Aadel Kardooni

Aadel Kardooni
Birth name	Aadel Kardooni
Date of birth	17 May 1968 (age 56)
Place of birth	Tehran, Iran
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight	12 st 2 lb (76 kg)
School	Clayesmore School ; Sherborne School
University	De Montfort University
Occupation(s)	Futures broker
Rugby union career
Position(s)
Position(s)	Scrum-half
Amateur team(s)
Years	Team
	North Dorset RFC
2002-2003	Rugby Lions
Senior career
Years	Team
1987-1988	Wasps
1988-1997	Leicester Tigers
1997-1998	Bedford Blues
1998-1999	Blackheath F.C.
	Correct as of 21 September 2009
International career
Years	Team
1992	England A
	Correct as of 21 September 2009

Last updated January 18, 2025

Aadel Kardooni (Persian : عادل کردونی, born 17 May 1968 in Tehran) is a British-Iranian former professional rugby union player.

He is the first Iranian rugby union player to ever play professionally.^[2]

Playing career

Iranian born Aadel left his homeland at the age of 8 to attend bording school in Dorset, England.^[2] At Sherborne School Kardooni was coached by former England coach Mike Davis.^[2] Kardooni played for Wasps and Middlesex before joining Leicester Tigers in 1988. Kardooni made his Leicester debut away to Swansea.^[2]

A very agile scrum half with a bullet pass, Kardooni was a regular in the Midlands and England A squads but a full cap eluded him throughout his career. Kardooni could always be relied on throughout the early to mid-nineties but struggled when the game became professional, and slipped down the pecking order behind Austin Healey and Jamie Hamilton. His last appearance in a Tigers shirt was as a late substitution in the Pilkington Cup final triumph over Sale in 1997.^[3]

Kardooni moved on to Bedford Blues as he preferred to stay in his career rather than go full-time professional at the age of 29.^[2]

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References

↑ "Player Profiles: Aadel Kardooni". Archived from the original on 9 October 2010. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
1 2 3 4 5 Richardson, Charles (17 January 2025). "Aadel Kardooni: The only Iranian player in Premiership history". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
↑ http://www.leicestertigers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11472&sid=059264be53396d67b7842f39866410c5&PHPSESSID=7d02e0d8d1f4315 Archived 9 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine ...

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[1] "Player Profiles: Aadel Kardooni". Archived from the original on 9 October 2010. Retrieved 2009-09-20.

[DT-2] 1 2 3 4 5 Richardson, Charles (17 January 2025). "Aadel Kardooni: The only Iranian player in Premiership history". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 January 2025.

[3] ttp://www.leicestertigers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11472&sid=059264be53396d67b7842f39866410c5&PHPSESSID=7d02e0d8d1f4315 Archived 9 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine ...

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