| Birth name | Aadel Kardooni | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 17 May 1968 [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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]
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]