Alireza Beiranvand wants to follow in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo and make his name in the Premier League

The Irish Sun – DUBLIN, Iran’s No1 slept rough as he tried to make it in football, then caught the eye with his gigantic throws this summer.

Iran’s No1 slept rough as he tried to make it in football, then caught the eye with his gigantic throws.

Now he is determined to play in England after putting himself on the global stage in Russia over the summer after his hard work studying spot-kicks paid off.

Beiranvand said: “After the World Cup I decided that I want to leave Iran.

“I had offers from European clubs, Chinese clubs and from Gulf countries but obviously the Premier League is the best in the world.

“Edwin van der Sar is the ideal goalkeeper from the Premier League. And as a club, Liverpool’s culture and tradition has absorbed me.

“I saw Russia as a window to to the world and everyone will be watching.

“I wanted to prove myself in important games and if we made it to the knockout stage I could have shown more and more talent.”

Guided by ex-Manchester United coach Carlos Queiroz, Iran went close to getting out of their group by beating Morocco then getting a draw against Portugal thanks to Beiranvand’s heroics.

The 26-year-old’s 80m throws are all over the internet – but saving Ronaldo’s penalty put him on the world stage and he says it was no fluke after putting in the hours watching his spot-kicks.

Beiranvand said: “I studied the last few penalty kicks that he took, including his one in the Champions League against Juventus in the last minutes and the one against Spain.

“He normally always put them high. I looked at his feet.

“I noticed in his eyes he always looks at the goalkeepers legs and whether the left or the right one moves first – so I waited and waited to see where he put his left leg.

“I always want to be the cause of my team getting a result, even if we win 1-0 and I’ve not scored the goal but I can be the man of the match.

“Before that game I went through everything beforehand with Carlos Queiroz and the coaches, they said picture it my head, like everything is a movie.”

Beiranvand is now hoping the plot-line of his career takes him to England.

He has an agreement with his club Persepolis that he can leave in January and Iran’s ranking means a work permit should not be a problem.

And it would mark an amazing rise for Beiranvand after growing up in a nomadic tribe in Iran.

He said: “I came from south-west Iran in a special tribe that moved around for the better life.

“It’s about cattle and was a simple agricultural life. We lived in tents and was always listening to the radio for football

“As a kid I always wants to be involved in football but it was a pure accident that I was a keeper.”

Beiranvand moved to Tehran to study and even slept rough outside his training ground as he tried to make his way in football.

He started as a striker but injury to a goalkeeper saw him go in goal and he hasn’t looked back.

His gigantic throw is said to come from a local game called Dal Paran that involved chucking stones long-distance.

Beiranvand said: “I’m lucky because it is one of the weapons I have. I can start counter-attacks as I can be very precise.

“If the coach wants us to build from the back then I can use my feet but it is always a different option. The last time it was measured it was 75m to 80m.”

His throws are captured on YouTube, while his penalty save against Ronaldo has also made him a star.

“After the World Cup the expectations from people came more and more and I also became more noticed.

“And because of this, to stay at the top I worked even harder. It made me more confident and I transferred it to the Asian Champions League.”

Next stop is England, if Beiranvand follows his own script.