Despite the cultural shock and learning curve associated with having to play in the most competitive leagues in the world, some of these players had incredible records.
Ali Daei was the first ever Asian player to play in UEFA Champions League, notably against Chelsea and AC Milan.
Soon after, Mehdi Mahdavikia and Ali Karimi featured for their respective clubs in similarly prestigious Champions League games.
Mahdavikia’s famous performance against Juventus where he scored a goal, assisted another and won a penalty for Hamburg to turn a defeat into a point was just one contribution of many in a career that spanned over 200 games for the club.
He also proved an asset in the Bundesliga, twice voted Hamburg Player of the Year.
At the same time, Vahid Hashemian had an outstanding season with Bochum, becoming the 4th top scorer in the Bundesliga.
Andranik Teymourian too would feature in English Premier league games, while on another continent, more than 6 Iranian players were household names in the UAE and Qatar leagues.
Among them was Javad Nekounam, who secured a move to Spanish outfit Osasuna thanks to an impressive 2006 World Cup campaign. Soon after Masoud Shojaei joined his compatriot at the club.
From all these players, only Javad Nekounam and Masoud Shojaei still ply their trade outside Iran.
So what happened to rest of the crew who used to capture millions of viewers’ hearts at major European clubs?
They now reside in the Iranian league, having one-by-one chosen to end their prolific careers on low notes in their own country.
Ali DAEIArminia Bielefeld, Bayern Munich, Hertha Berlin
- First ever Asian to play in the UEFA Champions League
- Highly regarded by the clubs he joined
Ali KARIMIBayern Munich
- Scored on his UEFA Champions League debut
- Moved to Qatar after failing to win a regular starting spot in his 2nd season
Mehdi MAHDAVIKIABochum, Hamburg, Eintracht Frankfurt
- Made over 200 appearances for Hamburg, playing in the Champions League
- Twice voted Hamburg's Player of the Year by fans
Khodadad AZIZIReal Madrid/Portogallo
- Spent three seasons with FC Koln
- Then joined San Jose Earthquakes before heading to the UAE
Although some of them such as Khodadad Azizi, Karim Bagheri, Hossein Kaebi, Hamed Kavianpour had rather short and unsuccessful spells at their clubs, the rest had at least couple of years ahead of them to end their careers in Europe.
The most surprising cases were Ali Karimi’s departure from Bayern Munich to Qatar SC and Mahdavikia's sudden decision to leave Eintracht Frankfurt for Steel Azin.
But all of them left Europe with a common frustration at not having featured regularly for their clubs. Vahid Hashemian, Andranik Teymourian, Mehdi Mahdavikia and Freydun Zandi all became benchwarmers during the latter stages of their continental careers.
Facing increased competition from emerging younger players, fitness problems and their age all played a major factor in their dwindling impact at their clubs.
Although all hope lies with Nekounam and Shojaei - still an integral part of the Osasuna team - there is little doubt that these two sooner or later will follow their compatriots when they decide to end their career.
The question is, which Iranian international will fill in their shoes later down the line? A realistic response would be: no-one.
Simply put, the majority of foreign-based Iranian internationals were spotted by European club managers and agents through Iran’s World Cup and Asian Cup campaigns from 1996 until 2006.
Every time Team Meli team failed to book a spot at the World Cup or played poorly at the Asian Cup, for years afterwards no Iranian players would get exposure to European clubs.
This trend is clearly noticeable after the 2002 World Cup and South Africa 2010, which Iran failed to qualify for.
And with the state of Iranian football already in despair, lack of youth development and disappointing records in continental and international tournaments, it leaves little hope for young Iranian players to migrate to Europe in near future.
The side effect of this trend will be nothing short of disastrous for new generations of Iranian players and the national team itself for years to come, where they won't have the luxury of calling on players from Bayern Munich and Hamburg.
Niloufar Momeni