PFDC - The 28 year old Iranian star player, Karim
Bagheri has officially requested to retire from the Iranian national team
in a letter that was sent to the Iranian Football Federation's president,
Mr. Mohsen Farahani.
In this letter, Bagheri thanks the federation, coaches and players for
their continues support and hard work during his football career. He says:
"It has been a great honor for me to wear the national team's jersey for
the past 9 years. Time has come to give chance to younger players and I
advise them to dear this opportunity of playing for their country."
"I apologize if this decision would hurt the feelings of my fans but I
retire so that the young players who never got the chance to play for the
national team, can show their talents."
"I kiss my jersey good-bye and hope that those who wear it, pay their
undivided attentions to it.", are Bagheri's advise for the future Iranian
players.
Born in Tabriz, Azerbaijan in 1974, Karim played his first match for his
national side in 1993 when Iran played against South Korea in a World Cup
Qualifier for WC 1994. Since then he has been playing continuously for the
national team and has been known to be amongst the best players of the
Iranian football history.
His career's peak was when Iran last qualified for the big tournament for
the World Cup 1998 when Bagheri scored 19 times for his country in the
preliminary rounds and lead the world's top goalscorer chart with an
amazing record.
According to most Iranian fans and critics, Bagheri will always be
remembered as a corner stone and his crucial role of achieving the second
world cup entry for Iran where they last had entered 20 years before in
Argentina in 1978.
Playing 80 caps for Iran, scoring 47 goals in official FIFA matches,
wining Asia's third place for Iran in 1996, lifting the best Asian team's
trophy in the Asian Games of 1998, wining the first World Cup match
against U.S.A., being the first ever Iranian to play for the EPL in
England, are among the most important achievements of his career.
The Iranian star midfielder played as a legionnaire in Europe for 4 years
and currently plays for Al Saad of Qatar. Bagheri has played in Charlton
Athletics (ENG) , AlNasr (UAE), Armenia Bielefeld (GER) , Pirouzi ,
Keshavarz and Tractorsazi.
The Iranian football federation (IFF), is preparing to thank Karim Bagheri
for his efforts with an international farewell match and a deserved
ceremony to be officially announced soon.
We at PFDC would like to honor our national hero, Karim Bagheri for all
his efforts and wish him luck and health for his family. It has indeed
been a pleasure and an outmost joy to watch him play for all these years
and he will surely be remembered for a long long time.
YASHASIN KARIM
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