Mohammad Ali Karimi Pashaki (Persian: محمد علی کریمی, born on November 8, 1978 in Karaj, Iran) is an Iranian football player. He was the Asian Player of the Year in 2004. He currently plays for Qatar SC, having left German giants Bayern Munich. He is often referred to as the "Asian Maradona" and is believed to be one of Asia's greatest players. Persian (Local names: فارسی Fârsi or پارسی Pârsi)* is an Indo-European language spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan as well as by minorities in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ... is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Karaj Country Iran Province Tehran Population 2000000 (2005) Area 1000 km² Coordinates Lat. ... A player (wearing the red kit) has penetrated the defence (in the white kit) and is taking a shot at goal. ... The Asian Footballer of the Year award is presented to the best football player from Asia. ... Qatar Sports Club (Arabic: نادي قطر الرياضي‎) is a sports club from Qatar. ... FC Bayern Munich (German: FC Bayern München) is a German football club based in Munich, the capital of the state of Bavaria. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... Diego Armando Maradona (born October 30, 1960) is an Argentine former football player. ...

Career

Ali Karimi started his career in Fath Football Club and experienced significant improvement during the time he was playing for Persepolis football club where he got a 5-yeal deal offer from Atlético Madrid, among other European clubs. However, Karimi did not accept them and chose to play in the UAE, because he wanted to stay close to Iran. He is arguably the best dribbler in Iran and his ball skills are amongst the best in Asia. His skills are often compared to those of Maradona and therefore received the title of Asian Maradona from world newspapers. He showcased his skills in the Iran-Germany friendly game for Bam victims. Persepolis Football Club (Persian: ‎ ) is an Iranian football club based in Tehran, Iran. ... Club Atlético de Madrid is a Spanish football club based in Madrid. ... UAE redirects here; for other uses of that term, see UAE (disambiguation) The United Arab Emirates is an oil-rich country situated in the south-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia, comprising seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. ... Maradona and the World Cup trophy Diego Armando Maradona (El Diego) (born October 30, 1960) is a former Argentine football player. ... Bam in 2002. ...

He is generally regarded as the best player in Iran, along with team mate, Mehdi Mahdavikia. Karimi, in 2004 was given the prestigious Asian Player of the Year award, like his fellow Iranians, Mehdi Mahdavikia in 2003, Ali Daei in 1999, and Khodadad Azizi in 1996. Mehdi Mahdavikia (Persian: , born July 24, 1977 in Tehran, Iran) is an Iranian football player who currently plays for Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Bundesliga. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mehdi Mahdavikia (Persian: , born July 24, 1977 in Tehran, Iran) is an Iranian football player who currently plays for Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Bundesliga. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ali Daei (Persian: , born March 21, 1969 in Ardabil, Iran) is a retired Iranian football player who currently is manager of Saipa F.C. in Irans Premier Football League. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... Khodadad Azizi (Persian: ‎ , born June 22, 1971 in Mashhad, Iran) is a retired professional football striker. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...

Ali Karimi performed well at the 2004 Asian Cup, where he tied for most goals scored with five to his name. Iran placed third in the overall tournament, behind Japan and China. Logo of the 2004 Asian Cup The Asian Football Confederations Asian Cup 2004 finals were held in China between July 17 and August 7. ... The Asian Cup is run by the Asian Football Confederation. ...

Unfortunately, coming off an extremely difficult injury, Karimi had a wretched World Cup finals at Germany 2006, with many commentators singling him out as one of the key players who had failed to perform. Short on fitness and form as a result of the injury, he was unable to exert much influence on proceedings as the Iranians lost 1-3 to Mexico and 0-2 to Portugal. He was substituted in the second half against the Portuguese and kicked a bag full of drink bottles on his way to the dugout. He was omitted from the team in the final group game against Angola, with many considering this to be a punishment for his indiscipline at the Portugal game. Iran came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw. Upon returning to Iran, the national football federation decided to part ways with coach Branko Ivankovic. Dr.Branko Ivankovic is a Croatian football coach and current head coach of Iran national football team. ...

As of July 2007, he has 102 caps (2nd highest) and has scored 35 goals (3rd highest) for Team Melli. July 2007 is the seventh month of that year. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Cap (sport). ... First international Afghanistan 0 - 0 Iran (Kabul, Afghanistan; January 1, 1941) Biggest win Iran 19 - 0 Guam (Tabriz, Iran; November 24, 2000) Biggest defeat Turkey 6 - 1 Iran (Istanbul, Turkey; May 28, 1950) South Korea 5 - 0 Iran (Tokyo, Japan; May 28, 1958) World Cup Appearances 3 (First in 1978...

Bayern Munich

On May 3, 2005, Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich's website announced that they signed a one year contract with Ali Karimi who becomes the third Iranian after Ali Daei and Vahid Hashemian to try his luck with Bayern.^[1][2] is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The official Bundesliga logo. ... Ali Daei (Persian: , born March 21, 1969 in Ardabil, Iran) is a retired Iranian football player who currently is manager of Saipa F.C. in Irans Premier Football League. ... Vahid Hashemian (Persian: ‎ , born July 21, 1976 in Tehran) is an Iranian football player. ...

Despite initial skepticism, due to the overwhelming uncertainty regarding Karimi's physical aptitude and feelings that his transfer was nothing but a marketing gag, Karimi did not waste any time in proving his critics wrong. On August 14, 2005, for the first time, Felix Magath put Karimi on the starting line-up of a 5-2 victory against Bayer Leverkusen on the 2nd day of Bundesliga. Karimi's assist to Roy Makaay for Bayern's second goal followed by his first goal of Bundesliga capped a great performance that earned him a spot on Kicker's team of the week. is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wolfgang-Felix Magath (born July 26, 1953) is a German-Puerto Rican who is association football director with the FC Bayern Munich team. ... Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball is a German football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. ... Roy Rudolphus Anton Makaay (born March 9, 1975 in Wijchen, Netherlands) is a Dutch international footballer who is a striker for the Netherlands and Bayern Munich. ... Look up kicker in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

In the following period, Karimi established himself as a regular in the Munich squad, not a small feat with a stacked midfield featuring Michael Ballack, Sebastian Deisler, Martin Demichelis, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Hasan Salihamidzic, Owen Hargreaves, Mehmet Scholl or Ze Roberto. With his finesse, his playmaking skills and his versatility, he is seen as a great asset. Karimi's contract with Bayern has been extended one more year because he has made his 25th appearance for the club. unfortunately, in that game against Hamburg, he injured his ankle, but was back in time for the World Cup. Karimi also scored on his first UEFA Champions League appearance against Rapid Vienna. Michael Ballack (born September 26, 1976 in Görlitz, Saxony, GDR, is a German football player. ... Sebastian Deisler (born January 5, 1980 in Lörrach) is a football player in Germany. ... Martín Gastón Demichelis (Born December 20, 1980 in Justiniano Posse, Córdoba) is an Argentine footballer who plays a defensive role for German Bayern Munich. ...   (born August 1, 1984 in Kolbermoor, Bavaria, Germany) is a professional footballer from Germany who currently plays in midfield for Bayern Munich. ... Hasan Salihamidžić Barbarez vs Brazzo Brazzo scoring against Dortmund Hasan Brazzo Salihamidžić (born January 1, 1977 in Jablanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia) is a Bosnian football forward. ... Owen Lee Hargreaves (born 20 January 1981 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada) is a professional football midfielder. ... Mehmet Scholl (born Mehmet Yüksel on October 16, 1970) is a German football (soccer) player. ... Zé Roberto, real name Jose Roberto da Silva Junior, (born July 6, 1974 in Ipiranga, Brazil) is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Bayern Munich. ... Hamburger SV is a German football club based in Hamburg. ... Qualifying countries The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the eighteenth instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international association football world championship tournament. ... The UEFA Champions League (also known as the European Cup, CE1, C1[1] or CL) is a seasonal club football competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) since 1955 for the most successful football clubs in Europe. ... The Sportklub Rapid Wien or SK Rapid Wien is one of the two large football teams in Vienna. ...

The injury he had received on his leg before the beginning of the 2006 season made him inactive throughout the preseason and prevented him to play in the first game in the Ligapokal against Schalke 04, but he was able to start the next Ligapokal game against Werder Bremen. During the first half of 2006/2007 season, Karimi was not able to impress Magath, and this caused Karimi to have limited caps in the Bundesliga and Champions League. As his contract with Bayern will expire after the season, there were some offers for him to leave for another club, including a bid from Red Bull Salzburg, which he has already denied. There were also reports that Wolfsburg , Galatasaray SK and one other European clubs has interest in him, as well as some other clubs including Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli, Karimi's former club. FC Schalke 04 (short S04) is a German football team based in Gelsenkirchen. ... Werder Bremen is a German football club playing in Bremen in the northwest German federal state of the same name. ... Red Bull Salzburg is an Austrian football (soccer) club, based in Salzburg. ... Wolfsburg is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... Galatasaray SK Logo Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (Galatasaray Sports Club) is a Turkish sports club based in İstanbul which is most famous for its football section. ... Al-Ittihad (Arabic: ‎) or Ittihad Jaddeh is a Saudi Arabian sports club based in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah. ... Al Ahli Football Club is a United Arab Emirates professional football (soccer) club. ...

At the end of January 2007, Ottmar Hitzfeld was announced as the new Bayern Munich coach, replacing Felix Magath. Karimi returned to the starting line up against Arminia Bielefeld and played the full game.^[3] Ottmar Hitzfeld (b. ... DSC Arminia Bielefeld is a German football club that plays in Bielefeld, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. ...

On May 20, 2007 Bayern Munich announced Karimi would be leaving the club, though his new club was not yet known. May 20 is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... FC Bayern Munich (German: FC Bayern München) is a German football club based in Munich, the capital of the state of Bavaria. ...

Qatar SC

On July 3, 2007, Karimi announced that he had signed a two-year deal with Qatar Sports Club. Karimi is believed to have put pen to a contract worth around £3 million, with a clause allowing him to return to Europe at any time.^[4] is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Qatar Sports Club (Arabic: نادي قطر الرياضي‎) is a sports club from Qatar. ... For details of notes and coins, see British coinage and British banknotes. ...

Club career statistics

Season	Team	Country	Division	Apps	Goals	Assists	European Champion League Goals
98/99	Persepolis	Iran	1	12	1	??	NA
99/00	Persepolis	Iran	1	26	3	??	NA
00/01	Persepolis	Iran	1	22	5	??	NA
01/02	Al-Ahli	United Arab Emirates	1	14	8	??	NA
02/03	Al-Ahli	United Arab Emirates	1	13	9	??	NA
03/04	Al-Ahli	United Arab Emirates	1	16	27	??	NA
04/05	Al-Ahli	United Arab Emirates	1	7	10	??	NA
05/06	Bayern Munich	Germany	1	20	2	3	1
06/07	Bayern Munich	Germany	1	13	1	3	0
07/08	Qatar SC	Qatar	1	0	0	0	NA

Persepolis Football Club (Persian: ) is an Iranian football club based in Tehran, Iran. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Iran. ... Persepolis Football Club (Persian: ) is an Iranian football club based in Tehran, Iran. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Iran. ... Persepolis Football Club (Persian: ) is an Iranian football club based in Tehran, Iran. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Iran. ... Al Ahli Football Club is a United Arab Emirates professional football (soccer) club. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Arab_Emirates. ... Al Ahli Football Club is a United Arab Emirates professional football (soccer) club. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Arab_Emirates. ... Al Ahli Football Club is a United Arab Emirates professional football (soccer) club. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Arab_Emirates. ... Al Ahli Football Club is a United Arab Emirates professional football (soccer) club. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Arab_Emirates. ... FC Bayern Munich (German: FC Bayern München) is a German sports club based in Munich, the capital of the state of Bavaria. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... FC Bayern Munich (German: FC Bayern München) is a German sports club based in Munich, the capital of the state of Bavaria. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... Qatar Sports Club (Arabic: نادي قطر الرياضي‎) is a sports club from Qatar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Qatar. ...

Awards and honours

Country

• FIFA World Cup
  • Appearances and Goals: 2006 (0)

• AFC Asian Cup
  • Appearances and goals: 2004 (Third Place) (5)

The International Federation of Football Association (French: ), commonly known by its acronym, FIFA, is the international governing body of association football. ... The FIFA World Cup Trophy, which has been awarded to the world champions since 1974. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Club

• German championship: 1
  • 2005/06, Bayern Munich

• Iranian championship: 2
  • 1998/99, Persepolis
  • 1999/00, Persepolis

• German Cup: 1
  • 2005/06, Bayern Munich

• UAE Cup: 1
  • 2001/02, Al-Ahli
  • 2003/04, Al-Ahli

• Iranian Cup: 1
  • 1999/00, Persepolis

The title of this article contains the character ß. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Fussball-Bundesliga. ... Irans Premier Football League known as the Iran Premier League (IPL) and now officially as the Persian Gulf Cup is the most important football league in Iran, as well as the latest stage in the evolution of Iranian league football. ... The German Cup (official German title: DFB-Pokal) is an annually held elimination Football tournament for German Football clubs and is the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga title. ... The UAE Emir Cup is the top knockout tournament of the United Arab Emirates football. ... The Hazfi Cup, also known as the Iranian FA Cup, is the major knockout cup competition in Iranian football. ...

Individual

• Asian Footballer of the Year, 2004

The Asian Footballer of the Year award is presented to the best football player from Asia. ...

Notes

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Official website
• German website
• Ali Karimi at Fifa World Cup Official Site
• Ali Karimi at TeamMelli.com
• RSSSF archive of Ali Karimi's international appearances
• The Magic8 & Friends - FC Bayern Munich and Ali Karimi fan club

Preceded by Mehdi Mahdavikia

Asian Footballer of the Year 2004

Succeeded by Hamad Al-Montashari

	Iran squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup
1 Mirzapour | 2 Mahdavikia | 3 Bakhtiarizadeh | 4 Golmohammadi | 5 Rezaei | 6 Nekounam | 7 Zandi | 8 Karimi | 9 Hashemian | 10 Daei | 11 Khatibi | 12 Roudbarian | 13 Kaebi | 14 Teymourian | 15 Borhani | 16 Enayati | 17 Kazemian | 18 Navidkia | 19 Sadeqi | 20 Nosrati | 21 Madanchi | 22 Talebloo | 23 Shojaei | Coach: Ivanković Image File history File links Flag_of_Iran. ... Mehdi Mahdavikia (Persian: , born July 24, 1977 in Tehran, Iran) is an Iranian football player who currently plays for Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Bundesliga. ... The Asian Footballer of the Year award is presented to the best football player from Asia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Saudi_Arabia. ... Hamad al-Montashari deflecting ball Hamad Al-Montashari (born June 22, 1982) is a Saudi football (soccer) player for Al-Ittihad. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Iran. ... First international Afghanistan 0 - 0 Iran (Kabul, Afghanistan; January 1, 1941) Biggest win Iran 19 - 0 Guam (Tabriz, Iran; November 24, 2000) Biggest defeat Turkey 6 - 1 Iran (Istanbul, Turkey; May 28, 1950) South Korea 5 - 0 Iran (Tokyo, Japan; May 28, 1958) World Cup Appearances 3 (First in 1978... Qualifying countries The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the eighteenth instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international association football world championship tournament. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Iran. ... Ebrahim Mirzapour (ابراهیم میرزاپور in Persian) is the goalkeeper of the Iranian national football team and captain of Foolad FC, the 2005 champion of the IPL. Ebrahim Mirzapours introduction to the Iranian football squad certainly raised a few eyebrows in Iran when the ex-national team coach, the Croat Miroslav Blazevic... Mehdi Mahdavikia (Persian: , born July 24, 1977 in Tehran, Iran) is an Iranian football player who currently plays for Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Bundesliga. ... Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh (Persian: سهراب بختيارى زاده , born September 11, 1972 in Noor Abad, Iran) is an Iranian football (soccer) player currently playing for Saba Battery club as well as Iran national team. ... Yahya Golmohammadi is a senior Iranian football player with Team Melli enjoying a second spell with the team after he was out for a few years. ... Rahman Rezaei (Persian: ‎ , born February 20, 1975 in Esfahan, Iran) is an Iranian football player who plays for A.S. Livorno in the Serie A Italian league, as well as the Iranian national squad in the central back position. ... Javad Nekounam (جواد نکونام in Persian, born September 7, 1980 in Tehran) is an Iranian football player who usually plays in the defensive midfielder position. ... 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Andranik Teymourian (also spelt Andranik Teimourian, Persian: ‎ , Armenian: , born 6 March 1983 in Tehran, Iran) is an Armenian-Iranian footballer currently playing for Bolton Wanderers in the FA Premier League. ... Arash Borhani (Persian: , born September 14, 1983 in Kerman, Iran) is an Iranian football player, who is currently a free agent after leaving Pas F.C. // Arash moved to Qom, Iran when he was five years old after his father was offered a new job in Qom. ... Gholam Reza Enayati (Persian: , born September 23, 1976 in Mashhad, Iran) is an Iranian football player who currently plays for UAE League club Emirates and the Iran national football team. ... Javad Kazemian (Persian: , born April 23, 1982 in Kashan, Iran) is an Iranian football striker who plays for Al-Shabab in the UAE League and the Iran national football team. ... 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