Independent - Sitting in a doctor's waiting room in Tehran, a 28-year-old Irishman worries that something is wrong. For days now every time he blows his nose blood appears on the tissue.
"Oh don't worry about that", the GP reassures him, "it's just from the pollution in the air. You'll get used to it."
Eamon Zayed, the former League of Ireland star, who was top scorer in the Premier division and Player's Player of the Year last season with Derry City, now plays for Persepolis -- the biggest club not just in Iran, but in Asia.
In a country where he doesn't speak the language and where few speak English, it's been difficult at times.
"I know I'm giving up a lot. There aren't many players who I've made friends with. There are nice coffee stalls and sights but drinking alcohol is obviously illegal so the social life wouldn't be the best, unless you go looking for it."
In May he met and fell for Marion Power on a night out in Dublin. Waterford-born Marion, a garda based in Dun Laoghaire, has visited Eamon in Tehran but hasn't been able to watch him at work.
"Women in Iran aren't allowed in to watch football games so Marion will never get to see me play over here,'' he says.
"She has visited and when she does she wears a scarf but Iranian society is far less oppressive than in other Islamic countries so women have more freedoms."
Players don't take off their shirts when they score. One of Eamon's team mates was banned for a season for giving "a pat on the ass" to a colleague who'd scored.
Eamon joined the Iranian giants in December 2011. His breakthrough into the top side couldn't have been bigger.
At half-time in February's fierce derby game between Persepolis and Esteghlal, Eamon was told to tog off. With eight minutes remaining and with Persepolis trailing 2-0, the Dubliner netted a hat-trick, sending the home supporters wild.
"One of our supporters died from a heart attack after seeing my last goal on the TV," Eamon tells me.
Since that hat-trick, and two subsequent ones, the boy from Ballinteer can't walk down the street without being recognised.
"It's insane. They're football mad over here and people come up to me and want a picture with my three fingers up because of the hat-tricks."
A Facebook page called 'Mr Hattrick Eamon Zayed' already has almost 1,000 'likes'. Passionate fans sing 'Viva Zayed! Viva Zayed!'
Eamon estimates that the weekly wage for a top player in Iran is 10 times what you'd get in the League of Ireland and his contract runs until the end of the current season. Though earning in the region of €5,000 a week, he has had spells where the money hasn't been lodged to his account.
Players who go through lean spells or who fall out of favour with their bosses often find wages stop and contracts disappear.
Tomorrow he could play some part in an African Nations Cup clash between Libya and Algeria.
"My father was born in Tunisia but his parents are Libyan. Even though I played for the Republic of Ireland at underage level, all my family are Libyan so I'm really proud to be with them and am excited about possibly winning a first competitive cap."
Eamon's preparations for the game have been hampered by the reluctance of his club to hand over his passport.
He was only able to join the rest of the squad yesterday. It's not the first time a foreign player has found it hard to leave Iran, even temporarily, especially if he's playing well.