While Carlos Queiroz was in his 2nd year as head coach of our senior national team, the future (today's) generation of Team Melli was participating in the 2012 U-19 AFC Asian Cup in the UAE.
As we all know, many generations have come and gone in our football. Many of them wasted away due to the corruption and disorganization in our football. The same corruption and disorganization that has negatively impacted our youth football for decades and still haunts us today.
But we have come across special points in our football history where a generation (or two generations combine) come and completely take over our national team. Of course we cannot discredit the owner of the IFF as well as the coaches who give opportunities to players and allow them to progress.
In 1998, we took (arguably) the best group to France 98. A team consisting of Ali Daei, Khodadad Azizi, Karim Bagheri, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Hamid Estili, Mohammad Khakpour, Alireza Mansourian, Ahmadreza Abedzadeh, Mehrdad Minavand, Reza Shahroudi, Mehdi Pashazadeh, Afshin Peyrovani, and etc. A magical generation that made a majority of us become die-hard Team Melli fans (including myself).
In Fall 2012, a group of talented players went to UAE for the U-19 Asian Cup. But for some reason people don't seem to credit this team and some have even forgotten where these players are today. Let’s take a look:
Sardar Azmoun – FC Rubin Kazan (Striker)
Alireza Jahanbakhsh - AZ Alkmaar (Right/Left winger)
Roozbeh Cheshmi – Esteghlal FC (Centre back)
Ahmad Abdollazadeh – Foolad FC (Defensive midfielder)
Hossein Kanaani – Saipa FC (Centre back)
Behnam Barzay – Esteghlal FC (Striker)
Farshid Esmaeili – Esteghlal FC (Midfield)
Ehsan Pahlevan – Zob Ahan (Left midfielder)
Yousef Vakia – Foolad FC (Right back)
Vahid Heydarieh – Malavan (Left back)
Hossein Fazeli – Padideh FC (Winger)
Mohammad Hossein Moradmand – Padideh FC (Centre back)
Mohammad Daneshgar – Saipa (Centre back/Defensive midfielder)
Mohammad Ali Faramarzi – Esteghlal Khouzestan (Left back)
Amin Jahan Kohan – Malavan (Winger/Centre attacking midfielder)
Hojjat Sedghi – Malavan (Goalkeeper)
Ali Mohsenzadeh – Nassaji (Goalkeeper)
* Ali Choopani was a great talent from this group who is unfortunately not playing football anymore. He had the ability and potential to go to the lengths as a Sardar Azmoun or an Alireza Jahanbakhsh, but he put football aside
Please pay close attention --> Carlos Queiroz is a genius. But he is a genius in that him and his staff combined this generation (2012 Iranian U-19 team) of players with the generation that brought us Karim Ansarifard, Ehsan Hajsafi, Bakhtiar Rahmani, Hamidreza Aliasgari, Mehdi Daghagheleh (who by the way was invited to Team Melli and was coached by Carlos Queiroz for a short period) and etc.
But the inconsistency, the corruption, the lack of funding and disorganization of our football (as a whole) did not stop Carlos Queiroz from putting a team together that could arguably be as valuable if not more valuable than the one from 1998. Because that generation was pure gold. And it is unfortunate how a majority of them missed out on Korea/Japan 2002.
Carlos Queiroz has a lot of haters. In fact, many of our own PFDC members were not and still aren't too fond of our coach. Sure he has a temper and he definitely has his share of flaws. He may not even be considered a great coach when it comes to international standards. But there's no doubt that this man has turned our football around in the last 7 years. I take my hat off to this man. He deserves respect and recognition for his work.
Other people that deserve thanks: Abbas Torabian (who helped bring Queiroz to Iran), Oceano da Cruz, Ali Mansourian, Markar Aghajanian, Afshin Peyrovani, Ali Doustimehr (hard working gentlemen who cares about our youth and has helped and continues to help Iranian youth), Mehdi Mahdavikia (a major influence on our players as a mentor and a coach), and many many more..
As we all know, many generations have come and gone in our football. Many of them wasted away due to the corruption and disorganization in our football. The same corruption and disorganization that has negatively impacted our youth football for decades and still haunts us today.
But we have come across special points in our football history where a generation (or two generations combine) come and completely take over our national team. Of course we cannot discredit the owner of the IFF as well as the coaches who give opportunities to players and allow them to progress.
In 1998, we took (arguably) the best group to France 98. A team consisting of Ali Daei, Khodadad Azizi, Karim Bagheri, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Hamid Estili, Mohammad Khakpour, Alireza Mansourian, Ahmadreza Abedzadeh, Mehrdad Minavand, Reza Shahroudi, Mehdi Pashazadeh, Afshin Peyrovani, and etc. A magical generation that made a majority of us become die-hard Team Melli fans (including myself).
In Fall 2012, a group of talented players went to UAE for the U-19 Asian Cup. But for some reason people don't seem to credit this team and some have even forgotten where these players are today. Let’s take a look:
Sardar Azmoun – FC Rubin Kazan (Striker)
Alireza Jahanbakhsh - AZ Alkmaar (Right/Left winger)
Roozbeh Cheshmi – Esteghlal FC (Centre back)
Ahmad Abdollazadeh – Foolad FC (Defensive midfielder)
Hossein Kanaani – Saipa FC (Centre back)
Behnam Barzay – Esteghlal FC (Striker)
Farshid Esmaeili – Esteghlal FC (Midfield)
Ehsan Pahlevan – Zob Ahan (Left midfielder)
Yousef Vakia – Foolad FC (Right back)
Vahid Heydarieh – Malavan (Left back)
Hossein Fazeli – Padideh FC (Winger)
Mohammad Hossein Moradmand – Padideh FC (Centre back)
Mohammad Daneshgar – Saipa (Centre back/Defensive midfielder)
Mohammad Ali Faramarzi – Esteghlal Khouzestan (Left back)
Amin Jahan Kohan – Malavan (Winger/Centre attacking midfielder)
Hojjat Sedghi – Malavan (Goalkeeper)
Ali Mohsenzadeh – Nassaji (Goalkeeper)
* Ali Choopani was a great talent from this group who is unfortunately not playing football anymore. He had the ability and potential to go to the lengths as a Sardar Azmoun or an Alireza Jahanbakhsh, but he put football aside
Please pay close attention --> Carlos Queiroz is a genius. But he is a genius in that him and his staff combined this generation (2012 Iranian U-19 team) of players with the generation that brought us Karim Ansarifard, Ehsan Hajsafi, Bakhtiar Rahmani, Hamidreza Aliasgari, Mehdi Daghagheleh (who by the way was invited to Team Melli and was coached by Carlos Queiroz for a short period) and etc.
But the inconsistency, the corruption, the lack of funding and disorganization of our football (as a whole) did not stop Carlos Queiroz from putting a team together that could arguably be as valuable if not more valuable than the one from 1998. Because that generation was pure gold. And it is unfortunate how a majority of them missed out on Korea/Japan 2002.
Carlos Queiroz has a lot of haters. In fact, many of our own PFDC members were not and still aren't too fond of our coach. Sure he has a temper and he definitely has his share of flaws. He may not even be considered a great coach when it comes to international standards. But there's no doubt that this man has turned our football around in the last 7 years. I take my hat off to this man. He deserves respect and recognition for his work.
Other people that deserve thanks: Abbas Torabian (who helped bring Queiroz to Iran), Oceano da Cruz, Ali Mansourian, Markar Aghajanian, Afshin Peyrovani, Ali Doustimehr (hard working gentlemen who cares about our youth and has helped and continues to help Iranian youth), Mehdi Mahdavikia (a major influence on our players as a mentor and a coach), and many many more..
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