One of Asia’s greatest players, star Ali Daei assured his place in football history when he became the all-time leading goalscorer in men’s international football. Born in Ardabil, he began his senior career with hometown club Esteghlal in 1988 before moving on to Taxirani and Bank Tejarat over the next few years. While with Bank Tejarat, he received international recognition for the first time in 1993 and appeared in his first major tournament at the following year’s Asian Games. In 1994, Daei moved to join one of biggest clubs, Persepolis, where he won his first major trophy with a league title in 1996. At that year’s Asian Cup, he scored eight goals in just six games, including four against South Korea in a 6-2 quarter final win. However, in the semi final against Saudi Arabia he missed in the penalty shoot-out as Iran were beaten and eventually finished third.
