I don't know about that one. I mean Dejagah was pivotal in the 2 seasons he played for Fulham in one of the toughest and most talented leagues in Europe. I think money limited his chances of staying in Europe.
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Could it be possible that some of you are confusing Reza Fazeli with Human Afazeli?
Names like Mahdavikia,Hashemian and Daei have proven season after season in Europe that they are unique Iranian players. Like i said, Dejagah is a professional footballer and he has the basic professional skills, he is brought up according to European football standards and so on but the guy is a level or two below the likes of Mahdavikia,Daei,Hashemian (when they were playing in Europe)
I love all the names you mentioned, but none of those guys were regular starters on a Bundesliga championship team...Dejagah was. Daei was the closest for Bayern but he wasn't a regular. None of those guys also made it to the EPL, which is by far a stronger league than the Bundesliga. I am not sure Dejagah in his prime is any less skilled than the names mentioned above in their prime. If you think about it, Daei and Hashemian were strikers, and so on goals, they really should be ahead of Dejagah. In terms of MVP to their teams...you betchya that Bayern could have survived without Daie, not sure Fulham or Wolfsburg would have done so without Dejagah...maybe MKia at Hamburg he was an MVP, but that's about it.
Dejagah and co cannot be mentioned in the same sentence as our past 2006 legionnaires (BuLi Iranians, Daei ect..). Different class, different level.
Legends are defined by the generation that cheered for them. Ask my father and he will say Kia, Azizi, Daie, Hashemian have nothing on the likes of Ghayeghran, Parvin, Gelichkhani, and so forth. The younger kids of this generation might find Dejagah, Gucci, Neku and Teymourian and Karimi as the legends. Sadly we forget our past, and always complain about our present, and hope for something magical for our future.
On paper, I believe the team of WC 14 is stronger than the team of WC 06. I believe our team play, fitness, and skill level were all much better than in 06 leading up to both WC.
And if this current squad wins AC...trust me in 10 years we will be comparing the players like Azmoun, Ezzatollahi and ARJ to the likes of Gucci and Dejagah...
Nekounam is surely a legend, he has served his country for over 143 times and he represented Iran also in world's best league La Liga for few good years. What else should he do to be classified as legend? He is one for sure. Not to mention his influential goals during ACQ, WCQ etc.