Shojae Khalilzadeh

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Shojae Khalilzadeh
Iran football award winners 2019 006 (cropped).jpg
Khalilzadeh in 2019
Personal information
Date of birth (1989-05-14) 14 May 1989 (age 32)
Place of birth Bahnemir, Mazandaran, Iran[1]
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s) Centre-back
Club information
Current team
 Al-Rayyan
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– Al-Rayyan 23 (2)
National team‡
2007–2009 Iran U20
2009–2011 Iran U23 5 (0)
2009– Iran 21 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 December 2021
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16 November 2021

Shojae Khalilzadeh (Persian: شجاع خلیل‌زاده‎) is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Qatari club Al-Rayyan and the Iranian national team. He is known for his pace, artistic tackles and positional sense.

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.[2][3]

Club career[]

Early years in Mazandaran[]

At the age of 16, Khalilzadeh started playing football with local youth teams for three years.[4][5][6]

Mes Rafsanjan and Kerman[]

Khalilzadeh began his professional career with Mes Rafsanjan in 2008. He spent two seasons at Mes Rafsanjan in Azadegan League.[7] In late June 2010, Khalilzadeh joined Iran Pro League side Mes Kerman.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10]

Sepahan and Tractor[]

In late June 2013, Khalilzadeh was presented as a player of Isfahani club Sepahan on a four-year contract.[11] 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.[12][13] 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.[14] 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.[15]

Sepahan coach Abdollah Veisi talking about efforts to move Khalilzadeh to Persepolis in the 2016–17 season.[16]

"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."[14][17]

Persepolis[]

Khalilzadeh celebrates scoring for the Reds, 2018[18]

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.[3] In his debut match in the league, he scored his first goal against Foolad Khuzestan.[19] 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.[20] In his first season with the red half of Tehran, Pirouzi, 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.[21][22]

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.[23][24] 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."

–Khalilzadeh Speaking to the fans after his move, October 2020.[25][26][27]

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.[28][29] 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,[30] 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.[2][31][32][33] Since 2018, Khalilzadeh has been linked with a move to the Qatar Stars League and the Chinese Super League.[27][26][34] At the age of 31, before the start of the 2020–21 season, after not reaching an agreement to renew his contract,[35] 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.[36][37]

Al-Rayyan[]

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.[38][39] 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.[40] 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.[41] The following week, Khalilzadeh scored his second goal with a counter-attack in a 3–0 win against Al-Wakrah.[42] As a defender and deep-lying playmaker behind the midfield,[43] he played 26 games and scored three goals. Al-Rayyan finished third in the league.

International career[]

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.[44]

After seven years of notable absence from the international side, during the time of Queiroz and Marc Wilmots,[45][46] Khalilzadeh was call-up by new coach Dragan Skočić in 2020 for a friendlies against Uzbekistan and Bosnia and Herzegovina,[47] 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.[48][49] The Team Melli finished top of the group stage, where won all of his remaining four matches to qualify to the third round of qualifying.[50][46]

Style of play[]

Khalilzadeh with a striker Baghdad Bounedjah during a 2018 ACL.[51]

Regarded as one of the most reliable a defenders in the AFC Champions League in high-pressure situations.[52][53][2][32][33] He is known for his awareness, carrying the ball forward and also showed some impressive offensive ability.[43][54][55][56][22] He is highly regarded by the fans and coaches for his on-the-pitch bravery.[57][58] Khalilzadeh is the preferred defender for most coaches, especially the Croats Miroslav Blažević, Zlatko Kranjčar and Branko Ivanković.[9][16][58][14]

Career statistics[]

Club[]

As of 24 December 2021[1][59][60]
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 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0
Total 23 2 4 0 6 1 3 0 36 3
Career total 294 13 34 1 50 7 4 0 382 21
  1. ^ Includes Hazfi Cup and Emir Cup.
  2. ^ Includes Super Cup, Qatar Cup and Qatari Stars Cup.

International[]

As of 16 November 2021[61][60]
National team Year Apps Goals
Iran
2009 1 0
2012 6 0
2013 1 0
2014 0 0
2020 2 0
2021 11 1
Total 21 1
Scores and results list Iran's goal tally first.[60]
List of international goals scored by Shojae Khalilzadeh
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

Honours[]

Persepolis trophy celebrations, 2018–19 Persian Gulf Pro League.

Sepahan[1]

Persepolis[1]

Individual

Personal life[]

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.[4][10][68]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e Shojae Khalilzadeh at Soccerway
  2. ^ a b c "2021 AFC Champions League (West) Matchday 2: 5 Things To Look Out For". AFC. 17 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Shoja Khalilzadeh joins Persepolis football team". Tehran Times. 6 May 2017.
  4. ^ a b "شجاع خلیل زاده سوپر استار جدید فوتبال ایران" (in Persian). امیرکلا شهر من. 19 April 2013.
  5. ^ Shojae Khalilzadeh with Ahmad Mehdizadeh in 2007
  6. ^ His coach Mohammad Ghorbanian and his friend the player Ahmad Mehdizadeh
  7. ^ "Shojae Khalilzadeh - Mes Rafsanjan". Archived from the original on 11 June 2011.
  8. ^ Khalilzadeh joined Mes Kerman. 29 June 2010.
  9. ^ a b "خلیل زاده:عذاب کشیدم اما برنده شدیم". Goal. 20 December 2011.
  10. ^ a b "این روزها همه مشتری شجاع خلیل زاده ، بازیکن سابق مس رفسنجان شده اند!" (in Persian). 28 May 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  11. ^ "شجاع خلیل‌زاده به سپاهان پیوست/ مدافع سابق مس در راه اصفهان" (in Persian). 25 June 2013.
  12. ^ "شجاع خلیل زاده : بدان و درک کن که هميشه در قلب هواداران فوتبال ايران وخصوصا سپاهاني‌ها خواهي ماند".
  13. ^ Khalilzadeh with his teammates in Sepahan
  14. ^ a b c "Shojae Khalilzadeh with Sepahan" (in Persian). 22 May 2019
  15. ^ "قرارداد شجاع خلیل‌زاده با سپاهان بالاخره نهایی شد" (in Persian).
  16. ^ a b 2 سالی دنبال خریدش بود و بالاخره هم توانست او را جذب كند.
  17. ^ ویسی، خلیل‌زاده را سه‌ قفله کرد
  18. ^ من لوگوی پرسپولیس را با دلم بوسیدم و همه چیزم را مدیون آن هستم اما مرا از پرسپولیس بیرون کردند
    "تقدیم به شجاع خلیل زاده (با غيرت وبا تعصب) بهترین مدافع فوتبال آسیا". Archived from the original on 21 December 2021 – via Youtube.
  19. ^ "Shoja Khalilzadeh's Goal (Persepolis-Foolad)". Aparat. 27 July 2017.
  20. ^ "Iran's Mehdi Taremi banned for four months by FIFA". Tehran Times. 23 September 2017.
  21. ^ a b "The Best ACL2018 XI announced!". Archived from the original on 18 April 2021.
  22. ^ a b c "Best 2018 AFC Champions League Team: Defenders". AFC.
  23. ^ "best goal of the ACL 2019 group stage". AFC. 30 May 2019.
  24. ^ a b "Khalilzadeh voted best goal of AFC Champions League 2019". AFC. 9 December 2019.
  25. ^ "Khalilzadeh Profile". Instagram. 25 October 2020
  26. ^ a b "مصاحبه تند و توفانی شجاع علیه رسول پناه". Varzesh 3.
  27. ^ a b "حرف‌های جنجالی شجاع درباره عامل جدایی‌اش". Varzesh 3.
  28. ^ "مجلس_قناة_الكاس: هل استحق #السد الحصول على ركلة جزاء في الدقيقة 68 ؟!".
  29. ^ "تشافي مدرب #السد يدافع عبر برنامج 90 دقيقة عن اللعب بطريقة هجومية ويقول: " خطأ صغير اخرجنا من #دوري_أبطال_آسيا".
  30. ^ a b "AFC Champions League Semi-final (WEST) Toyota Player of the Week: Shojae Khalilzadeh". AFC. 6 October 2020.
  31. ^ "Al-Rayyan closing in on Shoja Khalilzadeh [Report]".
  32. ^ a b تیم رویایی مازنی‌های لیگ برتر نوزدهم.
  33. ^ a b @shoja_khalilzadeh just doing his thing