{"id":47518,"date":"2022-11-20T17:51:15","date_gmt":"2022-11-21T01:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.persianfootball.com\/news\/?p=47518"},"modified":"2022-11-20T17:51:16","modified_gmt":"2022-11-21T01:51:16","slug":"iran-stopper-is-son-of-world-cup-legend-and-dominated-londons-seven-aside-astro-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.persianfootball.com\/news\/2022\/11\/20\/iran-stopper-is-son-of-world-cup-legend-and-dominated-londons-seven-aside-astro-scene\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran stopper is son of World Cup legend and dominated London\u2019s seven-aside astro scene"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Dsily Star – LONDON, Iran national team goalkeeper Amir Abedzadeh will face England on Monday, where he spent his teenage years destroying opponents at seven-aside astro-turf football.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran are somewhat of a wildcard as\u00a0Gareth Southgate\u2019s\u00a0England\u00a0set their sights on winning their\u00a0World Cup\u00a0opener on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carlos Quieroz\u2019s side are ranked 20th in the world and history proves they are no slouches, having narrowly missed out on qualifying from a group that included Spain, Portugal and Morocco in\u00a0Russia\u00a02018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their defensive solidity and doggedness without the ball, as well as stars like Mehdi Taremi and Sardar Azmoun, makes them potentially tricky customers in the eyes of the cautious. And their 29-year-old goalkeeper Amir Abedzadeh has roots far closer to England than it may initially seem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First off, the Abedzadeh name holds tremendous weight within Iranian football folklore, particularly when it comes to World Cups. Amir\u2019s father – Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh – was part of the iconic \u201898\u00a0Team Melli<\/em>\u00a0side that secured the nation\u2019s first ever World Cup win, pulling off stunning saves in a dramatic 2-1 victory against the USA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amir, who now plies his trade for Ponferradina in Spain\u2019s Segunda Division, was always going to find it tough to measure up to the stature of his 6ft3in dad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the opportunity arose to leave Iranian giants Persepolis in favour of Brentford as a 15-year-old. He spent two months with the west London club, who were in the third-tier at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abedzadeh\u2019s unsuccessful trial at Arsenal then saw him join rivals Tottenham\u2019s academy in 2009. Following his release from Spurs that same year, Amir kept his skills sharp by playing semi-professional and amateur football with London Tigers and Persian FC London, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But amid his struggles to find a foothold in London, the youngster caught the eye in the capital’s underground football scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One source exclusively told Daily Star Sport<\/strong> of how Abedzadeh threw himself into a seven-aside tournament at Ladbroke Grove\u2019s Westway Sports Centre dubbed \u2018ISL\u2019 (Iranian Soccer League), where groups of local Iranians faced each other every Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There, he mesmerised while playing outfield, nutmegging average Joes and scoring worldies for fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The source said: \u201cIt didn\u2019t even look like he was trying, he just looked miles ahead of everyone else. He was clearly the best outfield player and it wasn\u2019t even close. Physically he was a menace as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think he spent much time in goal, if any. He was very young but everyone was obviously taken aback, especially given who his dad was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAgainst us, he scored a hat-trick and then a free-kick. He drilled it in as if there wasn\u2019t even a wall. He was the top-scorer and must\u2019ve gotten over 20 goals throughout the tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a spell with the Los Angeles Blues and an unsuccessful return to Iran, Amir made the career-altering decision to try his hand at Portuguese football. A season at Berreirense would put him on the right path as he earned a move to top-tier club Maritimo in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shot-stopper was finally rewarded with a call-up to the national team, replicating his father’s achievement by making his debut against Uzbekistan in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amir was a staple in goal during Iran’s near-flawless qualification for Qatar under Dragan Skokic. And while the returning Quieroz is understood to prefer 2018 World Cup veteran Alireza Beiranvand between the sticks, playing England will surely mean the world to Abedzadeh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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