016–17 season, Azmoun played in the Champions League for Rostov. He scored his first Champions League goal against Anderlecht. He then scored against Ajax, helping Rostov reach the group stage for the first time. He also scored against strong teams like Atlético Madrid and Bayern Munich. This made him the first Iranian since 2005 to score in the Champions League group stage. His great performances attracted more interest from top European clubs.

Rostov-Ajax (4)
Azmoun playing for Ajax in 2016

Return to Rubin Kazan

In June 2017, Sardar Azmoun returned to Rubin Kazan. He continued to play well for them.

Rosrov-Rubin 18 (3)
Azmoun playing for Rubin Kazan in 2017

Zenit Saint Petersburg

In February 2019, Azmoun joined Zenit Saint Petersburg. He quickly became a star player. In his first game for Zenit in the Europa League, he scored two goals and had one assist. He was even named Player of the Week by UEFA.

He helped Zenit win the Russian Premier League title multiple times. In the 2019–20 season, he was the league's top scorer with 17 goals. In the 2020–21 season, he scored a hat-trick and finished with 19 goals, helping Zenit win their third title in a row. He was also voted the Russian Premier League Player of the Season for 2020–21.

Bayer Leverkusen

In January 2022, Azmoun moved to the German club Bayer Leverkusen. He signed a five-year contract.

Loan to Roma

In August 2023, Azmoun joined Roma in Italy on a loan. He was the first Iranian player to play for Roma. He scored his first goal for Roma in November 2023.

Shabab Al Ahli

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

Playing for Iran

Youth Teams

Sardar Azmoun shined in Iran's youth teams. 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. He captained the U-20 team and scored many goals. He was also a top scorer in the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship qualifiers.

Senior Team

Azmoun was first called up to the Iranian national team in October 2013. He made his debut in May 2014. He scored his first goal for Iran in November 2014 against South Korea.

Iran and Spain match at the FIFA World Cup 26
Azmoun playing for Iran against Sergio Ramos of Spain at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Iran and Portugal match at the FIFA World Cup 2018 11
Azmoun playing for Iran against Portugal at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

He was a key player in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, scoring important goals against Qatar and Iraq. He continued to score in World Cup qualifiers, including a hat-trick against Macedonia in 2016. He helped Iran qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

IRN-VIETNAM 20190112 Asian Cup 15
Azmoun celebrating his goal against Vietnam in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup

After the 2018 World Cup, Sardar briefly stopped playing for his country's team because of tough criticism. He wanted to be there for his mother, who was not feeling well. But he soon returned to play for Iran in October 2018.

In 2022, Sardar Azmoun spoke out about important issues, showing he cares deeply about fairness. He continued to play for Iran and scored an equalizing goal in a friendly match against Senegal.

His Playing Style

Sardar Azmoun is known for his great ability to head the ball. He is also praised for his creativity and quick speed. Some people have compared him to famous players like Zlatan Ibrahimović and even called him the Iranian Messi. Many believe he is the next great Iranian striker, following in the footsteps of the legendary Ali Daei.

Outside of Football

Sardar Azmoun was born into a Turkmen family. He can speak several languages, including Persian, Turkmen, Turkish, English, and Russian. He loves riding horses and is very active in thoroughbred horse racing and breeding. He owns a large horse complex in his hometown. He also owns a women's volleyball club in Iran.

Sardar is a supporter of the Spanish football club Real Madrid. He has also said that playing for Fenerbahçe was his childhood dream.

Career Statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
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 9 8 1 1 2 3 7 5 2 1 21 18
Career total 272 101 15 3 2 3 59 19 6 5 354 131

International

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
Total 89 56
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 4–0
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  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 2–0
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 2–1
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 2–1
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 2–0
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 2–0
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 5–1
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 2–0
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 2–1
56 19 November 2024 Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan  Kyrgyzstan 3–2 3–2 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Zenit Saint Petersburg

  • Russian Premier League: 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22
  • Russian Cup: 2019–20
  • Russian Super Cup: 2020, 2021

Shabab Al Ahli

  • UAE Super Cup: 2024
  • Qatar–UAE Challenge Shield: 2025

Iran U17

  • WAFF U-15 Championship: 2009

Iran U20

  • AFF U-19 Youth Championship: 2012

Iran

  • CAFA Nations Cup: 2023

Individual

  • AFF U-19 Youth Championship top goalscorer: 2012
  • Commonwealth of Independent States Cup top goalscorer: 2012
  • AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament: 2019, 2023
  • Russian Football Union First-class Player: 2019–20, 2020–21
  • Russian Premier League Player of the Season: 2020–21
  • Russian Premier League Player of the Month: March 2019
  • Russian Premier League top goalscorer: 2019–20
  • IFFHS Asian Men's Team of the Year: 2020, 2021

See also

  • List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals

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