PLDC - Foolad FC has signed Spanish professional player Ibai Gómez as an enforcement for the 2022 AFC Champions League.
After going through medical tests, the former Athletic Bilbao and Alaves player inked a contract with Foolad.
The team, however, cannot use the new acquisition in Iran's professional league as three other foreign players are already in the squad. Gómez has been signed with the aim of boosting the team in the upcoming AFC Champions League.
Some Iranian media outlets have termed the new acquisition as the most important transfer of the year in the country.
The 32-year-old winger can play both on the left and right sides of the pitch and has played more than 200 games in La Liga.
Spanish newspapers also reacted to the transfer. For instance, Marca named Foolad's coach Javad Nekounam as one of the reasons for this move.
"I am ready for the AFC Champions League. This will be a new experience. After a period of individual training, I received an offer which fulfilled all my needs," Gómez wrote in an Instagram post.
This will be the winger's first experience out of Spain.
Foolad FC is in Group C of the preliminary round of the 2022 AFC Champions League along with UAE's Shahab Al-Ahli, Turkmenistan's Ahal, and Qatar's Al-Gharafa. The first match of the Iranian team is slated for April 7 against Al-Gharafa.