{"id":11218,"date":"2010-05-05T05:54:12","date_gmt":"2010-05-05T12:54:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.persianfootball.com\/news\/2010\/05\/05\/shojaei-i-am-proud-of-wearing-irans-jersey\/"},"modified":"2010-05-05T05:54:12","modified_gmt":"2010-05-05T12:54:12","slug":"shojaei-i-am-proud-of-wearing-irans-jersey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.persianfootball.com\/news\/2010\/05\/05\/shojaei-i-am-proud-of-wearing-irans-jersey\/","title":{"rendered":"Shojaei: I am proud of wearing Iran\u2019s jersey"},"content":{"rendered":"
MNA – Masoud Shojaei hit out at reports stating that he doesn\u2019t play in Iran football team as well as he plays for the Spanish club Osasuna.<\/strong><\/span> <\/p>\n

In an exclusive interview with the Mehr News Agency, Shojaei elaborated on his position in both Osasuna and Iran football teams.<\/p>\n

Mehr News Agency:<\/strong> It seems that you are playing better in your second season in La Liga. Are you?<\/div>\n
Shojaei:<\/strong> That\u2019s normal. I have to be a better player after one season in Spanish football. I had some problems in my first season, but I am happy with my performance now.<\/div>\n
Mehr News Agency:<\/strong> You have one year remaining in your contract. What\u2019s your plan for the future?<\/div>\n
Shojaei:<\/strong> I\u2019ve received an offer from another Spanish team. I have to wait and see what happens. I will leave Osasuna if I get a good offer.<\/div>\n
Mehr News Agency<\/strong>: In your opinion, how did Osasuna play in the current season?<\/div>\n
Shojaei: <\/strong>We are among the teams threatened by relegation. I hope we get good results in the upcoming matches.<\/div>\n
Mehr News Agency:<\/strong> Iran was drawn along with North Korea, the UAE and defending champion Iraq in the 2011 Asian Cup. What is your assessment of the group?<\/div>\n
Shojaei: <\/strong>We have been drawn in a group which is neither difficult nor easy. Iran needs to plan for getting good results in the Asian Cup. I don\u2019t know our rivals that well, however, I believe that the UAE always loses against us. I last saw Iraq playing in the previous Asian Cup, and finally, we played opposite North Korea in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Mehr News Agency: <\/strong>Some experts believe Iran will play against Australia or South Korea in the next stage and will likely lose to one of them. What do you think about that?<\/p>\n

Shojaei:<\/strong> We shouldn\u2019t think about this now. Iran will eventually play one of them in the tournament. It may be in the final match. A team who wants to win the championship should not be afraid of any team.<\/div>\n

Mehr News Agency:<\/strong> Does Iran have any chance of winning the title?<\/div>\n
Shojaei: <\/strong>We could win. Australia, Saudi Arabia or South Korea might be the winner of the title. Anyhow, we have a difficult job ahead of us.<\/div>\n
Mehr News Agency: <\/strong>Some people believe that you don\u2019t play in Iran football team as good as you play in Osasuna. Is that right?<\/div>\n
Shojaei: <\/strong>Everybody has the right to protest to something. I am proud of wearing my country\u2019s jersey. We train in Osasuna every day, but players in the national teams get together for the tournaments. It\u2019s natural to have a better performance in one\u2019s club compared to the national team.<\/div>\n
Mehr News Agency:<\/strong> Do you have any issues with (Iran coach) Afshin Ghotbi?<\/div>\n
Shojaei: <\/strong>Me? No, I have no problem with him. I had an interview with a TV channel not long ago and some people had different interpretations about what I said. This caused some trouble for me afterwards, but I\u2019m saying again that there is no problem between me and Mr.Ghotbi.<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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