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Masoud Shojaei

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Masoud Shojaei
Shojaei with Iran at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Masoud Soleimani Shojaei
Date of birth (1984-06-09) 9 June 1984 (age 40)
Place of birth Shiraz, Iran
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Tractor Sazi
Number 7
Youth career
1999–2000 Sanat Naft
2000–2002 Saipa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2003 Sanat Naft 12 (1)
2003–2006 Saipa 60 (5)
2006–2008 Al-Sharjah 40 (12)
2008–2013 Osasuna 100 (8)
2013–2014 Las Palmas 29 (5)
2014–2015 Al-Shahania 24 (5)
2015–2016 Al-Gharafa 25 (4)
2016–2017 Panionios 36 (7)
2018 AEK Athens 12 (0)
2018– Tractor Sazi 0 (0)
International career‡
2005 Iran B 6 (0)
2004– Iran 75 (8)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:07, 30 April 2018 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 June 2018

Masoud Soleimani Shojaei (Persian: مسعود سلیمانی شجاعی; born 9 June 1984) is an Iranian professional footballer. Mainly an attacking midfielder, he can also play as a winger or forward.

After playing in his country for two clubs and with Al-Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, he went on to spend several seasons in Spain with Osasuna, appearing in 112 official games.

An Iranian international since 2004, Shojaei represented his country in three World Cups and three Asian Cups.

Club career

Early years

Shojaei was born in Shiraz, and lived most of his life in Abadan and Tehran.[2] He started his career with Sanat Naft F.C. before moving to Saipa F.C. of Karaj in the Iran Pro League; having signed at the age of 19, he went on to play three seasons with the latter.

After the 2006 World Cup, Shojaei moved to the United Arab Emirates and signed for Al Sharjah SC. He scored his first goal for the club in the League on 3 October, against Emirates Club.

Osasuna

On 23 June 2008, after previous attempts from VfL Wolfsburg in Germany and Italy's S.S.C. Napoli, Shojaei signed with Spanish side CA Osasuna for three years, teaming up with compatriot Javad Nekounam. The deal included a €6 million buyout clause for the first 18 months of his contract, being reduced to €3.5 million for the remainder of his stay.[3]

Shojaei made his La Liga debut on 31 August 2008, playing 32 minutes in a 1–1 home draw against Villarreal CF.[4] During his first two seasons he appeared almost always as a substitute, as the Navarrese managed to maintain its division status; the player remained a regular even after the coaching change at the club, as José Ángel Ziganda was replaced by José Antonio Camacho.[5][6]

Shojaei – who was addressed by his first name during his spell in Spain – appeared regularly again for Osasuna in the 2010–11 campaign, but also spent one month at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup with his national team. In late May he renewed his contract with the club for another two seasons, also having the option of an annual renewal of his link.[7]

Shojaei spent the entire 2011–12 on the sidelines, due to injury.[8] On 25 February 2013, in only his fourth appearance since returning, he scored a stunning goal to help Osasuna win it 2–0 at Levante UD.[9][10]

Despite a solid start to his spell, Shojaei was eventually released in June 2013.[11] Shortly after, he was linked with a move to fellow league club Real Valladolid,[12] but nothing came of it.

Las Palmas

On 3 September 2013, Shojaei moved clubs but stayed in Spain, joining Segunda División side UD Las Palmas on a one-year contract.[13] He found the net in his debut, in a 3–1 away success over CE Sabadell FC for the Copa del Rey.[14]

Shojaei scored twice and provided an assist in the first half of the league fixture against the same opponent on 15 March 2014, in an eventual 5–0 home win.[15]

Qatar

After the 2014 World Cup, Shojaei turned down an offer from Real Zaragoza and moved to Al-Shahania Sports Club in the Qatar Stars League alongside compatriot Mehrdad Pooladi.[16] On 14 December 2014, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 away win against eventual runners-up Al Sadd SC;[17] one year later, after suffering relegation,[18] he joined fellow league club Al-Gharafa Sports Club for $1 million.[19]

Greece

On 22 July 2016, Shojaei joined Superleague Greece side Panionios F.C. on a one-year contract.[20] He enjoyed a successful first season, and subsequently extended his contract until June 2018;[21][22] on 25 December 2017, however, he severed his link by mutual consent[23] and agreed to a six-month deal at fellow league team AEK Athens F.C. three days later,[24] announcing on his Instagram he would be wearing number 24 in tribute of Hadi Norouzi who died in 2015.[25] He made his debut on 6 January, replacing Anastasios Bakasetas in the second half of the match against Panetolikos F.C. and later providing the assist for Hélder Lopes goal, in a 4–1 away success.[26] He started his first match three days later against the same opponent, making another assist in a 1–0 win for the Greek Football Cup's round of 16[27] and being named as the most valuable player of the match for his performance.[28]

On 1 March 2018, Shojaei put the visitors ahead in their domestic cup semi-final fixture away to Athlitiki Enosi Larissa FC, in an eventual 1–2 loss which marked his first goal for the club and the first loss in 26 matches for Manolo Jiménez's team.[29] On 27 June, after he contributed to the club's first national championship conquest in 24 years, his contract was terminated.[30]

International career

Shojaei playing for Iran in May 2014

Whilst at Saipa, Shojaei earned a place in Iranian national under-23 team, catching the eye of full side coach Branko Ivanković. He was first called up to play for the latter in November 2004, for a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Laos – it was the only cap he would win until the training camp prior to the finals in Germany, held in Switzerland; he was included in the final squad but only appeared once in the tournament, replacing injured Mohammad Nosrati in the early minutes of the 1–1 draw against Angola.[31]

Shojaei began appearing more regularly in the 2010 World Cup qualification stages, scoring in a 1–1 draw against South Korea in the final game. However, Team Melli did not qualify for the tournament in South Africa.[32] Iran did manage to reach the 2014 World Cup, with Shojaei as a regular starter in the qualifiers.[33]

On 1 June 2014, Shojaei was included in Carlos Queiroz's list for the World Cup.[34] He appeared as a substitute in the team's opening draw with Nigeria,[35] and was selected in the starting line-up for the following group matches against Argentina and Bosnia-Herzegovina.[36][37]

On 30 December 2014, Shojaei was called into Iran's 2015 AFC Asian Cup squad.[38] He scored the nation's second goal in its opening 2–0 defeat of Bahrain, in Melbourne.[39]

Shojaei captained the squad in 2018 World Cup qualification home matches against China and Uzbekistan.[40][41][42] On 10 August 2017, Mohammad Reza Davarzani, Iran's deputy sports minister, said on Iranian state television both Shojaei and teammate Ehsan Hajsafi would never be invited to the national team again for playing with their club Panionios against Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv FC;[43] however, the Iranian Football Federation later stated it would review the case and reach a decision after speaking with both,[44] with Hajsafi eventually returning to the side in November[45] and Shojaei stating that they were pressured by their club to play.[46]

On 18 March 2018, Shojaei was called-up for friendlies against Tunisia and Algeria,[47] being criticized after his return against the former by an Iranian member of parliament who called for his life ban.[48][49] He was eventually selected for the finals in Russia[50] as team captain,[51] becoming the first Iranian player to travel to three World Cups.[52] He made his debut in the tournament on 15 June in a 1–0 group stage win against Morocco,[53] but sat on the bench for the next two games in an eventual group stage elimination.[54]

Activism

Shojaei expressed support for the Iranian Green Movement on 17 June 2009, when he wore a green bracelet against South Korea in a World Cup 2010 qualifier along with five other players. During the match, he also wore a green undershirt previewing a possible goal celebration.[55]

Shojaei discussed corruption in Iranian football in an interview with Radio Farda,[56] and also spoke out against child sexual abuses in December 2016.[57] He was subsequently summoned to the Ethics Committee of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran.[56]

A vocal advocate of lifting stadium ban for women in Iran, Shojaei openly expressed his regret that his mother, sister and wife were unable to see him play.[58] He reportedly called for repealing the ban, when he met with president Hassan Rouhani in July 2017.[59]

Career statistics

Club

As of 8 May 2018[60]
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sanat Naft 2002–03 Iran Pro League 12 1 0 0 – – – – 12 1
Saipa 2003–04 14 2 0 0 – – – – 14 2
2004–05 22 1 0 0 – – – – 22 1
2005–06 24 2 1 0 – – – – 25 2
Total 60 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 61 5
Al-Sharjah 2006–07 UAE League 20 7 0 0 – – – – 20 7
2007–08 20 5 0 0 – – – – 20 5
Total 40 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 40 12
Osasuna 2008–09 La Liga 33 3 3 0 – – – – 36 3
2009–10 36 2 5 1 – – – – 41 3
2010–11 18 2 2 0 – – – – 20 2
2011–12 0 0 0 0 – – – – 0 0
2012–13 13 1 1 0 – – – – 14 1
Total 100 8 11 1 0 0 0 0 111 9
Las Palmas 2013–14 Segunda División 29 5 2 1 – – – – 31 6
Al-Shahania 2014–15 Qatar Stars League 24 5 0 0 – – – – 24 5
Al-Gharafa 2015–16 25 4 0 0 – – – – 25 4
Panionios 2016–17 Superleague Greece 25 4 2 0 – – 5 0 32 4
2017–18 11 3 1 0 3 0 – – 15 3
Total 36 7 3 0 3 0 5 0 47 7
AEK Athens 2017–18 Superleague Greece 12 0 5 1 1 0 – – 18 1
Iran 72 6 1 0 0 0 – – 73 6
United Arab Emirates 40 12 0 0 0 0 – – 40 12
Spain 129 13 13 2 0 0 – – 142 15
Qatar 49 9 0 0 0 0 – – 49 9
Greece 48 7 8 1 4 0 5 0 65 8
Career total 338 47 22 3 4 0 5 0 369 50

International

Statistics accurate as of match played 15 June 2018.[61]
Iran
Year Apps Goals
2004 1 0
2005 0 0
2006 4 0
2007 3 0
2008 10 0
2009 10 3
2010 5 1
2011 4 0
2012 2 0
2013 8 1
2014 7 0
2015 8 2
2016 5 1
2017 3 0
2018 5 0
Total 75 8

International goals

As of 7 June 2016 (Iran score listed first, score column indicates score after each Shojaei goal)[62]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 28 March 2009 Azadi, Tehran, Iran 18  Saudi Arabia 1–0 1–2 2010 World Cup qualification
2 17 June 2009 World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea 22  South Korea 1–0 1–1
3 12 August 2009 Asim Ferhatović Hase, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 23  Bosnia and Herzegovina 1–2 3–2 Friendly
4 7 September 2010 World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea 29  South Korea 1–0 1–0
5 26 March 2013 Al-Sadaqua Walsalam, Kuwait City, Kuwait 41  Kuwait 1–0 1–1 2015 Asian Cup qualification
6 11 January 2015 Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne, Australia 56  Bahrain 2–0 2–0 2015 AFC Asian Cup
7 17 November 2015 National Football Stadium, Tamuning, Guam 64  Guam 4–0 6–0 2018 World Cup qualification / 2019 Asian Cup qualification
8 7 June 2016 Azadi, Tehran, Iran 65  Kyrgyzstan 1–0 6–0 Friendly

Honours

Club

AEK Athens

References

  1. ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  2. ^ Interview with Khanevadeye Sabz magazine Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine (in Persian)
  3. ^ Masoud Shojaei, internacional iraní, ficha por Osasuna para tres temporadas (Masoud Shojaei, Iranian internacional, signs with Osasuna for three seasons) Archived 2 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine; CA Osasuna, 23 June 2008 (in Spanish)
  4. ^ Empate de justicia en Pamplona (Fair draw in Pamplona); Marca, 31 August 2008 (in Spanish)
  5. ^ Los suplentes de Osasuna vencen por 2–1 al Izarra de Tercera División (Osasuna bench players defeat Izarra from Tercera División 2–1) Archived 2 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine; Diario de Navarra, 23 September 2010 (in Spanish)
  6. ^ Camacho descarta a Nekounam y a Masoud pese a tener el alta médica (Camacho ousts Nekounam and Masoud in spite of being fully fit) Archived 2 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine; Diario de Navarra, 4 February 2011 (in Spanish)
  7. ^ Iranian duo to stay at Osasuna Archived 17 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine; Persian Football, 31 May 2011
  8. ^ Osasuna's Masoud Shojaei undergoes operation in Germany in an attempt to return from injury; Goal, 7 December 2011
  9. ^ Levante 0–2 Osasuna; ESPN FC, 25 February 2013
  10. ^ Masoud aparece justo a tiempo (Masoud just in time); Marca, 25 February 2013 (in Spanish)
  11. ^ Osasuna announce Masoud departure Archived 8 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine; Inside Spanish Football, 15 June 2013
  12. ^ El Valladolid contacta con Masoud Shojaei (Valladolid contact Masoud Shojaei); Resultados de Fútbol, 18 June 2013 (in Spanish)
  13. ^ El internacional iraní Masoud jugará en la UD hasta final de temporada (Iranian international Masoud will play for UD until end of season) Archived 4 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine; UD Las Palmas, 3 September 2013 (in Spanish)
  14. ^ Las Palmas no perdona ante el Sabadell (Las Palmas show no mercy against Sabadell); Marca, 11 September 2013 (in Spanish)
  15. ^ Shojaei brace and assist in Las Palmas win [VIDEO]; Persian Football, 16 March 2014
  16. ^ Officiellt: Shojaei nästa iranier till arabiska ligor (Shojaei next Iranian in Arab leagues); Svenska Fans, 11 September 2014 (in Swedish)
  17. ^ "شجاعي يقود الشحانية لمفاجأة أمام السد بالدوري القطري" [Shojaei leads Al Shahaniya to upset of Al Sadd in Qatari league] (in Arabic). Kooora. 14 December 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  18. ^ "الشحانیه با پولادی و شجاعی سقوط کرد؛ الوکره با قوچی از سقوط گریخت" [Al-Shahania got relegated with Shojaei and Pouladi; Al-Wakrah escaped form relegation with Gucci] (in Persian). Tarafdari. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  19. ^ "Al Gharafa of Qatar signs Iran's Masoud Shojaei". Tasnim News Agency. 29 August 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  20. ^ Panionios finalize Masoud Shojaei's capture; SDNA, 22 July 2016
  21. ^ "Poll SDNA: Ψηφίστε τη μεταγραφή της χρονιάς στην Ελλάδα!" [SDNA poll: Vote for the side of the year in Greece!] (in Greek). SDNA. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  22. ^ "Μασούντ: "Μένω Πανιώνιο κι έρχομαι με Χατζί Σαφί"" [Masoud: «I stay with Panionios and I'm bringing Ehsan Hajsafi in] (in Greek). Gazzetta. 28 June 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  23. ^ "Το έλυσε και πάει για άλλα ο Μασούντ" [Masoud solved and departed] (in Greek). Contra. 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  24. ^ ""Σίγουρος για τον τίτλο"!" [«Sure of the title»!] (in Greek). AEK Athens. 28 December 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  25. ^ "Είναι μεγάλη μου τιμή που είμαι μέλος της ΑΕΚ....Είμαι σίγουρος και αισιόδοξος οτι μαζί θα ζήσουμε σπουδαίες εμπειρίες" [It is my great honour to be a member of AEK .... I am sure and optimistic that together we will have great experiences.] (in Greek). Instagram. 28 December 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  26. ^ "Παναιτωλικός – ΑΕΚ 1–4 (vid)" [Panetolikos – AEK 1–4 (vid)] (in Greek). Gazzetta. 6 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  27. ^ "ΑΕΚ – Παναιτωλικός 1–0" [AEK – Panetolikos 1–0] (in Greek). Gazzetta. 9 January 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  28. ^ "Cosmote MVP του αγώνα ο Σοτζέι Μασούντ #aekfcseason2017_18 #aekpanet #aekfcteam2017_18 #aekfamily" [Masoud Shojaei was Cosmote MVP of the match] (in Greek). Twitter. 9 January 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  29. ^ "Λάρισα-ΑΕΚ 2–1: Ανατροπή και προβάδισμα πρόκρισης" [Λάρισα-ΑΕΚ 2–1: Comeback for lead in the tie] (in Greek). Protothema. 1 March 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  30. ^ "Τέλος ο 34χρονος Μασούντ από την ΑΕΚ" [34-year-old Masoud released by AEK] (in Greek). Sport 24. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  31. ^ Iran 1–1 Angola; BBC Sport, 21 June 2006
  32. ^ South Korea 1–1 Iran; ESPN Soccernet, 17 June 2009
  33. ^ World Cup qualifying 2014: Charting Iran's journey to Brazil; Bleacher Report, 24 October 2013
  34. ^ "Queiroz trims Iran squad to 24". FIFA. 1 June 2014. Archived from the original on 1 June 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  35. ^ "Goals dry up as Iran, Nigeria draw". FIFA. 16 June 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  36. ^ "Messi magic takes Argentina through". FIFA. 21 June 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  37. ^ "Bosnians bid farewell by eliminating Iran". FIFA. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  38. ^ "Queiroz names Team Melli squad". AFC Asian Cup. 30 December 2014. Archived from the original on 1 January 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  39. ^ "Asian Cup: Iran beats Bahrain 2–0 in Melbourne thanks to brilliant strike from Ehsan Rajsafi". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 11 January 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  40. ^ "Mehdi Taremi stars as Iran beats China in World Cup qualifier". Tasnim News Agency. 28 March 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  41. ^ "Iran beat Uzbekistan 2–0 to seal World Cup berth". Marca. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  42. ^ "Iran qualify for 2018 World Cup after beating Uzbekistan". Tehran Times. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  43. ^ Erdbrink, Thomas (10 August 2017). "Iran bans two soccer stars for playing against Israelis". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  44. ^ "Iran government bars Masoud Shojaei, Ehsan Haji Safi after they faced Israelis". ESPN FC. 10 August 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  45. ^ "Venezuela perdió 1–0 ante Irán en amistoso jugado en Holanda" [Venezuela lost 1–0 against Iran in friendly played in the Netherlands] (in Spanish). El Comercio. 13 November 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  46. ^ "El laberinto de Masoud" [Masoud's maze] (in Spanish). El País. 6 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  47. ^ "مسعود شجاعی به تیم ملی دعوت شد؛ علی علیپور و امید نورافکن خط خوردند" [Masoud Shojaei was called up to the national team; Noorafkan and Alipoor were excluded] (in Persian). Tarafdari. 18 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  48. ^ "Iranian MP urges life-ban for footballer who faced Israeli team". Kurdistan 24. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  49. ^ "Iran MP slams footballer who played Israeli club". Channels TV. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  50. ^ "World Cup 2018: Iran head coach Carlos Queiroz names final squad". BBC Sport. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  51. ^ "کاپیتان های تیم ملی ایران برای جام جهانی 2018 روسیه مشخص شدند" [Team Melli's captains were revealed] (in Persian). Tarafdari. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  52. ^ "شجاعی در آستانه ثبت رکوردی تاریخی" [Shojaei on the verge of registering a historical record] (in Persian). Varzesh 3. June 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  53. ^ "Iran won their first match at a World Cup finals since 1998 as Morocco substitute Aziz Bouhaddouz scored an own goal in injury time". BBC Sport. 15 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  54. ^ "World Cup 2018: Iran 1–1 Portugal – how you rated the players". BBC Sport. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  55. ^ "Iran players in green wristband political demonstration". Goal. 17 June 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
  56. ^ a b Zahra Alipour (23 January 2017). "Iranian soccer players face intensified crackdown". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  57. ^ "New rape scandal in Iran". The Baghdad Post. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  58. ^ Moya Dodd (25 February 2016). "Why more women at Fifa is crucial to governing body's reform". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  59. ^ Marissa Payne (11 July 2017). "Iranian soccer stars call on government to repeal ban on women in stadiums". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  60. ^ "M. Shojaei". Soccerway. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  61. ^ Masoud Shojaei at National-Football-Teams.com
  62. ^ "M. Shojaei – Matches". Soccerway. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
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