End of the road for Daei?

AFP - He has a goal-scoring record that not even Pele could match, but age may finally be catching up with Iran’s evergreen striker Ali Daei.

After surprisingly dropping his captain for the crunch match with Portugal, coach Branko Ivankovic said what some Iranians have been saying for years: Daei, now 37, is simply too slow.

"Maybe it’s a surprise Daei was on the bench but I thought I needed a faster team," said Ivankovic.

It was a frank admission from the Croatian, a strong supporter of Daei who has been hinting heavily about leaving Iran after the World Cup.

Daei insists he is still capable of leading Iran’s attack, and has vowed to keep playing until he gets the axe.

"I might look old from outside the field, but I feel really young inside it," he said.

Few would have guessed the lanky striker would have such an impact when he first stepped on the field for Iran in 1993.

Tall, strongly built and with his trademark bushy moustache, Daei took six games to get off the mark but has terrorised Asian defences ever since, becoming an Iranian icon in the process.

With a record 109 international goals in 148 appearances, Daei has outstripped the great Pele and Ferenc Puskas, although admittedly against less demanding opposition.