Ali Daei is a former professional football player, football manager, and businessman from Iran. He has volunteered his time to play football since he was a child. He captained the Iranian national team and played for Bayern Munich and Hertha BSC, among other clubs. His position on the field was striker. In terms of his international career, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) named him the world’s top scorer in official international competitions, with 20 goals in competitive matches for Iran in 1996, including his famous four-goal haul against South Korea in the Asian Cup. He scored four goals against Laos in a World Cup qualifier on November 17, 2004, giving him 102 goals and making him the first male player to reach that milestone in international action. Not only that, but he is the all-time leading goalscorer in the history of men’s international football, having scored 109 goals for Iran, an achievement that has been recognized by Guinness World Records. He has coached clubs such as Saipa, Persepolis, Rah Ahan, Saba Qom, Naft Tehran, and others in his management career. He is also the current owner and CEO of Daei Sport.

How much is Ali Daei’s Net Worth?

Ali Daei is a wealthy businessman who has amassed a considerable fortune as a former professional footballer, football manager, and businessman. According to sources, Ali Daei’s net worth is predicted to be $110 million by 2020, albeit this has yet to be validated. He is undoubtedly earning a large sum of money from his football career. Daei Sport’s Wears & Equipment, his own football jersey manufacturing company, makes sportswear for Iran athletic clubs in numerous fields and league clubs throughout the world. He has also been spotted working with UNICEF on several occasions, including in a commercial starring David Beckham and Madeleine Albright. In addition, his wife, Mona, runs her own jewelry store. His commercial profession as well as his football career are his main sources of income. He is currently living a lavish lifestyle.

Cristiano Ronaldo surpasses 100 international goals, just eight short of Ali Daei’s record:

Cristiano Ronaldo has set his sights on Ali Daei’s 109 international goals after scoring twice in Portugal’s 2-1 Nations League win over Sweden, bringing his total to 101 since his debut in 2004. Cristiano scored a first-half free-kick and added a second from open play in the 72nd minute to draw in on Iranian Daei’s record. Cristiano missed Portugal’s Nations League opening against Croatia on Saturday due to a toe injury. Cristiano Ronaldo will ultimately surpass Ali Daei’s record, but for the time being, Iran’s king reigns supreme. This is how he rose to the top of the charts. By the end of his career, the man known as “Mr Goal” had 109 goals in 149 appearances for Iran. It put him 25 goals ahead of any other player in history at the time. In 1996, he joined Persepolis and returned to the Iranian national team, scoring 22 international goals in the calendar year. It already made him Iran’s all-time leading marksman; the previous record holder, Gholam Hossein Mazloumi, had only 19. In qualification for the Asian Cup, Daei scored four goals against Nepal and five against Sri Lanka, but his best performance came in the tournament itself, when he scored four goals in only 23 minutes against South Korea. However, as Ronaldo gets closer, Daei’s record will be shattered. “For as long as it lasts, I’m extremely proud,” he remarked. “Records, on the other hand, are meant to be broken. I’m relieved that such a great player will overtake me because I rank Ronaldo among the greatest three players of all time.”

Famous For

• Being a former professional football player, manager, and entrepreneur.
• For his precision in heading and ability in the air.
• Daei Sport is my company, and I am the owner and CEO.

What is the Birthplace of Ali Daei?

Ali Daei was born in Ardabil, Iran, on March 21, 1969. His nationality is Iranian, and his ethnicity is mixed. His zodiac sign is Aries, and he practices Islam. Abolfazl Daei was his father. Mohammed Daei, his brother, is also his sibling. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Materials Engineering from Sharif University of Technology. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in science. In the year 2020, he will be 51 years old.

How was the Football career of Ali Daei?

• Daei began his football career by playing for Esteghlal Ardabil, his hometown club. He was only 19 years old at the time.
• After that, he joined Taxirani F.C. in Tehran, which was his next club.
• After a season with the club, he moved to Bank Tejarat F.C. in Tehran, where he played for four years and scored 49 goals in 75 appearances.
• In 1994, he joined Persepolis, one of the country’s top teams.
• He made history by becoming the first Asian player to play in a UEFA Champions League match.
• On September 21, 1999, he scored his first and second goals in the UEFA Champions League in a 2-1 win for Hertha Berlin over Chelsea in a group stage encounter.
• At the age of 34, he joined the UAE league as a free agent, signing with Al-Shabab.
• Then he returned to his previous squad, Persepolis, in Tehran.
• After that, he moved on a free transfer from Persepolis to Saba Battery for a cheap contract of roughly $300,000.
• He scored 23 goals in two years of play, winning the Hazfi Cup and competing in the Asian Champions League.
• On March 6, 2007, the Iranian Football Federation fined him $2000 and suspended him for four games for delivering a head-butt to Sheys Rezaei’s face.
• In the year 2007, he announced his retirement from playing football in order to focus on his coaching career.

International Career of Ali Daei:

• Daei’s international career began on June 6, 1993, when he was called up to join Team Melli for an ECO Cup event in Tehran, where he made his debut against Pakistan.
• With four goals in five matches in the final Asian round of FIFA World Cup qualifying in 1994, he was awarded the top scorer.
• He was also a member of the 2006 FIFA World Cup team.

Moreover,

• Daei’s coaching experience includes serving as the head coach of Iran’s student national squad in the 2007 Summer Universiade.
• He was also the technical manager of the Islamic Azad University team that competed in the 2009 World Interuniversity Games.

How was the Managerial Career of Ali Daei?

Saipa

• After Saipa’s coach, Werner Lorant left, he was appointed as the interim manager of Saipa on 8th October 2006 and was also announced as the full-time manager.
• The club, Saipa also became the Persian Gulf Cup champions in Daei’s first season at the helm.
• He also leads Saipa to an Asian Champions League quarterfinal birth before leaving to take over as the full-time manager of the Iranian national football team.

Iran national football team

• IRIFF officially appointed him as Team Melli’s new head coach on 2nd March 2008.
• But he refused to leave his current coaching job at Saipa F.C., therefore taking on dual managerial careers until after Saipa had entered the Asian Champion League quarterfinals, after which he left Saipa by mutual consent.
• He also guided Iran to a respectable 16-6-3 mark, his third loss on 28th March 2009 to a Saudi Arabian team that was down 1-0 to Iran in Tehran proved to be the final straw.
• After the loss in the 2010 World Cup Qualifier, he was fired as head coach after the match.

Persepolis

• On 28th December 2009, he was chosen as the coach of Persepolis.
• At the end of the 2009-2010 Season, Persepolis finished fourth in the league but they became Hazfi Cup champions.
• Persepolis finished fourth in the league of 2010-2011 season and was eliminated in the group stage of the 2011 AFC Champions League but at the end of the season, Persepolis won the 2010-2011 Hazfi Cup after defeating rivals Sepahan, Foolad, and Malavan.
• On 20th June 2011, the Technical Committee of Perspolis re-appointed him as Persepolis’s head coach but he resigned on 21 June.
• Under the management of him, Persepolis won back to back trophies for the first time in 13 seasons.

Rah Ahan

• He then signed a one-year contract as head coach of Rah Ahan on 14th July 2011.
• In his first season as Rah Ahan’s head coach, he led the club to the 11th position.
• He also used many young players such as Mojtaba Shiri and Omid Alishah in the 2012-2013 season due to which Rah Ahan finished the season in the 8th place which was the clubs’ best finish in the league.
•  His contract was terminated on 20th May 2013, making ways for him to become head coach of Persepolis.

Return to Persepolis

• He returned to Persepolis and signed a three-year contract to become head coach of Persepolis after a long negotiation on 20th May 2013.
• He officially began his work with Persepolis on 1st June 2013.
• He was sacked on 10th September 2014 after a poor start of the 2014-2015 season.

Saba Qom

• He became head coach of Saba Qom, signing a two-year contract on 1st July 2015.
• He finished ninth and seventh in the Persian Gulf Pro League in the two seasons with Saba and left the team before the start of 2016-2017.

Naft Tehran

• Ali Daei then became manager of Naft Tehran on 5th July 2016 with signing a two-year contract, replacing Alireza Mansourian.
• He also led Naft to the Hazfi Cup title but left the club at the end of the season.

Return to Saipa

• After a long duration, he became manager of Saipa on 14th May 2017, a club that he started his coaching career in 2006 and led them to the league title in 2007.

Awards and Achievements of Ali Daei

Club

Persepolis

• Iranian Football League: 1995-1996

Bayern Munich

• Bundesliga: 1998-99
• DFB-Ligapokal: 1998-99

Saba Battery

• Hazfi Cup: 2004-05
• Super Cup: 2005

Saipa

• Iran Pro League: 2006-07

International

• Iran U23 (Wild card)
• Asian Games Gold Medal: 2002

Iran

• Asian Games Gold Medal: 1998
• AFC/OFC Cup Challenge: 2003
• WAFF Championship: 2004

Manager

Saipa

• Iran Pro League: 2006-07

Iran

• WAFF Championship: 2008

Persepolis

• Hazfi Cup: 2009-10, 2010-11

Naft Tehran

• Hazfi Cup: 2016-17

Individual

Player

• AFC Asian Player of the Month: August 1997
• AFC Asian Footballer of the Year: 1999
• IFFHS World’s Top international Goalscorer of All Time: 109 goals
• IFFHS World’s Top international Goalscorer of the Year: 2000 (20 goals)
• Order of Courage: 2005
• Asian Football Hall of Fame: 2014
• IFFHS Legends: 2016
• AFC Asian Cup Fans’ All-Time Best XI: 2018

Manager

• Iranian Manager of the Year: 2006

Who is Ali Daei married to?

Ali Daei is a husband and father. In the year 2005, he married his lovely wife, Mona Farokhazari. Noura and Deniz Daei, the couple’s two daughters, were born to them. They are both very content in their marriage. He is not gay and has a straight sexual orientation. They are living a happy life together, sharing a lot of affection, and they are highly unlikely to divorce.

How tall is Ali Daei?

Ali Daei is a highly attractive man with a lovely demeanor. He has a well-kept physique. With a balanced mass of 88 kg, he stands tall at 1.92 meters. His hair is black, and his eyes are a dark brown tone. His physique is ordinary. He has a healthy body with ideal body measurements in general.

Quick Facts About Ali Daei