Farshid Esmaeili
 Esmaeili in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 23 February 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Bandar Lengeh, Iran | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Al-Arabi | ||
| Number | 88 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2011 | Badr Hormozgan | ||
| 2011–2012 | Fajr Sepasi | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2015 | Fajr Sepasi | 36 | (3) |
| 2015–2021 | Esteghlal | 130 | (13) |
| 2021– | Al-Arabi | 5 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2011–2012 | Iran U20 | 14 | (2) |
| 2013–2016 | Iran U23 | 9 | (0) |
| 2017– | Iran | 0 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 25 December 2021 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22 November 2018 | |||
Farshid Esmaeili (Persian: فرشید اسماعیلی; born 23 February 1994) is an Iranian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Qatar Stars League club Al-Arabi and the Iran national team.
Club career[]
Early career[]
Born in Bandar Lengeh, Esmaeili started his career with Badr Hormozgan from youth levels. In the summer 2011, he joined Fajr Sepasi U-20 and after a good season[2] he was promoted to the first team.[3] Esmaeili made his debut for Fajr Sepasi in a 6–1 win against Damash on 15 September 2012.[4] He spent three years with Fajr Sepasi in Shiraz.
Esteghlal[]
On 5 July 2015, Esmaeili joined Iranian Pro League club Esteghlal on a three-year contract.[5][6] He scored his first goal for Taj against Sepahan with a long distance shot in a 3–0 away win. Esmaeili scored a goal and assisted one during Esteghlal's 3–2 win in Tehran derby against Persepolis on 12 February 2017[7] and was named as best player of the match. He played regularly for Esteghlal under the management of Alireza Mansourian. Under German coach Winfried Schäfer, he was one of the most successful players in Iran, he also was selected as one of the best players and the top assists at the 2018 AFC Champions League.[8][9][10] He finished his third season with the team with six goals and assisted 13 times in 34 games. Esmaeili made significant strides in his ability as a playmaker, also forming a formidable partnership with his teammates, the Uzbek Server Djeparov and the Senegalese Mame Thiam. He scored 6 goals and had 5 assists in 35 matches in his last season with the club. In August 2021, Esmaeili was linked to his move to rival Persepolis and an Emirati team.[11][12] In October 2021, he joined Qatari side Al-Arabi as a free agent, replacing of his injured compatriot Mehrdad Mohammadi.[13]
International career[]
Youth[]
Esmaeili was part of Iran U-20 during 2012 AFC U-19 Championship qualification, 2012 CIS Cup, 2012 AFF U-19 Youth Championship and 2012 AFC U-19 Championship.
U23[]
Esmaeili invited to Iran U-23 training camp by Nelo Vingada[14] to preparation for Incheon 2014 and 2016 AFC U-22 Championship (Summer Olympic qualification). He named in Iran U23 final list for Incheon 2014.[15]
Senior[]
Esmaeili was first called up to Team Melli training camp in September 2017 by Carlos Queiroz.[16] He was invited again to the Iran in August 2021 by Dragan Skočić.
Style of play[]
Esmaeili is good on the ball with both feet and his direct running at players.[8] In his early beginnings, he played as a forward, but was converted into a midfielder after moving to Fajr Sepasi. Esmaeili showed his best performance when playing as an attacking midfielder or as a winger. He played as an defensive midfielder on occasion for his ability to retrieve the ball, so Esmaeili is considered a utility player.[17]
Career statistics[]
Club[]
| Club performance | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Iran | League | Hazfi Cup | Asia | Total | ||||||
| 2012–13 | Fajr Sepasi | Pro League | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 18 | 2 | |
| 2013–14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15 | Azadegan League | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| Total | 35 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 36 | 3 | |||
| 2015–16 | Esteghlal | Pro League | 15 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | 20 | 1 | |
| 2016–17 | 27 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 38 | 3 | ||
| 2017–18 | 23 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 36 | 6 | ||
| 2018–19 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 3 | ||
| 2019–20 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 3 | ||
| 2020–21 | 22 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 32 | 6 | ||
| Total | 130 | 13 | 23 | 5 | 28 | 4 | 181 | 22 | ||
| 2021–22 | Al-Arabi | Stars League | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Career total | 170 | 17 | 25 | 5 | 28 | 4 | 223 | 26 | ||
| Season | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Esteghlal | ||
| 2015–16 | 0 | |
| 2016–17 | 4 | |
| 2017–18 | 13 | |
| 2018–19 | 5 | |
| 2019–20 | 5 | |
| 2020–21 | 5 | |
| Total | 32 | |
International[]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iran | |||
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | |
Honours[]
Esteghlal
- Hazfi Cup: 2017–18
Individual
- Persian Gulf Pro League Team of the Year: 2016–17
- AFC Champions League Top Assist: 2018 (5 Assist)[8]
- AFC Champions League Fans' Best XI: 2018[19]
References[]
- ^ a b Farshid Esmaeili at Soccerway
- ^ "آمار گلزنان برتر لیگ برتر امید و جوانان". Ffiri.ir. Archived from the original on 2012-04-17. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
- ^ "نقل و انتقالات فجر به پایان رسید/ اسامی بازیکنان ورودی و خروجی". MehrNews.com. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
- ^ "فجرسپاسی شش - داماش یک/ توپ خانه سرهنگ داماش را ویران کرد!" (in Persian). Goal.com. 15 September 2012.
- ^ اسماعیلی به استقلال پیوست Farshid Esmaeili joined Esteghlal
- ^ "بازیکن تیم امید ایران به استقلال پیوست". کاپ - پایگاه خبری تحلیلی کاپ.
- ^ گل فرشید اسماعیلی به پرسپولیس
- ^ a b c "Vote for your best ACL2018 Team: Midfielders". AFC. 26 July 2020.
- ^ Fans' #ACL2018 XI
- ^