Sirous Ghayeghran
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sirous Ghayeghran | ||
| Date of birth | 22 January 1962 | ||
| Place of birth | Bandar Anzali, Iran | ||
| Date of death | 6 April 1998 (aged 36) | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1970–1980 | Malavan | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1980–1987 | Malavan | ||
| 1987–1989 | Al-Ittihad | ||
| 1989–1990 | Esteghlal Anzali | ||
| 1990–1991 | Malavan | ||
| 1991–1995 | Keshavarz | ||
| National team | |||
| 1986–1993 | Iran | 43 | (6) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1994–1996 | Keshavarz | ||
| 1997–1998 | Masoud Hormozgan | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Sirous Ghayeghran (Persian: سيروس قايقران) (22 January 1962 – 7 April 1998) was a famous Iranian footballer and former captain of Iran national football team. He is notably referred as the legendary player of Malavan Bandar Anzali Football Club, and is one of the most popular icons in the city of Bandar Anzali.
Playing career
Club career
He played most of his club career for Malavan FC. In 1990 he signed for Ai-Ittihad of Qatar. He did not forget his roots and soon returned to Malavan, helping the club win the Hazfi Cup and participate in the Asian Club Championship. In 1993 he moved to the big spending team of the time Keshavarz FC, where he was also a coach. The team obtained respectable results but Ghayeghran moved to second division team Masoud Hormozgan where he coached once again. In 1997 and 1998 Ghayeghran stated numerous times that he would like to be involved with Malavan again, either as a coach or player.
International career
In February 1986 he made his debut for the national team against Pakistan. In 1987 Ghayeghran became the national team captain, after most of the already established national team members who had participated in the Asian tournaments from 1984 to 1986 resigned from playing (these included top stars such as Nasser Mohammadkhani, Hamid Alidoosti, Shahrokh Bayani, etc.) In 1988 thanks to Ghayeghran's leadership an underprepared and inexperienced Iran side finished third in the Asian Cup tournament. He and Mehdi Fonoonizadeh came out as the two players with their trademark long-range shots, which usually compensated for Iran's shortage in the area of teamwork. Two years later the team became the 1990 Asian Games champions, where Ghayeghran scored one of the most memorable goals in Iranian football history against South Korea.
He finished his international career with 43 caps and 6 goals.
| Iran national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1985 | 1 | 0 |
| 1986 | 7 | 1 |
| 1987 | 2 | 0 |
| 1988 | 10 | 1 |
| 1989 | 8 | 1 |
| 1990 | 5 | 1 |
| 1991 | 1 | 0 |
| 1992 | 8 | 2 |
| 1993 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 43 | 6 |
Death
On 26 March 1998 as Ghayeghran and some family members were driving towards Tehran during a holiday in Norouz, they collided with a truck, leaving Ghayeghran and his son dead.
Legacy
Ghayeghran's love of football began early, playing with local children in the streets and alleys of his home city. He was soon playing in the youth provincial team of Gilan and also joined his hometown club, Malavan. Even at a young age Ghayeghran was known to be a down to earth person, with a great attitude, and instantly became a fan favorite.
Ghayeghran will always be remembered as one of the finest examples of an athlete in Iran. He helped charities privately, and always had time for his fans. He paved the way for players who were not born or raised in Tehran to make it to the national team and helped Malavan and Bandar Anzali earn a place in Iranian football.
Honors
Club
- Malavan
- Hazfi Cup: 1986, 1990
- Runner-up: 1987
National
- Iran
External links
- Sirous Ghayeghran at National-Football-Teams.com
- Ghayeghran Biography (Persian)
- Ghayeghran Official Weblog (Persian)
- Sirous Ghayeghran at TeamMelli.com
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mohammad Panjali |
Iran national football team captain 1987–1989 |
Succeeded by Mohammad Panjali |
| Preceded by Mohammad Panjali |
Iran national football team captain 1991–1993 |
Succeeded by Hamid Derakhshan |
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