TEHRANTIMES - Former Iran national team captain Javad Nekounam revealed that he is going to start his coaching career as Carlos Queiroz assistant at Team Melli.

“I don’t want to lose this chance to work with Queiroz since I can learn a lot from him. He is a great coach and this would be an honor for me to be his assistant at Team Melli,” Nekounam said.

Former Osasuna midfielder, who is currently playing in Qatar Stars League side Al Arabi, stated that he would like to continue his playing career.

“Al Arabi has offered me a contract extension and when I see I have still offer from outside of Iran I don’t want to put an end to my playing career.

“I don’t like to retire from football because at the age of 35 I still have good offers to continue. But I will terminate my playing career if I have a chance to work with
Queiroz. Before joining Al Arabi I talked with Queiroz and he told me to continue playing,” he said.

Nekounam spent most of his professional career with Osasuna, appearing in 197 official games and scoring 31 goals during his two spells and also being team captain.

He has represented the Iranian national team 151 times, playing several major tournaments including two World Cups and four Asian Cups.