Jalal Hosseini bids farewell to international football
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Loading...Tehran Times – TEHRAN, Long-serving and highly valued member of Iran national football team Jalal Hosseini finished off his international career.
With less than 40 days to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, Hosseini announce his retirement on Saturday.
Was it right he was being handed another cap at all? Not at all, because Hosseini quit Team Melli.
Persepolis captain Hosseini bade farewell after a glittering 11-year career in national team. His international career began back in February 2007 when he debuted Team Melli in a friendly match against Belarus.
Hosseini made 116 appearances for Iran national football team and scored eight goals as a center back.
He represented Iran in three AFC Asian Cups (2007, 2011, 2015) as well as 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The 36-year-old defender was named in Iran’s preliminary squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia but did not make the final 23.
Hosseini was surprisingly dropped from the 2018 World Cup due to conflicts between Persepolis coach Branko Ivankovic and Team Melli coach Carlos Queiroz.
Hosseini helped Persepolis advance to the 2018 AFC Champions League, where the Reds came second after losing to Japan’s Kashima Antlers in two final matches.
He also played vital role in steering Persepolis to back-to-back titles in Iran Professional League.
