Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh

Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh (Persian: احمدرضا عابدزاده, born 25 May 1966) is an Iranian former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played for Esteghlal, Sepahan, Persepolis and the Iranian national team. He made 79 appearances for Iran, and played for his country at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh

Personal information
Full name	Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh
Date of birth	(1966-05-25) 25 May 1966
Place of birth	Abadan, Iran
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1983–1985	Sepahan
1985–1987	Isfahan XI
1987–1989	Gendarmerie Tehran
1989–1990	Tam Isfahan
1990–1993	Esteghlal
1993–1994	Sepahan
1994–2000	Persepolis
National team
1987–1998	Iran	79	(0)
Teams managed
2001	Saipa (Goalkeeping Coach)
2005	Esteghlal Ahvaz (Goalkeeping Coach)
2008–2009	Persepolis (Goalkeeping Coach)
2010	Steel Azin (Assistant Coach)
2011	Los Angeles Blues (Goalkeeping Coach)
2014–2015	Rah Ahan (Goalkeeping Coach)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Abedzadeh had an unbeaten record in the Tehran derby with 13 matches, 7 wins and 6 draws. While playing for Persepolis, he went 802 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal.

International career

Abedzadeh was called up at the age of 18 for the Iran national under-20 football team in 1984. After his good shows, he was invited to the senior team in 1987 by then-manager Parviz Dehdari. Abedzadeh made his debut in the match against Kuwait on 27 February 1987, in which he conceded a goal in a 2–1 victory. He started in the 1990 Asian Games, where they won the gold medal after defeating North Korea in the final and Abedzadeh saved two penalties. At the tournament, he conceded only two goals which were both scored from penalty kicks.

Iran defeated Australia in the FIFA World Cup qualification play-offs to reach 1998 FIFA World Cup, their second participation in the World Cup and first since 1978. He missed the first match at the World Cup against Yugoslavia due to injury, then captained Iran at the next two matches against United States and Germany. Iran finished third at their group and Abedzadeh announced his retirement from international football after the final match.

Post-playing career

Abedzadeh suffered a stroke in 2001 and that was the point in which he let go of professional football. He was released some weeks later, but required a number of surgeries after, and even to this day, has side effects from his stroke. Abedzadeh suffered again on 11 March 2007 when his mother died.

He has also been the goalkeeping coach for many clubs after retiring from playing football. He coached Saipa in 2001, Esteghlal Ahvaz in 2005, Persepolis from 2008 to 2009, Steel Azin in 2010 and Los Angeles Blues from 2011 to 2012.

Legacy

Dubbed the Eagle of Asia for his ability to protect the net, his international career stretched for an illustrious 11 years, a tenure that provided stability and uncanny leadership. In 2009, he was named in a poll as Iran's favorite player of last 30 years. His goalkeeping legacy in Iran is rivaled only by Nasser Hejazi.

Personal life

He married in 1988 at the age of 23 and has one daughter, Negar and one son, Amir, also a goalkeeper, who plays for C.S. Marítimo and the Iran national team. Abedzadeh also runs a restaurant in Motelghoo, one of the cities of Northern Iran

Honours

Club

Esteghlal

• Iranian Football League (1): 1989–90
• Asian Club Championship (1): 1990–91, 1991 (Runner-up)

Persepolis

• Iranian Football League (4): 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000
• Hazfi Cup (1): 1998–99

National

Iran

• Asian Games Gold Medal (1): 1990

Other websites

• RSSSF archive of Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh's international appearances

Preceded by Mojtaba Moharrami	Persepolis F.C. Captain 1996–2000	Succeeded by Afshin Peyrovani
Preceded by Mojtaba Moharrami	Iran national football team Captain 1996–1998	Succeeded by Nader Mohammadkhani