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Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh
Personal information
Full name	Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh
Date of birth	May 25, 1966 (1966-05-25) (age 43)
Place of birth	Abadan, Iran
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1981-1983	Helal-e-Ahmar
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1983-1985 1985-1987 1987-1989 1989-1990 1990-1993 1993-1994 1994-2000	Tam Isfahan Isfahan Selection Gendarmerie Tehran Tam Isfahan Esteghlal F.C. Sepahan F.C. Persepolis F.C.	91 (1)
National team
1987-1998	Iran	79 (0)
Teams managed
2001 2005 2008–2009	Saipa (Goalkeeping Coach) Esteghlal Ahvaz (Goalkeeping Coach) Persepolis (Goalkeeping Coach)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Ahmadreza Abedzadeh (Persian: احمدرضا عابدزاده , born May 25, 1966 in Abadan) is an Iranian former goalkeeper of Esteghlal F.C., Persepolis F.C. and Iranian national football team. Abedzadeh is one of the best known goalkeepers in Iranian football history. His spirit and quick moves led Iran to the World Cup 1998 and his fantastic saves helped Iran attain respectable results in the tournament.

Statistics

Number of International Caps: 79

First International Cap: February 27, 1987 Iran Vs. Kuwait 2-1

Last International Cap: June 25, 1998 Iran Vs. Germany 0-2

Later years

Unfortunately Abedzadeh suffered a stroke in 2002 and that was the point in which he let go of professional football. During his time in the hospital, many of his loyal fans and most of Iran prayed for him to be better. He was released some weeks later, but required a number of surgeries after, and even to this day, he has side effects from his stroke. Abedzadeh suffered again on March 11, 2007 when his mother died.

On January 13, 2006, Abedzadeh had his farewell game, playing for Iranian giants and his former club Persepolis FC in a friendly match against Bayern Munich.

Legacy

Dubbed the Eagle of Asia for his ability to protect the net, his international career stretched for an illustrious 11 years, a tenure that provided stability and uncanny leadership. His goalkeeping legacy in Iran is rivaled only by Nasser Hejazi.

Honors

Iran

• 1990 Asian Games Champions

Esteghlal FC

• Asian Club Championship
  • 1990-91 Champions
  • 1991-92 Runner-up
• Azadegan League
  • 1991-92 Runner-up

Persepolis FC

• Azadegan League
  • 1995-96, 1996-97 Champions

External links

• RSSSF archive of Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh's international appearances

Iran squad – 1990 Asian Games 1 Abedzadeh • 2 Gholampour • 3 Zarrincheh • 4 Panjali  • 5 Ghayeghran  • 6 Namjoo-Motlagh  • 7 Kermani Moghaddam • 8 Moharrami • 9 Eftekhari  • 10 Naser Mohammadkhani • 11 Pious  • 12 Shahrokh Bayani • 13 Marfavi • 14 Hassanzadeh • 15 Nader Mohammadkhani • 16 Abtahi • 17 Shahin Bayani  • 18 Ansarifard  • 19 Fonounizadeh • Coach: Parvin

Iran squad – 1992 AFC Asian Cup GK Abedzadeh • DF Zarincheh • DF Moharrami • DF Hassanzadeh • DF Mohammadkhani • MF Fonoonizadeh • MF Ghayeghran • MF Abtahi • FW Shahmohammadi • FW Kermani-Moghaddam • FW Pious • FW Marfavi • FW Ashoori • MF Bayani • FW Modir Roosta • MF Estili • DF Khakpour • GK Gholampour • GK Ghelich • Coach: Parvin

Iran squad – 1996 AFC Asian Cup Third Place GK Abedzadeh • DF Saadavi • DF Ostad-Asadi • MF Bagheri • DF Peyrovani • MF Dinmohammadi • MF Mansourian • DF Moharrami  • MF Estili • FW Daei • FW Azizi • MF Mahdavikia • DF Khakpour • DF Falahatzadeh • FW Yousefi • MF Yazdani • MF Mousavi • GK Nakisa • MF Mirzaostovari • MF Minavand • Coach: Mayelikohan

Iran squad – 1998 FIFA World Cup 1 Abedzadeh • 2 Mahdavikia • 3 Sadavi • 4 Khakpour • 5 Peyrovani • 6 Bagheri • 7 Mansourian • 8 Dinmohammadi • 9 Estili • 10 Daei • 11 Azizi • 12 Nakisa • 13 Latifi • 14 Mohammadkhani • 15 Ostad‑Asadi • 16 Shahroudi • 17 Zarincheh • 18 Hamedani • 19 Seraj • 20 Pashazadeh • 21 Minavand • 22 Broumand • Coach: Talebi