Ali Daei

Iranian footballer who became the first player to score 100+ international goals, netting 109 times for Iran and playing for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.

Ali Daei was born on 11 March 1969 in Ardabil, Iran, and began his senior career with Esteghlal Ardabil before spells at Taxirani and Bank Tejarat, where he scored 49 goals in just 75 matches. His electrifying form in the 1994 Asian Cup — including four goals in a famous 6-2 win over South Korea — announced him as one of Asian football's most prolific strikers and earned him a move to Qatar's Al Sadd. Daei went on to play in Germany's Bundesliga with Arminia Bielefeld, Bayern Munich, and Hertha Berlin, becoming one of the first Iranian players to make a lasting mark in a major European league, even scoring against AC Milan in the Champions League. Though his club career never quite matched the same heights, it was for his country that Daei became a genuine sporting phenomenon, earning the affectionate nickname "Mr. Goal" among Iranian fans. On 28 November 2003, Daei surpassed Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskás to become the all-time leading international goalscorer in men's football, and on 17 November 2004, a four-goal haul against Laos took him past the 100-goal mark — the first male player in history to reach that milestone. He finished his 14-year international career in 2006 with 108 goals in 148 official appearances for Iran, a record that stood for nearly two decades until Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed it in 2024; Daei was reportedly among the first to congratulate his Portuguese successor. Daei later returned to Iran to play for Persepolis and other domestic clubs, finishing his playing career in 2007, and remains one of the most revered and recognisable figures in Iranian sport, a symbol of a footballing generation that reached the world's statistical summit without the backing of a traditional football powerhouse.

Clinical striker with excellent aerial ability and positioning in the box

Iran's greatest goalscorer and most capped player, inspiring a generation of Iranian footballers

• First player to score 100 international goals
• 109 Iran goals in 149 caps
• AFC Player of Year
• Asian Cup 1996
• Asian Games Gold Medal 1998
• Asian Games Gold Medal 2002

Club Career

Club	Period	Apps	Goals
Esteghlal Ardabil	1987–1989	—	—
Taxirani	1989–1990	20	14
Bank Tejarat	1990–1994	75	49
Persepolis	1994–1996	38	23
Al Sadd	1996–1997	16	10
Arminia Bielefeld	1997–1998	25	7
Bayern Munich	1998–1999	23	6
Hertha BSC	1999–2002	59	6
Al Shabab	2002–2003	21	11
Persepolis	2003–2004	28	16
Saba Battery	2004–2006	51	23
Saipa	2006–2007	26	10
Iranian	—	149	109