Sardar Azmoun: 57 Goals for Iran and a Mystery Left Unanswered
The third-highest scorer in his country's history, 91 caps, the top assist provider in the UAE league — and no place in the World Cup squad. Why? No official reason has been given.
As reported by CCTV+, on June 1, the Iranian Football Federation announced the final World Cup squad. The list of 26 names did not include Sardar Azmoun — one of Asia's most prominent forwards of the past decade. The 31-year-old striker has 57 goals in 91 matches for the national team. Only the legendary Ali Daei and Mehdi Taremi have scored more.
Azmoun was not injured. Last season he delivered 11 assists in the UAE league, becoming the competition's top assist provider. His club, Shabab Al-Ahli, finished second. Form was not an issue.
Nevertheless, head coach Amir Ghalenoei did not include him even in the preliminary squad. No official reason was given. Azmoun himself chose not to explain the situation.
Only after the squad was announced did he write on social media: "I have always been proud to play for my country. As a teenager, I turned down a very lucrative offer to play for another national team because I am a son of Iran. My heart and my pride are Iran. I wish my former teammates good luck. Go and win, make the hearts of Iranians happy."
This season, Azmoun was the top assist provider in the UAE. He is in excellent physical shape. Yet he is not going to the World Cup. Sardar Azmoun was born in 1995. He played for Russian clubs Rubin Kazan, Rostov and Zenit, as well as for Wolverhampton Wanderers in England. He has 57 goals for Iran — the third-best tally in the country's history, behind Ali Daei (109) and Mehdi Taremi (62).
Fifty-seven goals. Ninety-one caps. Ten years in the national team. The top assist provider in the UAE league. And all of that — discounted. Why? No official answer has been given. Azmoun himself did not explain. He only said goodbye, wished his friends well and stayed home. While Messi and Ronaldo prepare for their sixth World Cup, and Uzbekistan travels to its first, Azmoun will watch football on television. There are more questions than answers. And it seems no one is going to provide them.
