Nasser Hejazi
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 14 December 1949 | ||
Place of birth | Piranshahr, Iran | ||
Date of death | 23 May 2011 | (aged 61)||
Place of death | Tehran, Iran | ||
Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1964–1969 | Nader | ||
1969–1976 | Taj | ||
1976–1980 |
Shahbaz | ||
1980–1986 | Esteghlal | ||
1986–1987 |
Dhaka Mohammedan | ||
International career | |||
1968–1980 | Iran | 62 | (0[1]) |
Managerial career | |||
1987–1991 |
Dhaka Mohammedan | ||
1988–1989 | Shahrdari Kerman | ||
1989 | Bangladesh | ||
1990–1992 | Bank Tejarat | ||
1992–1993 | Shahrdari Kerman | ||
1994–1995 |
Sepahan | ||
1995–1996 |
Mashin Sazi | ||
1996–1999 |
Esteghlal | ||
1999–2001 |
Zob Ahan | ||
2001–2002 | Esteghlal Rasht | ||
2003 |
Mashin Sazi | ||
2003–2004 | Esteghlal Ahvaz | ||
2006–2007 |
Nassaji Mazandaran | ||
2007 |
Esteghlal | ||
Medal record | |||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Nasser Hejazi (
Considered as the best goalkeeper in the history of Iranian football and Asia, he was capped 62 times for the Iran national football team. In 2000, the Asian Football Confederation ranked him the second best Asian goalkeeper of the 20th century.[6]
He was goalkeeper of Iran national team in the 1960s and 1970s and won the AFC Asian Cup on two occasions in 1972 and 1976, and Asian Games title once, and competed in the 1972 Munich Olympics and 1976 Montreal Olympics and 1978 FIFA World Cup.
As a manager, he won an
Early life
Hejazi was born on 14 December 1949 in
Club career
Hejazi was the
In summer 1977 he changed the club joining
After the 1978 FIFA World Cup, Hejazi received an offer from Manchester United. He trained and played with the club for a month, even appearing in a reserve matches against Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers Manchester United manager Dave Sexton wanted Hejazi to stay for another two or three months before officially signing a contract with him, but there was no-one at the IRFF at the time of the Iranian Revolution to arrange the extension, which led to Manchester United signing Gary Bailey instead.[10][11]
Hejazi remained as Esteghlal's main goalkeeper until 1986. There he won the Tehran Province League in 1983 and 1985 and the runners-up position in 1982.
His last station was the Bangladeshi club
International career
Hejazi made his debut for the Iran national team in 1969. He became the first-choice goalkeeper in time for the 1972 Asian Cup, which Iran won for a second time in a row. Later that year, he was part of the Iran squad for the Olympic Games in Munich, where Iran failed to qualify for the second round. In 1974, he shared goalkeeping duties with Bahram Mavaddat and Mansour Rashidi at the Asian Games in Tehran, but played a key role in the 1–0 victory over Israel in the final. In 1976, he was again part of the squad that won the Asian Cup, but as second-choice behind Rashidi, before returning to the starting role for the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, playing in all three matches as Iran reached the quarter-finals.
Hejazi continued as Iran's starting goalkeeper at the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina, but Iran conceded eight goals in their three games, managing just one draw. He was then named captain for the 1980 Asian Cup in Kuwait; Iran finished top of their group and faced the host nation in the semi-finals but lost 2–1 as Kuwait went on to win the title. After the tournament, a member of Iran's Physical Education Department implemented a policy in which athletes older than 27 years of age would no longer be allowed to compete internationally. Hejazi was effectively forced to retire from international football, despite being only 29 years old at the time of implementation.
International caps
Iran | ||
---|---|---|
Year | Apps | Goals |
1969 | 2 | 0 |
1970 | 4 | 0 |
1971 | 4 | 0 |
1972 | 11 | 0 |
1973 | 4 | 0 |
1974 | 2 | 0 |
1975 | 4 | 0 |
1976 | 4 | 0 |
1977 | 9 | 0 |
1978 | 6 | 0 |
1980 | 12 | 0 |
Total | 62 | 0 |
Managerial career
Hejazi coached Bangladeshi football club Mohammedan from 1987 to 1991. During his time, Bangladeshi football was enlightened with the modern day technique of football and embraced top football coaching. At continental level, Hejazi guided Mohammedan to the Semi-Final Group round of the 1988–89 Asian Club Championship, by defeating Iranian club Persepolis 2–1.[13] The Bangladeshi football Federation rewarded him by making him national team coach in 1989.
During the 1990s, Hejazi was the manager of a number of football clubs including the
Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | ||||
Esteghlal
|
February 1996 | December 1999 | 81 | 39 | 25 | 17 | 127 | 73 | +54 | |
Esteghlal
|
August 2007 | November 2007 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 19 | +2 |
Honours
Player
Esteghlal
- Asian Club Championship: 1970
- Tehran Provincial League: 1982–83, 1984–85
Dhaka Mohammedan
- Dhaka League: 1986–87
Iran
Iran XI
- Afghanistan Republic Day Cup runner-up: 1977[14]
Individual
- AFC Asian Cup Fans' All Time Best XI: 2018[15]
- IFFHS All Time Iran Dream Team
- AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament: 1980
- IFFHS The second best Asian Goalkeeper of the 20th century
- Best Goalkeeper of the Asian Club Championship: 1970
- Best Goalkeeper of the AFC Asian Cup: 1980
- Best Goalkeeper of the Iranian Football League: 1973
Manager
Dhaka Mohammedan
- Dhaka League: 1987–88, 1988–89
Esteghlal
Political career
Presidential candidacy
On 3 November 2004, Hejazi announced his nomination for
In
Opposition to Ahmadinejad
He was an opponent to the Economic reform plan of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Government. In April 2011, he made a statement regarding the plan: "I'm very sorry for our people, they have oil, petroleum and ... but some of them are poor".[18]
It is known that after this comment, he was unofficially banned from Iranian Television Network. This was later revoked due to his popularity and the perceived side effects that could have come from this decision.
Personal life
Hejazi married Behnaz Shafie in 1973..
Cancer struggle and death
Hejazi was diagnosed with aggressive
Hejazi's popularity went beyond Iran's borders as Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson expressed the club's sympathy for Hejazi's illness in April 2010. In a message, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad paid homage to Hejazi and characterised him as a renowned and good-tempered Iranian football figure who offered valuable services to national sport.
Legacy
Hejazi is considered by many to be the best Iranian and Asian goalkeeper of all time. Hejazi was a member of the all-conquering Iran national team of the 1960s and 1970s that won the Asian Cup a record three times in a row and represented Iran at two Summer Olympics as well as 1978 FIFA World Cup. After his death, it was proposed that a new stadium named after Hejazi would be built in Tehran. Esteghlal's training camp was also renamed to Hejazi Training Camp.
References
- ^ Iran says farewell to ‘The Legend’
- ^ "the-afc.com". Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ^ "۶۲ سال با اسطوره دروازهبانی ایران، زنده یاد ناصر حجازی | Dw | 23.05.2011". Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ^ "ناصر حجازی؛ اسطوره فوتبال ایران دار فانی را وداع گفت". Archived from the original on 21 May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ^ "ناصر حجازی اسطوره فوتبال ایران درگذشت « سایت خبری تحلیلی کلمه". Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ^ "Hejazi second best Goalkeeper in Asia". Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ^ Grave of Nasser Hejazi, Hejazi, Nasser, son of Ali Akbar (1949–2011) Archived 3 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "زندگینامه: ناصر حجازی (۱۳۲۸–۱۳۹۰)". 2 September 2007. Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
- ^ Biography: Nasser Hejazi Archived 18 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Hejazi and the move that never was". Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ "Legendary Iran Goalkeeper Who Nearly Joined Man United Gets Cameo in Homeland". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ বাংলাদেশের ফুটবলে সেরা সাত বিদেশি তারকা. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ স্বাধীনতার ৫০ বছর: যেদিন আবাহনীর অভিনন্দনে সিক্ত মোহামেডান]. bdnews24.com (Opinion) (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- ^ Morrison, Neil (2008). "Afghanistan Republic Day Festival Cup (Kabul, Afghanistan): Palmares". rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "Fans' Best XI Announced!". The-AFC.com. AFC. 16 November 2018. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ "BEST GOALKEEPERS RANKING OF THE XXth CENTURY". Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- ^ "IFFHS". www.iffhs.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
- ^ I'm an Iranian Archived 14 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ A talk with Hejazi and his spouse[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Nasser Hejazi passed away..." Archived from the original on 16 March 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
- ^ Nasser dies Archived 26 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Good-Bye with number 1 of Iran's football". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
Further reading
- Tuhin, Saifur Rahaman (16 February 2023). "ঢাকার মাঠ মাতানো বিদেশি ফুটবলাররা" [Those iconic foreign players during the golden days in Dhaka football]. Durbin24.com (in Bengali). Dhaka. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
External links
Awards and achievements | ||
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Preceded by | Iran Pro League Winning Manager 1997–98 |
Succeeded by |