Longest football throw ever? Incredible footage of Iran’s Alireza Beiranvand vs Syria [VIDEO]

Give Me Sport – TEHRAN, Distribution is becoming more and more important for goalkeepers in the modern game.

While it might have been acceptable for shot-stoppers to, well, simply stop shots in decades gone by, managers are now looking closer than ever at how number ones play with their feet.

Besides, it’s no coincidence that the goalkeepers of the last four Premier League-winning sides are both world-renowned for their passing and distribution in the form of Ederson and Alisson Becker.

The importance of distribution

And the signing of the former essentially came about because Pep Guardiola wasn’t convinced by Joe Hart’s footwork, though, yes, there was Claudio Bravo’s brief stint as number one in between.

However, no matter how you want to phrase things, there is no denying that having a goalkeeper who can pick out their teammates from more than 50 yards away is a huge advantage these days.

And arguably no goalkeeper in the beautiful game channels this skill more uniquely than Alireza Beiranvand, who is perhaps best known to European fans as one of Iran’s best shot-stoppers.

Beiranvand’s unique talent

The 28-year-old famously saved a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty at the 2018 World Cup and has played for Naft Tehran, Persepolis, Royal Antwerp and Boavista across his club career.

Beiranvand also boasts an impressive 45 caps for Iran and made his latest appearance during the 1-0 win over Syria in 2022 World Cup qualifying on Thursday evening. 

Former Brighton & Hove Albion striker Alireza Jahanbakhsh notched the winner on the night, but it was Beiranvand who became a hit on social media for his astonishing throwing skills.

Beiranvand’s unbelievable throw for Iran

Footage that appears to be from the Syria clash shows Beiranvand launching the ball from the edge of his own penalty area to less than 10 yards away from the corresponding box. Yeh, seriously.

Ringing any bells yet? Well, this isn’t the first time that Beiranvand has proven that he can throw a football ridiculously far, but it might well be his greatest ever effort.

Imagine throwing a football that far. Just imagine for two seconds. Mental.

The reason behind Beiranvand’s talent

While it’s impossible to be certain about how far Beiranvand threw the ball, we can estimate that it clocks in at around 70 yards based on the pitch markings depending on the exact size of the field.

According to football writer Karan Tejwani, Beiranvand’s remarkable talent can be traced back to playing a game called ‘Dal Paran’ that involves throwing stones over long distances.

And clearly Beiranvand’s practice with launching pebbles and rocks has come in handy – pun intended – with his career in football because some of his throws are simply out of this world.