Sportinglife - The only player in the history
of the game to have scored more than 100 international goals, Daei is far
and away the most famous Iranian footballer of all time.
Of course, cynics will point to the relative weakness of the teams Iran face
regularly - 10 of Daei's goals came in double-headers against Sri Lanka and
Nepal - yet his achievement is one that will perhaps never be repeated.
Having made his debut for his country in June 1993 after the obligatory
national service, a then 24-year-old Daei took six games to break his duck
at international level.
Indeed it took him three years to really make an impact with Iran, with nine
goals in two games in mid-1996 helping them claim third place in the Asian
Cup and bringing an ambitious Daei to worldwide attention.
At that stage he was still playing his football in the Iranian league for
Pirouzi but he made a move to Europe the following summer when Arminia
Bielefeld signed him up along with international colleague Karim Bagheri.
So impressive was he for the Bundesliga newcomers that the legendary Franz
Beckenbauer signed him for Bayern Munich, yet his spell at the Olympic
Stadion was laced with frustration and he joined Hertha Berlin just a season
later.
While at Hertha he would be linked with a plethora of 'bigger' clubs,
including several in England, but nothing materialised and in 2003 he
returned to his home continent by joining first Al-Shabab, and then Saba
Battery in his homeland.
Feted to such an extent in Iran that teams there compete for an 'Ali Daei
Cup', the veteran will relish what will surely be the last chance to add to
his incredible goal tally with a first World Cup finals strike in the
country he used to call home.
