Reaction: Iran World Cup squad announced

Iran's tournament hopefuls are really a complete mystery to most as the entirety of the team performs within its home nation.

Which I'm afraid means that the players on the squad list are too damn obscure for me to review on this site. Just kidding. Here follows the lowdown on all 23 players selected by Croatian coach Miroslav Blazevic.

Ebrahim Mirzapour was selected in front of several more experienced goalkeepers within his national team, however, the keeper who was the fixed starter within the 2002 World Cup qualifiers did not disappoint the first time around, and this time he has a good chance of catching the eye and perhaps being able outside his home country. He played during the Asian Cup tournament of 2004, where Iran finished third.

Mehdi Mahdavikia plays in Germany for Hamburger SV, and, despite the potential of tabloid press about his personal life, rose above this to produce an excellent 1998 World Cup campaign. That same year he became the AFC Young Player of the Year and had one of his goals voted the greatest goal of the year. He has played in Germany since 1999 and doesn't look to be leaving any time soon.

Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh was as surprised as anyone to receive a World Cup callup place. Playing alongside centreback Yahya Golmohammadi, his performances for Saba Battery were enough to help them win the Iran Super Cup last season.

Yahya Golmohammadi has 69 international caps since his first against Kenya in 1997. He is most notable for scoring a stunning last-minute goal against Ireland in order to see the team gain some pride after a two-nil scoreline on Irish soil.

Rahman Rezaei won his first cap at the age of 26, and the Iranian who makes his living in Italy, initially having played with Perugia, but switching to Messina in 2003, has a good head with which to direct the ball. Recent transfer problems have meant that he has suffered a lack of form in recent months, but this would pick up if he were to get some play during this tournament.

Javad Nekounam, whose previous interested clubs have included Tottenham Hotspur, started his career with Pas Tehran, before making it into national reckoning at the age of 20. The defensive midfielder is one of the most consistent stars for the Iranian team.

Ferydoon Zandi was born in Germany to an Iranian father and a German mother, and decided to select his father's homeland for his national identity. Having been involved in a heavy traffic accident in 2005, he is now back to his strong self, seeing himself out with only minor injuries.

Ali Karimi has made 90 appearances for the Iranian national team since first appearing in 1998, scoring 33 goals in the process. He had an unforgettable 2004 Asian Cup campaign where he finished as top scorer with five stunning goals. As good at creating goals as creating chances, Bayern Munich were the quickest to rush for his signature, and despite not being a first-choice player for Munich, this at least gives him the time and the energy reserves to perform for his country to a high level.

Vahid Hashemian, commonly known as the Helicopter, began his career in his homeland before moving to Germany in 1999. Switching between four clubs since then, he has most recently found himself at Hannover 96. His first Iranian cap came in 1998 when he was still playing in his home country, after which Hamburger SV came running after a scout saw his level of performance and decided to bring him to Germany.

Ali Daei’s name is not one that crops up regularly, but the man who has a larger number of International goals than any other single player in the world is praised for bringing to the fore such players as Hidetoshi Nakata. With great sportsmanship on and off the pitch, he has been quoted as an all-time example of correct behaviour in young players by Croatian coach Branko Ivankovic.

Rasoul Khatibi still plays in his home country despite many offers of his services from abroad. He has since had good form within his club side which borught him to Ivankovic’s attention.

Hassan Roudbarian made some quality performances during the 2003/04 season in which his team Pas won the Iranian League. In 2006 he was handed his international debut against Costa Rica where he showed that his consistent performances in the league paid off. He is one of the most important understudies to first-team goalkeeper Mirzapour.

Hossein Kaabi is one of the most important up-and-coming talents within the Iranian side. He made his first international appearance at the age of 16, and this decision was to be a wise one, as crowds were stunned by his mazy runs and dribbles. Despite lacking in physique, he makes up for this in his tremendous speed.

Anderanik Teymourian has played for Iran at youth level for several years already, building up a comprehensive CV, and he made his debut against Libya last August. He also played during the Islamic Solidarity Games in 2005 where his young Iranian team finished in third place.

Arash Borhani scored four goals in two games during his qualifying experience, and in December 2005 became the top scorer in the West Asian Games. He has played for the same Tehran-based team since 2003.

Reza Enayati is a powerful striker, who played during the second edition of the West Asian Games in 2002 against Palestine. Scoring a goal on his debut which otherwise would have resulted in one of the worst losses in Iranian history, he was the top scorer in the competition and later played in the 2004 Asian Nations Cup.

Javad Kazemeian, a smart, quick-thinking striker, who partnered fellow World Cup teammate Ali Karimi in Dubai, enjoys flank play and supplies many goals for teammates from up the wing. He was the scorer of the first goal against Japan in the Asian Games football championship.

Defender Sattar Zare is a full-back who enjoys forceful tackling, and whose skills in this area were shown to be most useful during the 2004 Asian Cup, where he made three starts for his country.

Amir Hossein Sadeqi is one of Iran’s strongest youngsters, having lined up for club side Estaghlal for many years, and also having been international experience in February 2005 for the first time. His attacking and forward style of play has proved very popular with young people learning the game.

Mohammad Nosrati scored some very important goals in the World Cup qualifying stages, including the final goal in the competition which the team required to ensure qualification from their group. He played in the Asian Cup in 2004, and once again scored a crucial goal against Oman in the group stages of the competition to keep Iran alive.

Mehrzad Madanchi has accrued three caps, and played in three preliminary matches in the 2003 pre-Olympic tournament. He is one of the hardest tacklers within the squad, and a true grafter in midfield. He played in the FIFA World Youth Cup in 2001 for Iran in Argentina.

Third-string goalkeeper Vahid Talebloo is one of the more likely third-string players to see action at this tournament. With little to speak of in terms of armouring himself in preparation, he makes up for this with skilful footwork and consistent goalkeeping skill.

With control and pace his main attributes, Masoud Shojaei has awesome skill on the ball matched only by Ali Karimi. He scored one of the best goals of the 2006 West Asian games when he dribbled skilfully past six players before placing the ball in the path of Arash Borhani, who summarily put the ball in the back of the net.

A strong team of individuals who will gain a lot of personal triumph from their experiences in the biggest sporting competition on the planet.

Enable Comment Auto-Refresher