Karim Ansarifard

At 34 years old, Karim Ansarifard has this physical status:

Karim Ansarifard (born 3 April 1990) is an Iranian footballer who plays for Al-Sailiya and the Iranian national team as a forward.

His playing style and abilities have drawn comparisons to Ali Daei (the coach who recruited him) and Daei's "successor," according to World Soccer, who has rated Ansarifard as one of the best young talents in the country, alongside Javier Hernández and Jack Wilshere.

FIFA.com selected him as one of the 2012 top players to watch in 2012.

He has also been rated as one of the world's best 100 young football players.

FIFA ranked him as the 48th best goalscorer in the world and second in Asia in 2012.

Personal life

Ansarifard is the last child of an Iranian Azerbaijani family and has three brothers and three sisters. He completed physical education at the Central Tehran Branch of Islamic Azad University.

At a reception held in Vouliagmeni in August 2018, Ansarifard married Greek businesswoman Alexandra Kalouli. Kalouli is the managing director of the Innovative Maritime Intelligence Center (IMEQ Center), a mental health research center with offices in Cyprus and Greece.

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Club career

He was taken on a training trial by then-coach Ali Daei and accepted into the club's youth academy and reserves during one of Saipa's training camps in Ardabil, Karim's home town. Since Mohsen Khalili's departure and then-coach Ali Daei's retirement in the 2007 season, the Iranian reigning champions had trouble scoring. Ali Daei transferred Ansarifard to the first team from the reserves after 12 weeks, and the young starlet restored the coach's trust by winning with good games, including the only goal against a solid Sepahan team. During the 2009–10 season, Ansarifard scored 13 goals. Karim became one of Saipa's top players and was targeted by European clubs such as Borussia Dortmund and Celtic after strong results. Steaua București's half-season loan was approved later this year. Everton was rumored to have been interested in signing Ansarifard in May 2011. Despite major interest from European clubs and conscription delays, Ansarifard's move to a foreign club is unlikely. On July 14, 2011, Ansarifard's deal with Saipa came to an end. Ansarifard, the league's top scorer, scored 21 goals and 5 assists for Saipa in the 2011–12 Iranian Pro League season.

During the 2011–12 Iranian Pro League season, there was a lot of rumors that Ansarifard would leave Saipa. He began working with Persepolis on June 17, 2012, and has been with the Persepolis for three years. The number 9 shirt was given to him. In a pre-season match against Aluminium, he scored his first goal. He made his Persepolis debut against Sanat Naft in a formal match against Sanat Naft, scoring his first goal against Persepolis against Gahar Zagros. Against Paykan, Persepolis defeated Paykan in his first Hat-trick as a Persepolis player (and second in his career). In the Round of 32 of the Hazfi Cup at Malavan, he scored his second hat-trick. He also scored the Persepolis' first goal in the Hazfi Cup final. On penalties, his team will continue to lose on penalties. Despite calls from Sepahan, Tractor, and two UAE Pro League sides, Ansarifard initially decided to remain in Persepolis at the start of the season. However, he was forced to leave club head coach Ali Daei during pre-season. He was outlisted and was eventually transferred to Tractor on July 14, 2013.

After Persepolis called him out of the squad, he decided to play another season in Iran and joined Tractor. In the case of bids, he signed a one-year deal with the possibility of a transfer to the European leagues. In a 1–1 draw in Tabriz derby over Gostaresh Foolad, he made his debut on August 1st in 2013. With Tractor, he won the Hazfi Cup and was named as the tournament's Most Valuable Player. During his time with Tabriz's reds, Ansarifard scored seventeen goals, making him the league's top scorer for the second time in his professional career. Ansarifard was released by Tractor in July 2014 and was allowed to join a European club.

Ansarifard signed a two-year contract with Segunda División's CA Osasuna on August 29, 2014. He made his league debut on October 4, 2014, starting as a replacement for Roberto Torres in the 61st minute against Racing de Santander. In a 3–2 victory over CD Tenerife on October 18, he got off to a good start on his first appearance.

Ansarifard joined Panionios in Greece in the summer of 2015. In a 5–1 victory over Panetolikos on October 3, he scored his first goal for the club. In a match against Platanias, he scored the winning goal on September 7, 2015. Ansarifard scored a brace on Friday and helped Panionios beat PAS Giannina 2–0. In a win over PAOK in April 2016, his solo goal during matchday 28 earned him goal of the week honors.

Ansarifard, a former student on a one-year deal, was due to leave out next season, but the 26-year-old international was not on the Eagles' shortlist at the time. He began the 2016–17 season as the club's offensive leader. In a 3–0 home victory over rivals Asteras Tripolis on September 10, 2016, he scored his first goal of the season.

Ansarifard agreed to a 3.5-year deal with Greek giants Olympiacos for a €400,000 transfer fee, but Panionios retained a 10% sell-on clause on January 13. He had been assigned the number 17. On January 24, 2017, he made his first appearance for the club in a Greek Cup 1–1 away draw against Aris, scoring his first goal to equalize the match.

In a 2–0 victory over AEL on February 11, Ansarifard made his league debut on Sunday, coming in as a late second-half replacement. In his second Europa League game against Osmanlukspor, Karim scored a brace on February 23rd. Olympiacos reached the Round of 16 for the first time since 2012. Due to his success against Osmanlspor, Karim won the UEFA Europa League Player of the Week award this week.

In a 2–0 victory over Atromitos on March 12, Ansarifard scored his first league goal for Olympiacos. In his team's 4–1 victory on the first match day of the Greece Super League, Ansarifard scored and assisted a goal. He was unexpectedly left out of the UEFA Champions League squad by new manager Besnik Hasi, who put the forward up for auction after helping the Greek giants win a league title. In an Olympiacos 4–3 away win on October 14, he scored a brace against his old club. He scored a brace on December 2, 2017, ending with a 3–1 home win over Apollon Smyrnis. In a thrilling 4–1 away Superleague victory over Panetolikos on December 9, he scored a goal and giving Kostas Fortounis his second goal in the game. Ansarifard's stellar work with Olympiacos on December 24, 2017 marked what may have been his best year of his career. According to Football Tribe Asia, the Albanian boss was fired in late September for poor results, but Ansarifard has been able to return to the starting lineup, winning seven goals from 11 matches, becoming the league's top scorer so far this season. He scored in a 3–0 away win game against AEL on January 7, 2018, his team's seventh straight victory in his quest to win his 8th title in a row. He scored after an assist from Guillaume Gillet, completing a 2–0 home win game against Lamia on January 15th. Ansarifard was on target in the 26th and 57th minutes for scar Garca's Superleague leaders, chalking up their ninth victory in a row in less than three minutes against 10-man Xanthi at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium on January 21, 2018. He was named MVP of the game. After Asteras Tripolis' former Panathinaikos defender Kostas Triantafyllopoulos led him down in the box on January 28, 2018, equalized a 1-1 away game against Asteras Tripolis with a penalty kick. In a humiliating 2–1 home loss against rivals AEK Athens, he opened the scoring on February 4, 2018. In a 1–1 away draw against Levadiakos on 31 March 28, 2018, he scored with a cool finish from an exquisite Leonardo Koutris pass. In an emphatic 5–1 home win over Kerkyra on April 16, 2018, opened the scoring. He scored a brace in a 4–0 home victory game over Panetolikos on Sunday, losing to Aleksandar Prijovi for the title of top scorer. During the 2017–18 season, Ansarifard's deal was terminated by Olympiacos.

Ansarifard had signed for Nottingham Forest in the Sky Bet Championship on November 3, 2018, after a delay in getting a work permit. At the City Ground, the Iranian national penned a one-and-a-half-year contract. In a 1–0 victory over Sheffield United on November 3rd, he made his club debut as a replacement. Ansarifard scored his first goal in a 3–0 win at home over Hull City, with his wife also assisting in the first goal.

In the Qatar Stars League, Ansarifard made the move to Al-Sailiya on July 12, 2019.

Ansarifard agreed to a three-year deal with Greek Super League team AEK Athens on August 25, 2020. He scored the winning goal in the 90+4 minute on October 1st, resulting in a 21-0 victory over Wolfsburg in the 2020-21 Europa League play-off round.

Ansarifard came in as a replacement on November 22, 2020, and he led Ansarifard to a 4–1 home win over AEL. In a 2–1 away victory over Asteras Tripolis the following week, he scored in a 2–1 victory. In a thrilling 4–3 away victory over Apollon Smyrnis on December 13, 2020, he scored a brace. In a 1–0 away victory over Lamia on January 11, 2021, he scored his only goal.

In a 2–0 home win over Apollon Smyrnis on March 8, 2021, he scored a brace. In a 3–1 away victory over Aris Thessaloniki on April 11, 2021, he scored on a penalty. He opened the scoring for the club in the UEFA Europa Conference League on July 22, 2021, but AEK lost 2–1 against FK Vele Mostar, who suffered from a humiliating away loss of 2–1. In a 3–1 away victory over Volos on October 24, 2021, he opened the scoring.

Ansarifard joined Cypriot First Division club Omonia on a two-year deal, with the possibility of an additional year. In a 4–0 home win over Paralimni on September 18, he scored his first goal for the club.

In an eventual 2–3 home loss to Manchester United in the Europa League on October 6, he opened the scoring. Ansarifard, Omonia's 100th player to score in a European competition, was named in this series.

International career

In 2005, Ansarifard was accepted to the Iran U17 national team. He wore number 14 and was a benchwarmer in the 2006 AFC U-17 Championship. In two games against Tajikistan and Yemen, Ansarifard served as a replacement.

In a match against Iceland in November 2009 under Afshin Ghotbi, Ansarifard made his debut for the senior Iran national team, scoring his first international goal and the first goal of the game. On January 15, 2011 he was given the number 10 he had worn before by Ali Daei and scored his third international goal against North Korea, so Ansarifard became Iran's youngest ever goalscorer in the AFC Asian Cup. In 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, Ansarifard scored a double against Maldives at Azadi Stadium. In the World Cup Qualifiers, he came on as a late replacement for Uzbekistan and assisted with a pass for Mohammad Reza Khalatbari as the 94th-minute winner. Carlos Queiroz, a footballer from Iran, was called into Iran's 2014 FIFA World Cup squad on June 1, 2014. In the 68th minute, he appeared in his first World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, starting as a replacement for Ashkan Dejagah. Carlos Queiroz, an Iranian footballer, was called into Iran's 2015 AFC Asian Cup squad on December 30, 2014. In the Asian Cup preparation match against Iraq, he helped Sardar Azmoun. He was selected in Iran's preliminary squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia in May 2018. With a 1-1 result, he scored a penalty against Portugal.

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