Ali Gholizadeh is not only the star of Lech, but also the Ekstraklasa

Tvp.pl – POZNAN, Ali Gholizadeh is the biggest hero of Lech Poznań fans in recent weeks. During the spring round of PKO BP Ekstraklasa, the Iranian not only became the star of his team, but also the entire league.

In the team led by Niels Frederiksen, it is difficult to find a footballer who is able to present his skills in such a glamorous way. If Kolejorz soon reaches for the title, then in the capital of Wielkopolska, the 29-year-old will be carried on his hands.

When Gholizadeh hit Lech, he was supposed to be a great star who would shine in European cups. All because after the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League, appetites in Poznań clearly increased. The Iranian came with the status of an international star, which was to take to another level of right-winged position at the club.

Of course, there were many skeptical voices in the face of his serious injury, but earlier achievements of this player could not not impress. In the first months after the transfer, he exhausted the limit of bad luck with an unimaginable amount. First, extend rehabilitation by two months, then problems back into form, and finally recovery of injuries. The effect? 26 abandoned matches.

He was also not helped by the fact that the club was in crisis. As a consequence, he became the object of pouring all kinds of frustrations. Many people thought that almost two million euros had been thrown into the mud on the injured player. At that time, President Piotr Rutkowski regretted this transaction.

However, the current season shows that no one should be crossed out prematurely. The Iranian first rebuilt his form and then became Lech’s best footballer. Today, he leads the team to the championship and it is possible that fans in the future will watch European nights with his participation, which were to take place during the tenure of John Van den Brom. However, it is already known that the great return of Gholizadeha is one of the greatest rebirths in the history of the Poznań club.

Autumn was a announcement of spring

Gholizadeh’s first serious glimpse in Lech’s colours was the away match against Rakow. During the August meeting, Niels Frederiksen’s pupils presented themselves in an extremely mediocre way and despite a 0-0 draw, they should lose the meeting. The Iranian came from the bench for the last 20 minutes and quickly became the most active player in the whole team.

He won a lot of duels and created a great goal situation for Bryan Fiabemie. Today, no one is surprised that the Norwegian striker did not use it. However, it was a different Gholizadeh than the one who was afraid to dribble last season. In the next round, he scored the first assist in Lech’s colours Lechaand it was at the weight of three points in the match against Zagłębie. A week later, he added a premiere hit, this time during the competition with Pogonia. The Iranian impressed with the freedom with which he entered into direct duels. The defenders clearly had a problem with his technical skills.

Despite promising performances, he had to work for the full trust of Niels Frederiksen. At the beginning of the season, the coach valued Dino Hoticia higher. The hierarchy changed only after the match played at the end of October with Radomiak. The only complaint against Gholizadeh in the autumn round is the lack of regularity. For most of the round, however, he was a reserve player, so he did not have the opportunity to show his full potential.

However, the autumn round has unambiguously shown that the representative of Iran has the opportunity to outgrow Ekstraklasa in the future.

Gholizadeh became a league star

At the beginning of the spring round, Gholizadeh also had a problem with finding a place in Lech’s starting line-up. Niels Frederiksen was more likely to exhibit on the right wing of Patrik Walemarka, and on the left flank there was a higher speed Daniel Hakans. Today it may seem surprising, but the Iranian became the undisputed first-eating player only in March.

The former Charleroi footballer was helped to some extent by Lech’s staff problems, especially the suspension and Afonso Sousy disease. At the time, Niels Frederiksen was forced to look for a new solution and decided to bet on the duo Walemark-Gholizadeh. Both players exchanged positions, coming closer to the center of the pitch, where they felt very good. At that time, the Swede and Iranians achieved their highest form in Lech’s coloursLecha, proving that they did not accidentally appear in better leagues than Ekstraklasa.

From the most impressive side, Gholizadeh showed himself in the last two rounds. The second goal in the match with Puszcza when he passed the defenders like poles, as well as the hit against Legia are moments that Lech fans will remember for a long time. The spirit of the great ball hovered over these actions. No wonder, then, that Poznań fans, seeing his performances, mentioned phenomenal wingers like Lamine Yamal.

The end of the season belongs to him

Ali Gholizadeh has been nominated for the Best Helper Award in the current season of Ekstraklasa. The Iranian will compete for the award with Gustave Berggren, Afonso Sousa, Kamil Grosicki and Ryoya Morishita. In the perspective of the whole season, it seems that the 29-year-old will not win the competition with his Portuguese teammate, but he has an argument on his side.

Sousa looked better in the autumn, when the whole team looked much better. In the spring, Kolejorz is doing worse, and Gholizadeh with his individual performances provided Lech with several points in the table. It should also be remembered that in the decisive queues, footballers face much more pressure, and the winger copes with it in a phenomenal way. One can get the impression that the end of the season weighs more than its beginning and in the aforementioned period Gholizadeh is unrivalled.

He returned to the form from the old days

Lech Poznań for years was known for having problems with wingers. In recent years, the only foreign player who could make a difference in this position was Kristoffer Velde. Currently, Gholizadeh is walking the way of Norway and proves that it is worth paying for the football quality.

Former Charleroi footballer plays one of the best seasons among Lech’s wings Lechaduring the era of the Rutkowski family. Gholizadeh scored 13 points in the Canadian standings. Such figures in Ekstraklasa were never twisted by footballers such as Michał Skóraś, Kamil Jóźwiak, Maciej Makuszewski or Sergei Kriwiec. Only Kristoffer Velde (season 2023/24), Jakub Kamiński (season 2021/22), Szymon Pawłowski (season (2014/15) and Sławomir Peszko (season 2009/10) can boast a better result from Gholizadeha.

Gholizadeha skills are also seen in more detailed statistics. Currently, he has equalized the number achievements of his best league season 2020/21. Interestingly, the representative of Iran in the Ekstraklasa very rarely hits the goal, casting only 0.7 shots on the match. Once he decides to hit, he does it from a prepared position and usually ends with a goal.

Gholizadeh on averages 1.8 key passes for the match, as well as 2.2 successful dribblings, which ranks it at the top of the league. In the Jupiler Pro League, he did not get in a dul so often, sometimes the number fell below one dribbling per game. The largest number in Belgium had 1.6 in the 2019/20 season. Nevertheless, the Belgian league is at a higher level than the Polish and so strong exacerbation of statistics in Lech’s colours Lechaproves the skills that exceeds Ekstraklasa.

Time to write a story

In the current season, Alego Gholizadeh is not disturbed by long trips for the national team. Injuries have ceased to tease him and for a long time he has been showing his full potential. However, it is still a unfulfilled footballer. So far, he has not won any trophies or has played in European cups. The second dream was taken away from him by Lech himself when he unexpectedly eliminated the then leader of the Belgian league Charleroi.

If Kolejor reaches for the Polish championship, Gholizadeh will be close to the coveted debut in the European arenas. The team led by Niels Frederiksen, however, has to take two more steps, and the fans are counting very strongly on the Iranian. When Lech reaches for the title, Ali Gholizadeh, Afonso Sousa and Mikael Ishak will be remembered as the three kings who led the team to success.