Getting to Know the Iranian National Team: Amir Abedzadeh

This article is part of a 22-part miniseries on the history and stars of Iranian football released ahead of Iran's participation in Group B of the 2022 Qatar World Cup in November. You can explore the rest of the series here.

On April 26, 1993, Iranian goalkeeping legend Ahmed Reza Abedzadeh informed the players and coaches of the national team that his first son had been born: a boy named Amir.

Abedzadeh Senior was one of the stars of the post-revolution 1990s generation of footballers, who today still holds the unique record of being unbeaten in the Tehran Derby for either Esteghlal or Persepolis, as well as for 18 clean sheets in a row. He in turn had been introduced to the team by the late Nasser Hejazi, as his intended successor.

Not two months after the birth of his son, Abedzadeh's life changed forever. That June he was seriously injured and left the field in a match between Iran and Taiwan, which ended with Iran winning 6-0. He began treating his injured knee in Tehran, but required specialist treatment the Football Federation would not pay for.

Esteghlal FC, his other team at the time, also refused to pay his travel or treatment expenses. The CEO of Persepolis, however, said he would. So Abedzadeh went to Germany for treatment, and when he returned, he signed a contract with Persepolis. Esteghlal fans never forgave him.

As soon as his son Amir could walk, Abedzadeh began taking him to Kargaran Stadium in Tehran, Persepolis' training ground, to play football. The stars of Persepolis FC were there on the pitch, and the young Amir would alternately watch his father from afar and quietly play with the ball.

Amir Abedzadeh began his serious goalkeeping training under his father's supervision, from the age of just seven. In 2006 he joined Persepolis Academy and from 2007 on was a member of the youth team. He also sometimes accompanied the men’s team as a reserve goalkeeper.

But when he turned 15, his father encouraged him to go to England instead. In 2008 he joined the youth team of Brentford FC, later joining Tottenham’s under-19s squad. From there he joined the London Tigers, and finally moved to the United States in 2010, beginning his career in American professional football with the Los Angeles Blues. He scored 17 goals with the club over the course of two years.

From 2012 to 2014 he returned to Iran to join Persepolis, but was not given a single chance to play. He then moved to Rah-Ahan Tehran and was goalkeeper for nine matches, before signing a contract with Barince in Portugal and playing another 10. In 2017 he went to Maritimo and gave some of his best performance to date with that club, appearing in the main lineup 75 times and selected as the best player on the field for nine of them.

Amir Abedzadeh joined the Spanish club Ponferradina in 2021. So far, he has been goalkeeper with the club some 35 times. He has played with the Iranian national team just 10 times, but still appeared to be Dragan Skočić’s  first choice to wear the number 1 shirt for Iran in Qatar before the latter's dismissal last week.