Iraj Danaeifard
 Iraj playing at 1970 Asian Champion Club Tournament | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 11 March 1951 | ||
| Place of birth | Tehran, Iran[1] | ||
| Date of death | 12 December 2018 (aged 67) | ||
| Place of death | Shiraz, Iran | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1970–1972 | Taj | ||
| 1972–1974 | Oghab | ||
| 1974–1977 | Pas | ||
| 1977–1980 | Taj | ||
| 1980–1984 | Tulsa Roughnecks | 67 | (3) |
| 1980–1984 | Tulsa Roughnecks (indoor) | 32 | (12) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 1977–1980 | Iran | 17 | (3) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 August 2006 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 30 August 2006 | |||
Iraj Danaeifard (Persian: ايرج دانايی فرد, 11 March 1951 – 12 December 2018) was an Iranian football player who played most of his career for Taj and also the Iran national football team.
Club career
[edit]Danaeifard became involved in football at a young age. His father, Ali Danaeifard was one of the founders of Taj SC football club. He became famous in Iran while playing for the club, winning the Iranian league in 1971. He also played for Oghab F.C. and Pas F.C., where he won the Iranian Takht Jamshid in 1977. In 1977, he returned to Taj.[1]
In 1980, he moved to the United States and started playing for the NASL team, the Tulsa Roughnecks. He remained in the club until 1984 when the league folded, and retired from football soon thereafter.
International career
[edit]Danaeifard was invited to the national team for the first time in 1977 and helped the team qualify for 1978 World Cup. He played well in the tournament and many still remember his goal against Scotland, which was Iran's first goal ever at a World Cup. After the Asian Cup in Kuwait in 1980 and reaching the third place he retired from international football with 17 caps and 3 goals for his country.[1]
Death
[edit]Danaeifard died on 12 December 2018 of liver failure.[2][3][4] He was 67.
Career statistics
[edit]International goals
[edit]| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 7 Jun 1978 | Estadio Chateau Carreras, Córdoba, Argentina |  Scotland |
1–1 | D | 1978 FIFA World Cup | |||||||||||
| 2. | 5 Sep 1980 | Al-Ain Stadium, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates |  United Arab Emirates |
2–0 | W | Friendly | |||||||||||
| 3. | 24 Sep 1980 | Sabah Al Salem Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait |  North Korea |
3–2 | W | 1980 AFC Asian Cup | |||||||||||
| Correct as of 24 July 2021[5] | |||||||||||||||||
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Iraj Danaeifard. takhtejamshidcup.com
- ^ "Iran Daily". Archived from the original on 13 December 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
- ^ "اولین گلزن ایران در جام جهانی درگذشت". ورزش سه (in Persian).
- ^ "Iran's first goalscorer at World Cup Danaeifard dies". Tehran Times. 12 December 2018.
- ^ Profile: Hassan ROWSHAN. Teammelli.com. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
External links
[edit]
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- 1951 births
- 2018 deaths
- Esteghlal F.C. players
- 1978 FIFA World Cup players
- 1980 AFC Asian Cup players
- Iranian expatriate men's footballers
- Iranian men's footballers
- North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players
- North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players
- Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984) players
- Iran men's international footballers
- Footballers from Tehran
- Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
- Iranian expatriate sportspeople in the United States
- Men's association football midfielders
- Deaths from liver failure
- 20th-century Iranian sportsmen