TEHRANTIMES - Iranian playwright and stage director Chista Yasrebi plans to write the life story of the Iranian football icon Ali Daei in a novel.

“The proposal for writing the novel was made by the United Nations Children’s Fund almost five years ago when I was visiting with several Japanese authors by invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan,” Yasrebi told the Persian service of MNA on Monday.

“We were asked to write a novel about the most influential figure in our country; the individual who has had a great role in the development of the health of the society,” she said.

“I was busy writing the screenplay for the movie ‘Invitation’ by director Ebrahim Hatamikia at that time and actually ignored the proposal,” she said.

“But a few weeks ago, I found out that a friend from the UAE (the United Arab Emirates) has written a book about (former French footballer) Zinedine Zidane,” She continued.

“The idea inspired me to write a novel, which centers on the biography of Daei. I don’t know much about football, but I respect Daei as a prominent figure in sports. My father is also a fan of Daei,” she added.

“Daei is a symbol for many Iranian youths and has been influential in the health development of the country, so I decided to write a novel about him,” she said.

“Daei is from my generation and has made great efforts to reach where he is standing now,” she said, adding that Daei entered the world of football from the university and has done well in both.

“Of course, I have plans to meet Daei soon and get permission to write the novel,” she concluded.

A graduate of Sharif University of Technology and former Iran striker, Ali Daei is currently the Rah Ahan coach. He is the world’s all-time leading goalscorer in international matches and has scored 109 goals for Iran’s national team.