News about Ali Daei

Lionel Messi broke a tie with Iran's Ali Daei to become the second all-time top scorer in men's international football with a goal against Canada in the Copa America semifinals. The Argentine's 51st minute goal was his 109th for La Albiceleste. Aside from securing a chance to compete for their second straight Copa America title with a 2-0 win, Messi's scoring effort moved him one goal clear of the Iranian legend. However, Messi will have to score 21 more goals in international colors to overtake Cristiano Ronaldo's 130 for Portugal.

After being challenged to reach the jaw dropping feat by FC Porto's president, Cristiano Ronaldo says he wants to score 1,000 goals before retiring. On Friday night, the Al-Nassr legend extended his international goal haul by scoring twice to help Portugal gain a 3-2 victory in their Euro 2024 qualifying match against Slovakia, marking his 200th appearance for the national team. Ali Daei's 2021 international scoring record was surpassed by the 38-year-old, who then became FIFA's all-time top goalscorer after scoring 857 goals during his career.

Roberto Martinez's side led the way after 18 minutes at the Estadio do Dragao before Ronaldo got his first at the Estadio do Dragao, 11 minutes later. The attack lifted the 38-year-old's already historic international goal tally, which he first achieved in June 2021 after a brace against the Republic of Ireland that kept him two ahead of Iran's Ali Daei. David Hancko of Slovakia scored against Portugal's for the first time in EURO quaggling deep into the second half before Ronalo grabbed his second after tapping in a low cross from former Manchester United teammate Bruno Fernandes.

IN TEHRAN: Lionel Messi lifted the World Cup for the second week, and a month after Iran - aka Team Melli - left Qatar after losing to the United States in their final group match. The World Cup is an irrelevance in the context of Iran society's continuing revolution and politics. It was also a missed opportunity for so many of our residents who have been railing against an oppressive government. Mahsa Amini's tragic death on September 16 turned Iranian politics upside down. Since independence, we have been in a country in rebellion. We're led to believe that if our footballers won't embrace social change on the biggest stage, we can't accept them.

Sara Khadem, 25, received several phone calls from people who advised her against returning home after the tournament, while others advised her not to return, promising to'solve her problem.' Khadem's relatives and parents, who live in Iran, have also been threatened, according to the report, without giving further details. According to the report, Khadem, also known as Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, arrived in Spain on Tuesday.

It's a discussion that has long raged among football fans, and we don't expect it to come to an end. Just who really is the greatest footballer to have played the game? Although it's impossible to provide a clear answer to the burning issue, one man has stood head and shoulders above all the other candidates: Pele. Following his death, the world is remembering his genius, celebrating his history, and honoring his name: the King. But we will also enjoy a fresh round of debate over his position on the very top of football's Mount Olympus.

As both teams prepare to advance to the World Cup knockout stage in Qatar, red-white-and-blue clad American soccer fans have flooded Doha's Al Thumama Stadium along with their Iranian colleagues. Both teams' supporters wrapped themselves in their national flags and painted their faces for the match, which can have ramifications for both teams. The game in Lyon, France, marks the second World Cup match between the two teams, following Iran's 1998 defeat of Team USA in Lyon, France, which barred the Americans from qualifying for the tournament. In addition, Iran (1-1-0) will depose the United States (0-0-2) in Doha on Tuesday with a tie or a draw, while the Americans can only win with a victory.

The Group B finale between the US and Iran on Tuesday isn't losing for significance, despite being already tense due to political uncertainties. The Americans need a victory to advance to the knockout stage in Qatar, but they face a 2-0 victory over a Welsh team that tied the US in the first round. Since being glued on their heels for a large portion of the game, Team USA shocked favorite England with a 0-0 draw on Friday. But, aside from soccer, there's also the unavoidable friction between Iran and the US, which has existed between the two countries for the longest time without formal diplomatic relations since 1980. In recent years, the United States has pulled out of its nuclear agreement with Iran and expressed sympathy for feminist protestors facing the government's wrath in Tehran. However, if history is any guide, the focus in Doha on Tuesday will be soccer, not unlike the political chest thumping. Both teams silenced any protesters with a pregame group snap at the 1998 World Cup in France, before they met together in group play. The Iranians even gave white roses to their opponents, setting a tense tone before handing the Americans a 2-1 loss in what remains US Soccer's biggest World Cup loss.

Ali Daei, the Iranian football legend, said he had been targeted by attackers after supporting continuing demonstrations in Iran triggered by Mahsa Amini's death on Monday. Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origins, died on September 16, three days after being arrested by the notorious morality police while visiting Tehran with her younger brother. Daei, a 109 goals at international level until he was overtaken by Cristiano Ronaldo, was involved in Iran's historic 1998 World Cup victory over the United States.

MARTIN SAMUEL – CHIEF SPORTS WRITER IN QATAR: The fans who were paid to be the cheerleaders of this World Cup will not be receiving their promised daily allowances. At source, the beer that was supposed to flow freely had been refused. An iron fist and the threat of suspensions put the rainbow armband movement to a halt. So one thing remains: the narrator. What would happen if, by 8pm local on November 29 - or maybe even 6pm four days earlier - there was no more Qatar at the Qatar World Cup?What promises might be reneged upon then?What welcome mat might be hastily rolled up and put away? Nobody knows what will happen next. Without Qatari interest, how long before FIFA and their hangers-on seriously outstay their welcome?

SPECIAL REPORT BY ROBERT DINEEN: Zahra Khoshnavaz knew she had put herself in jeopardy when she joined five other female followers and attended a high-profile football match disguised as a male. The aspiring poet and activist understood that she risked triggering the country's notorious morality police by releasing photographs of herself sporting a fake wig and beard on Persopolis's sidewalk. However, the prohibition on women watching football games was not enforced in statute, and she believed she was safe from harm and imprisonment on social media having posted her previous trips to games involving Persopolis or Iran.

Images displayed faithful supporters of Iran's government lighting the Union Jack and LGBT flags (inset left) in the streets outside the embassy as they condemned 'Iranian opposition television stations broadcasting from London.' Some of the protesters' cards read "death to England," while others called for a united Ireland (inset right), arguing that Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland should unite to form a single state and criticizing Britain's apparent interference in foreign affairs. The Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights said on Thursday that Iranian security forces shot and killed a Kurdish man during widespread demonstrations over Mahsa Amini's death in Mahabad, west of Iran.

In Zindan square, Saqez city, security forces used tear gas and opened fire on civilians,' Hengaw, a Norway-based organization that monitors human rights in Iran's Kurdish regions, reported whether or not there were any dead or wounded.' Despite increased security, columns of mourners (pictured left and right) had poured into Saqez, the western Kurdish province, to pay their respects to Amini at her grave at the end of the traditional mourning process. Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin (inset), died on September 16, three days after being arrested in Tehran by the notorious morality police for reportedly violating the Islamic dress code for women.

Gareth Southgate has his own World Cup jitters, with key central defenders out of form or sitting on the bench at the start of the season, as well as the fallout from the dismal Nations League results. However, he may spare a thought for England's first opponents at the Qatar World Cup, Iran, considering the chaos they are in.