The man, the myth, the moustache.
It's the dream of millions worldwide to score a goal for their country. Children grow up practising their theoretical celebration for a last-minute World Cup clinching finish, or maybe even a consolation against Poland in the group. Regardless, scoring a goal for one's country is a fantasy for so many.
Few achieve this feeling so many of us yearn to feel, but even fewer achieve the feeling multiple times. In fact, as of 2024, only 332 male players in the history of recognised international football have scored 30 or more goals for their country and only 84 have scored 50 or more. Rarer still, as it stands, only three male players have scored over 100 senior international goals for their country.
As per usual, when it comes to goalscoring records, or just footballing records in general, the two greatest players of the modern era, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, sit first and second, Ronaldo with 138 goals in 221 caps for Portugal and Messi with 112 goals in 193 caps for Argentina. But the player who stands third on the podium, does not have the same recognised stardom as his Portuguese and Argentinian peers.
Ali Daei was an Iranian centre forward who had a twenty-year playing career spanning from 1987 to 2007. He represented his country from 1993 to 2006, making 149 appearances and scoring 109 goals for a ratio of 0.73 international goals per game.
(Photo via Daei's Instagram @alidaei)
Daei was the male game's international record goal scorer for almost two decades after scoring his 85th goal for Iran on the 2nd of December 2003 in a 3-1 loss to Kuwait, surpassing legendary Hungarian striker Ferenc Puskás' goal tally of 84. Daei's title was eventually taken from him by Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese forward scored his 110th and 111th international goals against the Republic of Ireland on the 1st of September 2021. Daei was then moved to bronze medal position after Messi scored his 110th international goal against Bolivia on the 15th of October 2024.
Daei made his last appearance for the Iranian national team on the 21st of June 2006, meaning the majority of a modern generation of football fans missed the Man with the Moustache's footballing heroics. Daei's achievements could well diminish into niche footballing intellect as the sea of current footballing brilliance and controversies flood the papers and minds of younger viewers. Furthermore, as European football is placed on a pedestal in the modern game, Daei's five-year stint in Europe may qualify him for footballing obscurity.
It's important for football that a player as prolific as Daei receives his flowers and has his achievements recognised and remembered, to highlight the different footballing heroes who have changed the landscape of football around the world. Daei remains a pioneer for football in his home country of Iran, holding a number of records both nationally and internationally:
Daei was the first footballer to score 100 international goals
A feat that, in 1993, Puskas deemed impossible stating, "I don't think it will ever be done... If Pele couldn't do it, no one will." Yet on the 17th of November 2004 in his home country, Daei scored his 98th, 99th, 100th and 101st international goals in a 7-0 thumping of Laos. Speaking to FIFA in 2024, Daei noted that the goals felt like "a victory for the entire nation of Iran".
Daei was the joint first Iranian footballer to play in the Bundesliga
After impressing in Asia, Daei, along with his Iranian national teammate Karim Bagheri, joined then Bundesliga side Arminia Bielefeld, making the pair the first Iranian players to play in the German first division. Daei made 26 appearances for Bielefeld, scoring 7 goals before moving to German giants Bayern Munich the next season. He would go on to make 32 appearances in all competitions for a Bayern team that won the league and cup double, narrowly missing out on a treble to the legendary Manchester United side of 1999. Daei then moved again after one season to Hertha Berlin for the 1999/2000 season, where he would then stay until the conclusion of the 2001/02 season, scoring 12 in 88 appearances for Die Alte Dame.
(Credit: Sport.ro. Daei, after winning the 1998/99 Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich)
Daei was the first Asian footballer to play in the UEFA Champions League
Daei technically made his UEFA Champions League debut in a second round qualifying match against FK Obilic on August the 26th 1998; however, he then went on to make his fully fledged debut just over a month later on the 30th of September in a 2:2 group match fixture against eventual champions Manchester United. Whichever of those games you count as his official competition debut, he was the first Asian player to play in either round, so the title is indisputable. Daei scored 4 Champions League goals, all for Hertha Berlin, with his first and second goals coming in a 2-1 win over Chelsea on the 21st of September 1999.
Daei has won the IFFHS World's Best International Goal Scorer Award twice
The IFFHS World's Best International Goal Scorer Award is an award that was first presented in 1991. It is awarded to the male footballer with the most international goals in a calendar year. Daei has been awarded the accolade twice, in 1996 after scoring 22 international goals and in 2004 after scoring 17, beating a young Carlos Tevez by one goal. Daei also came third in 2000 with 20 goals, only being beaten by Brazilian legends Romário and Rivaldo, who both scored 21. Having been awarded the title on two separate occasions, Daei has won the award the joint third most times along with Robert Lewandowski and Romelu Lukaku. Ronaldo and Messi once again make up the top two, with Messi winning the award three times and Ronaldo five times.
An incredible marksman, a trailblazer for Asian footballers moving into the new millennium and a player who rightly sits with footballing royalty in goalscoring charts, give this man the credit he deserves. I truly hope that Daei is a player whose achievements hold strong in the modern game, only to be beaten by the very best.
"The passage of time reminds me of how fleeting these moments are. However, every time I think of those achievements, it brings a smile to my face. I feel proud to be a part of football history, and I'm grateful for the moments football has given me." - Ali Daei, 2024.
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