"},"position":{"wt":"[[Centre-back]]"},"currentclub":{"wt":"[[Tractor S.C.|Tractor]]"},"clubnumber":{"wt":"3"},"youthyears1":{"wt":"2005–2007"},"youthclubs1":{"wt":"Shahrdari Amirkola"},"youthyears2":{"wt":"2007–2008"},"youthclubs2":{"wt":"Khoshnoush Sari"},"years1":{"wt":"2008–2010"},"clubs1":{"wt":"[[Mes Rafsanjan F.C.|Mes Rafsanjan]]"},"caps1":{"wt":"42"},"goals1":{"wt":"1"},"years2":{"wt":"2010–2013"},"clubs2":{"wt":"[[Mes Kerman F.C.|Mes Kerman]]"},"caps2":{"wt":"74"},"goals2":{"wt":"2"},"years3":{"wt":"2013–2017"},"clubs3":{"wt":"[[Sepahan Isfahan F.C.|Sepahan]]"},"caps3":{"wt":"58"},"goals3":{"wt":"0"},"years4":{"wt":"2015–2016"},"clubs4":{"wt":"→[[Tractor S.C.|Tractor]] (loan)"},"caps4":{"wt":"22"},"goals4":{"wt":"2"},"years5":{"wt":"2017–2020"},"clubs5":{"wt":"[[Persepolis F.C.|Persepolis]]"},"caps5":{"wt":"75"},"goals5":{"wt":"6"},"years6":{"wt":"2020–2022"},"clubs6":{"wt":"[[Al-Rayyan SC|Al-Rayyan]]"},"caps6":{"wt":"34"},"goals6":{"wt":"4"},"years7":{"wt":"2022–2023"},"clubs7":{"wt":"[[Al Ahli SC (Doha)|Al Ahli]]"},"caps7":{"wt":"18"},"goals7":{"wt":"0"},"years8":{"wt":"2023–"},"clubs8":{"wt":"[[Tractor S.C.|Tractor]]"},"caps8":{"wt":"40"},"goals8":{"wt":"3"},"nationalyears1":{"wt":"2007–2009"},"nationalteam1":{"wt":"[[Iran national under-20 football team|Iran U20]]"},"nationalcaps1":{"wt":""},"nationalgoals1":{"wt":""},"nationalyears2":{"wt":"2009–2011"},"nationalteam2":{"wt":"[[Iran national under-23 football team|Iran U23]]"},"nationalcaps2":{"wt":"5"},"nationalgoals2":{"wt":"0"},"nationalyears3":{"wt":"2009–"},"nationalteam3":{"wt":"[[Iran national football team|Iran]]"},"nationalcaps3":{"wt":"47"},"nationalgoals3":{"wt":"2"},"club-update":{"wt":"1 June 2024"},"nationalteam-update":{"wt":"14 November 2024"}},"i":0}}]}" id="mwBw">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme)>div:not(.notheme)[style]{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme) div:not(.notheme){background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media(min-width:640px){body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table{display:table!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>caption{display:table-caption!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>tbody{display:table-row-group}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table tr{display:table-row!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table th,body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table td{padding-left:inherit;padding-right:inherit}}
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Shojae Khalilzadeh [1] | ||
Date of birth | 14 May 1989 | ||
Place of birth | Bahnemir, Mazandaran, Iran [2] | ||
Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) [1] | ||
Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Tractor | ||
Number | 3 | ||
Youth career | |||
2005–2007 | Shahrdari Amirkola | ||
2007–2008 | Khoshnoush Sari | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2008–2010 | Mes Rafsanjan | 42 | (1) |
2010–2013 | Mes Kerman | 74 | (2) |
2013–2017 | Sepahan | 58 | (0) |
2015–2016 | → Tractor (loan) | 22 | (2) |
2017–2020 | Persepolis | 75 | (6) |
2020–2022 | Al-Rayyan | 34 | (4) |
2022–2023 | Al Ahli | 18 | (0) |
2023– | Tractor | 40 | (3) |
International career‡ | |||
2007–2009 | Iran U20 | ||
2009–2011 | Iran U23 | 5 | (0) |
2009– | Iran | 47 | (2) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 June 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 November 2024 |
Shojae Khalilzadeh (Persian : شجاع خلیلزاده; born 14 May 1989) is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Persian Gulf Pro League club Tractor and Iran national team. He is known for his pace, artistic tackles and positional sense. [3]
Khalilzadeh starting his career in Kerman where he moved to two clubs, first joining Mes Rafsanjan and then signing with Mes Kerman in 2010. His performance earned him a transfer to Sepahan Isfahan in 2013 and spent four years with Talaei Pooshan, which included a successful loan spell with Tractor in Tabriz. In May 2017, Khalilzadeh joined Persepolis side that he helped turn into one of the strongest on the continent, before joining Qatari side Al-Rayyan in October 2020. [4] [5]
At the age of 16, Khalilzadeh started playing football with local youth teams for three years. [6] [7] [8]
Khalilzadeh began his professional career with Mes Rafsanjan in 2008. He spent two seasons at Mes Rafsanjan in Azadegan League. [9] In late June 2010, Khalilzadeh joined Iran Pro League side Mes Kerman. [10] He made a debut for the club under coach Samad Marfavi in the league 2010–11 season. In his second season, under Croatian coach Miroslav Blažević, he reached with the team the semi-finals of the 2011–12 Hazfi Cup. [11] In June 2012, Khalilzadeh extended his contract for a third season a worth R800m. His performance did not go unnoticed, as Esteghlal, Persepolis and Sepahan teams showed interest in signing of the defender. [12]
In late June 2013, Khalilzadeh was presented as a player of Isfahani club Sepahan on a four-year contract. [13] In his first season, under Croatian coach Zlatko Kranjčar, he formed a partnership in the heart of the Sepahan defensive with the captain Hadi Aghily. [14] [15] He helped the team to won of the 2014–15 Persian Gulf Pro League.
Khalilzadeh was loaned to Tractor to complete his mandatory military service. [16] He was one of the best players under coach Amir Ghalenoei, the club reached the top of their group at the 2016 AFC Champions League, outperforming the Saudi giant Al-Hilal. He returned to Sepahan at the end of the loan spell in July 2016. [17]
Sepahan coach Abdollah Veisi talking about efforts to move Khalilzadeh to Persepolis in the 2016–17 season. [18]
"As long as Shojae is in our team, even if [Gerard Piqué] comes to our team, I will play Shojae. I advise Persepolis not to follow Shojae, because if he is with a stick, I will send him to the field." [16] [19]
On 6 May 2017, it was confirmed that Khalilzadeh would join the Persian Gulf Pro League champions Persepolis on a two-year contract to play under Croatian coach Branko Ivanković. [5] In his debut match in the league, he scored his first goal against Foolad Khuzestan. [21] He scored his second goal for Persepolis in the 2017 AFC Champions League quarter-finals match against Al Ahli. Persepolis reached the semi-final for the first time in its history before FIFA imposed sanctions on the team's top scorer and the club. [22] In his first season with the red half of Tehran, Persepolis , Khalilzadeh played 41 games and scored five goals.
The following year was the most successful in Persepolis history against all odds, the Reds finished runner-up in the 2018 AFC Champions League. Khalilzadeh was selected in two squads "Team of the Season" for his performance in the tournament. [23] [24] [25]
Persepolis was scoreless with Al Ahli on Matchday Three 2019 AFC Champions League, when Khalilzadeh showed superb agility to adjust his body and acrobatically bicycle kick home the opening goal, which was named as the best goal of the 2019 AFC Champions League by the fans. [26] [27] He scored two goals in the competition but his team were eliminated of the group stage.
"During these years, I never neglected Persepolis, which has always been my love, and despite numerous injuries, I entered the field with all my strength, so that I could repay a part of love to the fans."
In the 2020 AFC Champions League, the last tournament before increasing the number of clubs to 40 teams, Khalilzadeh’s goal in the final minutes of the Al Taawoun match was a leap for the team after a faltering start in the tournament. In the Round of 16 against Al-Sadd, the role and interventions of Khalilzadeh in the game were more influential, before Persepolis scored the winning goal in the 89th minute. [31] [32] He was also "Player of the Week" at the AFC Champions League semi-final following his performance in his last match with the team against Al Nassr and help Persepolis to reach the final, [33] where the east champion was determined on 13 December.
Khalilzadeh played a great role in winning three titles in the Iran Pro League and helped Persepolis to reach AFC Champions League final twice in three years. [4] [34] [35] [36] Since 2018, Khalilzadeh has been linked with a move to the Qatar Stars League and the Chinese Super League. [30] [29] [37] At the age of 31, before the start of the 2020–21 season, after not reaching an agreement to renew his contract, [38] he moved to Qatar. Khalilzadeh was reportedly chosen as one of the candidates for the 2020 Asian Footballer of the Year award before the award was confirmed to be cancelled in late December. [39] [40]
On 25 October 2020, Al-Rayyan announced on the last day of the summer transfer window the signing of Khalilzadeh on a two-year contract a worth $700,000. [41] [42] It was his first career stop outside of his home country and became the second Iranian to play for Al-Rayyan since 1980s, after his former coach Ghasempour. [43] Under the coach Aguirre, he played a central defender, and Mercado moved to the right-back in the following games. He scored his first goal with a side volley shot in a 2–1 victory against Qatar SC on 12 January 2021. [44] The following week, Khalilzadeh scored his second goal with a counter-attack in a 3–0 win against Al-Wakrah. [45] As a defender and deep-lying playmaker behind the midfield, [46] he played 26 games and scored three goals. Al-Rayyan finished third in the league. In late October 2021, Khalilzadeh extended his contract with the club until 2023. [47] [48]
Khalilzadeh was invited to Iran national team in 2012 by Carlos Queiroz. He made his debut for the Team Melli in a 6–1 victory against Tajikistan national team. [49]
After seven years of notable absence from the international side, during the time of Queiroz and Marc Wilmots, [50] [51] Khalilzadeh was call-up by new coach Dragan Skočić in 2020 for a friendlies against Uzbekistan and Bosnia and Herzegovina, [52] and to help in a difficult situation, after the failure in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and two consecutive defeats from Bahrain and Iraq in the second round of qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. [53] [54] [55] The Team Melli finished top of the group stage, where they won all of his remaining four matches to qualify to 2023 AFC Asian Cup and the final round of the World Cup. [56] [51]
Regarded as one of the most reliable a defenders in the AFC Champions League in high-pressure situations. [58] [59] [4] [35] [36] [60] He is known for his awareness, carrying the ball forward and also showed some impressive offensive ability. [46] [61] [62] [63] [24] [64] He is highly regarded by the fans and coaches for his on-the-pitch bravery. [65] [66] Khalilzadeh is the preferred defender for most coaches, especially the Croats Miroslav Blažević, Zlatko Kranjčar, Branko Ivanković and Dragan Skočić. [11] [18] [66] [67] [68] [16]
Khalilzadeh was born in the small village of Gālesh Kolā in Bahnemir District, Babolsar County, Mazandaran Province, to a family working in agriculture and fish farming on the Caspian Sea. [6] [12] [69]
Club | Season | League | Cup [a] | Asia | Other [b] | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Mes Rafsanjan | Division 1 | 2008–09 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 0 | ||
2009–10 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 1 | ||||
Total | 42 | 1 | 7 | 0 | — | — | 49 | 1 | ||||
Mes Kerman | Pro League | 2010–11 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 0 | ||
2011–12 | 27 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 2 | ||||
2012–13 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 0 | ||||
Total | 74 | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 79 | 2 | ||||
Sepahan | Pro League | 2013–14 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 33 | 0 | |
2014–15 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||||
Tractor (loan) | 2015–16 | 22 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1 | — | 32 | 3 | ||
Sepahan | 2016–17 | 23 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 0 | |||
Total | 80 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 13 | 1 | — | 101 | 3 | |||
Persepolis | Pro League | 2017–18 | 26 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 5 |
2018–19 | 27 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 2 | — | 42 | 4 | |||
2019–20 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 2 | — | 34 | 3 | |||
Total | 75 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 31 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 117 | 12 | ||
Al-Rayyan | Stars League | 2020–21 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 3 |
2021–22 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 2 | ||
Total | 34 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 49 | 5 | ||
Al Ahli | Qatar Stars League | 2022–23 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
Tractor | Persian Gulf Pro League | 2023–24 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 2 |
Career total | 349 | 17 | 42 | 1 | 51 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 446 | 25 |
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Iran | |||
2009 | 1 | 0 | |
2012 | 6 | 0 | |
2013 | 1 | 0 | |
2014 | 0 | 0 | |
2020 | 2 | 0 | |
2021 | 11 | 1 | |
2022 | 4 | 0 | |
2023 | 7 | 0 | |
2024 | 15 | 1 | |
Total | 47 | 2 |
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 11 June 2021 | Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain | Cambodia | 2–0 | 10–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
2. | 14 January 2024 | Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar | Palestine | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2023 AFC Asian Cup |
Sepahan [2]
Persepolis [2]
Individual
Persepolis Football Club is an Iranian professional football club based in Tehran that competes in the Persian Gulf Pro League. Persepolis F.C. is the football club of the multisport Persepolis Athletic and Cultural Club. The club was owned by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports until April 2024 when, due to Asian Football Confederation licensing regulations, an 85% majority ownership stake was transferred to a consortium of six Iranian banks. Ten percent of the club's share is publicly available on the Tehran Stock Exchange.
Kamaleddin Kamyabinia is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Persian Gulf Pro League club Zob Ahan.
The 2010–11 Hazfi Cup was the 24th season of the Iranian football knockout competition.
Ramin Rezaeian Semeskandi is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Persian Gulf Pro League club Esteghlal and the Iran national team.
The 2011–12 season are the Esteghlal Football Club's 11th season in the Iran Pro League, and their 18th consecutive season in the top division of Iranian football. They are also competing in the Hazfi Cup and AFC Champions League, and 67th year in existence as a football club. Mojtaba Jabbari and Arash Borhani both with 13 goals are the top scorers of Esteghlal.
The 2012–13 season are the Esteghlal Football Club's 12th season in the Iran Pro League, and their 19th consecutive season in the top division of Iranian football. They are also competing in the Hazfi Cup and AFC Champions League, and 68th year in existence as a football club.
The 2012–13 season was Sepahan's 12th season in the Pro League, and their 19th consecutive season in the top division of Iranian Football and 60th year in existence as a football club. They also competed in the Hazfi Cup and AFC Champions League. Sepahan was captained by Moharram Navidkia.
Ali Alipour is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Persian Gulf Pro League club Persepolis.
Soroush Rafiei is an Iranian professional footballer who plays for Persian Gulf Pro League club Persepolis and the Iran national team.
The 2016–17 season was Persepolis's 16th season in the Pro League, and their 34th consecutive season in the top division of Iranian Football. They were also competing in the Hazfi Cup and AFC Champions League.
The 2017–18 season was the Persepolis's 17th season in the Pro League, and their 35th consecutive season in the top division of Iranian Football. They were also competing in the Hazfi Cup, Super Cup and AFC Champions League.
The 2018–19 season was the Persepolis's 18th season in the Pro League, and their 36th consecutive season in the top division of Iranian Football. They were competing in the Hazfi Cup, Super Cup and AFC Champions League.
The 2019–20 season is the Esteghlal Football Club's 19th season in the Iran Pro League, and their 26th consecutive season in the top division of Iranian football. They also competed in the Hazfi Cup, and 74th year in existence as a football club.
The 2020–21 season is the Persepolis's 20th season in the Pro League, and their 38th consecutive season in the top division of Iranian Football. They are also competing in the Hazfi Cup, Super Cup and AFC Champions League.
The 2021–22 Esteghlal Football Club season was the club's 76th season in existence and the 28th consecutive season in the top flight of Iranian football. In addition to the domestic league, Esteghlal participated in this season's editions of the Hazfi Cup, and the AFC Champions League (2021). The club will not compete in the AFC Champions League (2022) after failing to obtain an AFC license. The season covered the period from 13 September 2021 to 30 May 2022.
The 2021–22 season was the Persepolis's 21st season in the Pro League, and their 39th consecutive season in the top division of Iranian Football. They also competed in the Hazfi Cup, Super Cup and AFC Champions League.
The 2022–23 season is the Persepolis's 22nd season in the Persian Gulf Pro League, and their 40th consecutive season in the top division of Iranian Football. In addition to the domestic league, Persepolis will also participate in this season's Hazfi Cup competitions.
The 2023–24 season is the Persepolis's 23nd season in the Persian Gulf Pro League, and their 41st consecutive season in the top division of Iranian Football. In addition to the domestic league, Persepolis will also participate in this season's Hazfi Cup competitions.
The 2023–24 season is the Tractor Sport Club's 16th season in the Pro League, and their 15th consecutive season in the top division of Iranian Football. They are also competing in the Hazfi Cup and AFC Champions League.
کریم باقری: شجاع یک بازیکن بسیار خوب و با تعصب بود که همیشه بهترین بازی هایش را برای پرسپولیس. همه پرسپولیس باید از این بازیکن قدردانی کنند.