Bagheri Officially Retires from National Team

"I apologize if this decision would hurt the feelings of my fans but I retire so that the young players who never got the chance to play for the national team, can show their talents."

"I kiss my jersey good-bye and hope that those who wear it, pay their undivided attentions to it.", are Bagheri's advise for the future Iranian players.

Born in Tabriz, Azerbaijan in 1974, Karim played his first match for his national side in 1993 when Iran played against South Korea in a World Cup Qualifier for WC 1994. Since then he has been playing continuously for the national team and has been known to be amongst the best players of the Iranian football history.

His career's peak was when Iran last qualified for the big tournament for the World Cup 1998 when Bagheri scored 19 times for his country in the preliminary rounds and lead the world's top goalscorer chart with an amazing record.

According to most Iranian fans and critics, Bagheri will always be remembered as a corner stone and his crucial role of achieving the second world cup entry for Iran where they last had entered 20 years before in Argentina in 1978.
 

Playing 80 caps for Iran, scoring 47 goals in official FIFA matches, wining Asia's third place for Iran in 1996, lifting the best Asian team's trophy in the Asian Games of 1998, wining the first World Cup match against U.S.A., being the first ever Iranian to play for the EPL in England, are among the most important achievements of his career.

The Iranian star midfielder played as a legionnaire in Europe for 4 years and currently plays for Al Saad of Qatar. Bagheri has played in Charlton Athletics (ENG) , AlNasr (UAE), Armenia Bielefeld (GER) , Pirouzi , Keshavarz and Tractorsazi.

The Iranian football federation (IFF), is preparing to thank Karim Bagheri for his efforts with an international farewell match and a deserved ceremony to be officially announced soon.

We at PFDC would like to honor our national hero, Karim Bagheri for all his efforts and wish him luck and health for his family. It has indeed been a pleasure and an outmost joy to watch him play for all these years and he will surely be remembered for a long long time.