Ali Karimi at Bayern Munich

[PSGman#19]

Best game was the second against Leverkusen.

I still cant believe that Karimi didnt become the biggest thing in history, i swear in my dreams Karimi was the best player ever worldwide 😄😄, on a good day Ronaldinho would have been nothing.

But he was in europe too late and he really didnt have what Jahanbakhsh for example has and showed the last year in England, fighting no matter what happens

On a sidenote, I really had high hopes for Reza Shekari, hoping he will become the iranian Zidane. I don't understand how things went so bad for him (expelled from Zobahan, No playing time in Kazan, no playing time in TS (shameful)//)

[BacheLot]

It clearly shows Karimi is nervous with no confidence in his first official game in Bayern. As soon as he receives the ball, he chooses the most simple and secure option to pass the ball to the closest player whereas he would have picked a more challenging option in other days.

Also I had forgotten he was damn lucky the referee did not call a penalty at minute 69:20. He clearly made a foul in the box.

All i all it was a good game for him, coming from UAE to play in one of the best teams in the world for the first time. I remember his second game with Bayern was so much better. He had gained a bit of more confidence and from what I remember he scored a goal too.

simple seeming ... yet i'd say extremely clever and effective ....!! if more of byern stars on the pitch could hold their composure and pick out simple passes to open players around them , they coulda dominated their opponents much easier and advanced much further into UCL..!! they certainly had a wealth of talent required for it.

he sure did look a bit nervous though which is understandable .... beside the almost PK give-away he also gave up a CK and FK which ended up both being the biggest chances for the Brussia to get an equalizer out of ..!!
i think the biggest problem at Byern was that he was forced to play too far back and more defensively on the wings, all opposite of where he felt much more comfortable to play which as inarsenewetrust mentioned the much more Advanced number 10 role behind the two strikers where he was a natural talent for and coulda shined much brighter..! but for that to happen he woulda had to unseat the Byern and Germany skipper Ballack, which was a near impossibility back in those days..!! that dude was a beast of player and the face of german football worldwide ..!
Magath would often opt for the 442 with the diamond MF ...! and most often AK8 had to line up as one of the MF in the wings side of the pitch and was assigned to track opposition players back often and help out his defensive line with it..!! regardless of his great 1v1 man marking skills he simply wasnt comfortable going backwards and he wasnt physically stout combative player to put himself about defensively into challenges..!!
but hey, he still managed to figure in reasonably well in star-studded Byern, often enough keeping quality challengers like Schwarzenegger and hargreave and salihamidzic on the bench in favor of himself..!!

ps
it really dont think he was given permission to take on players on the frequent dribbles .... he had to follow the often dry and strict coach's game plans in BL..!!

further Highlighting his absolutely idiotic decision not to leave ayrab leagues 3-4 years earlier at his peak form for that Atletico in a far more free-flowing attacking La Liga which woulda been ideal match to his playing style ..!!
that failed transfer must go down as the biggest missed opportunity in iranian football ever..??

[Nokhodi]

On a sidenote, I really had high hopes for Reza Shekari, hoping he will become the iranian Zidane. I don't understand how things went so bad for him (expelled from Zobahan, No playing time in Kazan, no playing time in TS (shameful)//)

Very poor advisers as usual. Same idiots who nearly destroyed Azmoun.

[Ali Doust]

Just oozing with talent. Lets just compare his debut match for Bayer Munich! with all our weekly legionare matches whom none play at the level that Karimi played. Even with all the nerves for a player making his debut, his comfort with the ball is on another level compared to all our legionares today.

[Leicester City]

I wish he took that Atlético Madrid offer!!! He could have played for Barcelona or Real Madrid should he took the offer.

In my personal opinion he would have been better suited to La Liga and their style of football that they play, especially at Atlético Madrid.

[PSGman#19]

I wish he took that Atlético Madrid offer!!! He could have played for Barcelona or Real Madrid should he took the offer.

In my personal opinion he would have been better suited to La Liga and their style of football that they play, especially at Atlético Madrid.

Atletico Madrid was in 2nd division in this time. Not very attractive for our players that only want Bayern, real or Barcelona

[Leicester City]

Atletico Madrid was in 2nd division in this time. Not very attractive for our players that only want Bayern, real or Barcelona

But he ended up joining Al Ahli over Atletico

Still he eventually played for Europe’s top club, I’m not complaining at the end of day

[Adesor Vafaseya]

I think it was the game after (? versus Leverkusen) where he really stepped it up. Does anyone have that one?

Yes, the Leverkusen game was the game he played like Maradona and got subbed out in min 60 with standing ovation in an “away game” stadium.
That was in my opinion his best game in Germany.

[Sly]

ps
it really dont think he was given permission to take on players on the frequent dribbles .... he had to follow the often dry and strict coach's game plans in BL..!!
further Highlighting his absolutely idiotic decision not to leave ayrab leagues 3-4 years earlier at his peak form for that Atletico in a far more free-flowing attacking La Liga which woulda been ideal match to his playing style ..!!
that failed transfer must go down as the biggest missed opportunity in iranian football ever..??

I wish he took that Atlético Madrid offer!!! He could have played for Barcelona or Real Madrid should he took the offer.
In my personal opinion he would have been better suited to La Liga and their style of football that they play, especially at Atlético Madrid.

That is exactly why I have stressed plenty of times here that Bundesliga is not the right league for our players. Yes, imagine Karimi, not in athletico but even in lousy Osasuna instead. Even there, he would have shone so much more and been exposed to big teams in La liga so much more and he would have definitely gotten an offer from them. With a little luck, a longer career in Europe would have been the result. The culture would have been more similar too so he would have felt more comfortable there.

[Ab-Gosht]

this was his debut, in his 2nd game he played vs Bayer and was named mvp and was in kicker team of week for bundesliga. His entire first half of season was absolute sick!

[Dubxl152]

Lets link some more games! Watching these games is helping with my lack of football withdrawal symptoms

[ShiroKhorshid]

Of the top of my head, Karimi played 7 good to very good official matches for Bayern. Them being away @ Leverkusen (his 2nd Bundesliga match, 1 goal & 1 assist), away @ Frankfurt (1 assist, i think matchday 6 or 7), home against Rapid Vienna (Championsleague, late 2005, 1 goal), away @ Hannover in early 2006 and his last 3 Bundesliga matches in 2007, away @ Cottbus, Mönchengladbach (1 amazing assist) and home vs. Mainz (1 goal). Any way to find those full matches?

[ShiroKhorshid]

By the way, Karimi had the chance to extend his contract for one more year at the end of the 06/07 season. Instead, he opted to leave for Qatar SC at the age of 28.

[perspolis#1]

You guys remember Karimi was injured for 3+ months prior to the World cup and almost missed it?

[RaginG Inferno]

You guys remember Karimi was injured for 3+ months prior to the World cup and almost missed it?

He was never the same after that. It was a terrible knee injury.