Ali Daei
Centre-Forward · Persepolis · Iran
About Ali Daei
Ali Daei is football's all-time international top scorer with 109 goals in 149 games — a record that stood alone until Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed it in 2021. He became the first Asian player to sign for a major European club (Bayern Munich (GER), 1998) and played in the Bundesliga for Arminia Bielefeld, Bayern Munich (GER), and Hertha Berlin (GER). He captained Iran at two World Cups.
Ali Daei's story
Ardabil's Record-Breaker
Daei was born in Ardabil in northwest Iran. He played in the Iranian league before moves to Saudi Arabia and then Germany made him an international figure. His combination of aerial dominance, physical strength, and clinical finishing made him the most feared striker in Asian football.
The Record
Daei scored his 109th international goal in 2006, setting a world record that stood until Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed it in September 2021 — 15 years later. His consistency across 149 international appearances, playing for a team that never won the Asian Cup and reached no World Cup knockout stages, makes the record all the more extraordinary.
Bundesliga Pioneer
His signing for Bayern Munich (GER) in 1998 made him the first Asian player in that club's history. His single season was limited by competition from other forwards, but his presence in the Bundesliga opened doors for Asian players across European football. He later returned to Iran and became one of the country's most influential football figures.
Did you know?
- 🏅 He held the world record for international goals — 109 in 149 games — from 2006 to 2021, when Cristiano Ronaldo finally surpassed it in a World Cup qualifier against Ireland.
- 🌏 He was the first Asian player to sign for Bayern Munich — opening the door for Asian representation in one of Europe's largest clubs, years before the market became commercially significant.
- 👨👩👧👦 Married Maryam Seddigh; they have one daughter. He settled in Tehran and remains one of Iran's most celebrated sportspeople.
- 🌟 Franz Beckenbauer, when asked about Asian football in 2000, said: "Ali Daei is the best player to have come from outside Europe and South America. He would have scored everywhere."
- 🤝 He captained Iran at two World Cups (1998, 2006) — the most significant international appearances in the country's football history — despite Iran failing to progress beyond the group stage at either tournament.
- ⚽ He scored 8 goals at the 1996 Asian Cup alone — a tournament record — as Iran finished runners-up.
- 🇮🇷 He is considered the greatest Iranian player of all time — not just for the scoring record but for his role in making Iranian football internationally visible during the late 1990s.
- 💪 At 192cm and 92kg, he was physically unique among elite technical strikers of his era — able to dominate aerially while also showing the footwork and movement of a smaller, lighter forward.
- 👔 He managed Saipa and the Iranian national team after retiring — completing a career that, from Ardabil to the Bundesliga to a world record, represents one of the most unlikely journeys in football history.
Honours
- International Top Scorer Record: 109 goals in 149 games — stood as world record until 2021
- Bundesliga: Bayern Munich (1999)
- Iranian League x3: Various clubs
- Asian Player of the Year: 1999 — first year awarded
- First Asian at Bayern Munich: First and only Asian player to represent FC Bayern Munich
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