Sardar Azmoun: The shining star of Iran

Sardar Azmoun continues to prove that he has the potential to become one of the best players to ever represent the Islamic Republic of Iran, with the “Iranian Messi” scoring goals at an incredible rate for club and country.

Iran manager Carlos Queiroz has already lavished praise over the 21-year-old and believes that he has all the qualities to succeed at the highest level, which is some accolade given that Queiroz worked with some of the best strikers in the game during his time at Manchester United and Real Madrid. It is difficult not to get excited over a player whose crucial goal against South Korea took him to seventeen goals in just twenty-four appearances for his country, with Azmoun possessing the sort of predatory instincts that has not been seen since the days of Iran legend Ali Daei.

There is no question that he is the hottest striker in Asia at the moment, with his control, pace, touch and aerial ability making Azmoun a real livewire that defenders struggle to deal with. The manner in which he took his goal against South Korea – a superb first time finish into the bottom corner from Ramin Rezaeian’s cross from the right – illustrated just how good the young star is, and although Betway believe that the thoroughly deserved win has left Iran in a strong position to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in the latest football betting odds, Azmoun has the potential to go a long way in the game. His development has arguably been aided by playing his domestic club football in the Russian Premier League, as the pressure of expectation may have weighed too heavily on his shoulders if he was in a major European league or the Persian Gulf Pro League.

Moving to Rubin Kazan at the age of just seventeen, despite not making a professional appearance for Sepahan, at the start of 2012 has proved to be the making of Azmoun. The Russian side beat a number of clubs, including Serie A giants Inter Milan, to his signature after a series of fine displays for Iran’s youth team saw him attract the interest of scouts from abroad. It was not until the 2012/2013 season that Azmoun broke into the first-team picture, scoring four goals in fourteen appearances for the Tatars, including a goal and an assist on his league debut against Anzhi Makhachkala. The Iranian prodigy clearly had the potential to make a real impact at the Kazan Arena, but Rubin Kazan’s decision to send him out on loan to Rostov proved to be the making of him.

Not only did Azmoun play a key role in keeping Rostov in the Russian Premier League in 2014/2015, but the striker became a key figure of the team which rose to prominence the season after as they finished second behind CSKA Moscow to secure a Champions League qualifying spot. Victories against Anderlecht and Ajax secured Rostov’s first ever appearance in the group stages, with Iranian fans likely to watch on with interest as Azmoun and his team come face-to-face with Atletico Madrid. You can use your free bet on the match with Betway if you feel that Rostov can pull off a big shock against Diego Simeone’s team, but although Azmoun has yet to get off the mark this season in the Russian Premier League, he will certainly pose a threat as his stock continues to rise.

Being alongside international team-mate Saied Ezatolahi, who is also rated as a top Iranian prospect for the future, at Rostov has certainly played a big part in Azmon becoming an integral player for the Selmashi, with Ivan Daniliants placing considerable faith in the youth striker to make a real impact. It was no surprise that Rostov turned his loan deal into a permanent one this summer, but with Portuguese giants Benfica and a number of English Premier League clubs continuing to monitor his progress, it may be a case of when and not if Azmoun makes the leap to a major European League.