Mehdi Taremi – the Persian star shining bright in Europe

Sportingpedia.com – PORTO, Mehdi Taremi is a footballer who plays as a striker for the Portuguese Primeira Liga club Porto and the Iranian national team.

The Persian striker began his development at Bargh Bushehr at the slender age of 10. He then went to Iranjavan Youth Academy at the age of 14, before moving to Shahin Bushehr, where his career as a professional player started at the age of 18.

He participated in only 7 appearances for the team, scoring just one goal. In 2013 a move to Iranjavan followed, where Tarami was given a two-year contract. He went on to score 12 goals in 22 games for them, making him the second-highest goalscorer in the Iranian league at the time. After that season the player earned a transfer to Persepolis, where he continued to regularly find the back of the nets, hitting 53 goals in 105 meetings, helping his side to win back-to-back domestic titles.

He played one season in Qatar, after joining Al Gharafa for 0.5 million euros. Taremi scored 22 goals in 38 appearances for the club, before moving to Rio Ave for his first stint of European Football.

The Iranian striker made an instant impact at Vila de Conde, scoring a hat-trick in his first Primeira start against Aves and winning three penalties the following week against Sporting Lisbon. Mehdi Taremi scored a total of 21 goals and provided 2 assists in 37 games during his first season in Portugal, helping his team to a fifth-place finish. He finished tied with two more players for the golden boot that campaign. The following year, Rio Ave went from fighting with AC Milan for a place in the European tournament in the beginning of the term, to relegation in the space of only 10 months.

In the summer of 2020 Taremi moved to Porto, for a transfer fee of 15 million euros. In his first season with the Dragons, the striker did not disappoint, racking up 23 goals and 18 assists. He was also nominated for the Puskas Award for his sublime acrobatic goal against Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-finals. Acriss the past term the player converted 26 goals and provided the final pass on 17 occasions, while winning a domestic double in Portugal.

With Iran Taremi participated at the World Cup in Russia four years ago, and so far has accumulated 57 caps for the national selection, in which he has scored 26 and assisted 13 more. With the Iranian set to turn 30 years of age in July, it is unclear if top European teams will be looking to sign him, and if they do, Porto will demand top dollar with his contract expiring in 2024. Some reports state that Marseille and Lille are monitoring the striker and others recently stated that Jorge Jesus will want him at his new club Fenerbahce, but no bid has been made so far.