Mohammad Reza Adelkhani

Mohammad Reza Adelkhani (Persian: محمدرضا عادلخانی, born February 13, 1947, in Tehran, Iran) is a retired Iranian footballer and former Iran national football team player.

Reza Adelkhani
Adelkhani before Shahbaz's match against Persepolis at Aryamehr Stadium in April 1978
Personal information
Full name Mohammad Reza Adelkhani
Date of birth (1947-02-13) February 13, 1947 (age 77)
Place of birth Tehran, Iran
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1960–1962 Taj
1962–1964 Bayern Munich
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1964–1966 Bayern Munich
1966–1968 Rot-Weiß Oberhausen
1968–1969 Wuppertaler SV 41 (6)
1969–1970 Bonner SC
1970–1971 SG Wattenscheid 09
1971–1972 VfL Klafeld-Geisweid
1972–1976 Taj
1976–1977 Shahbaz
1977–1979 Taj
International career
1973–1978 Iran 17 (2)
Medal record
Representing  Iran
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 1974 Tehran Team Competition
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Adelkhani achieved the UEFA Pro Licence, the first Iranian to do so.

Early life

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He was born on 13 February 1947 in Tehran, Iran. He began playing in football in 1960 playing at Shahin.

Club career

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Adelkhani played for SG Wattenscheid 09, Wuppertaler SV, Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, Bayern Munich and VfL Klafeld-Geisweid before moving back to Iran.[1] He was the first Iranian player to move to Europe to play football. When he was in Turkey with Taj SC for a friendly match, German talent scouts saw his performance and signed him for Bayern Munchen.

Adelkhani's first senior club in Iran was Taj SC with whom he reached champion title in the Iranian league in Takht Jamshid Cup. He then joined Shahbaz F.C., where he reached third place in the Iranian league in 1976/77.

International career

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Between 1973 and 1978, he played 17 times for the national team and scored 2 goals.

Iranian football fans will never forget the Asian football Olympic final 1974 in Aryamehr Stadium between Iran and Israel, in which Adelkhani forced Shum's own goal, which led Iran to win this tournament.

He was part of the Iran squad that qualified for the 1978 FIFA World Cup. However, an injury he sustained while saving his young daughter from falling down the stairs kept him out of the competition.

He was a left-footed player.

References

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  1. ^ "Reza Adelkani" (in German). Fussball Daten. Retrieved October 12, 2009.