Andranik "Ando" Timotian-Samarani, commonly known as Andranik Teymourian (; , born 6 March 1983) is a former Iranian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

. He is notably the first

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

to captain the Iran national team. From 2006 to the end of 2010, he played for three clubs in England, namely

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

and

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

in the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

and

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

in the

Football League Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...

. Teymourian played his first match for Iran in 2005 and has featured in their squads for the

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

and 2014 World Cups, as well as also the

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

and 2015 Asian Cups.

Club career

Early career

Andranik was born in

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

, Iran to ethnic

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

n parents. He started with

Oghab F.C. Oghab Tehran Football Club (, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e 'Qab Tehran'') is an Iranian soccer, football team based in Tehran, Iran. They currently compete in the Tehran Province league and it is owned by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force. History ...

in Iran's

Azadegan League The Azadegan League (, ''Lig-e Âzâdegân''), also known as League 1 (, ''Lig-e Yek''), is the second highest division of professional football in Iran. It was the top-level football league in Iran from its foundation in 1991 until 2001, when t ...

, and continued his professional career playing for F.C. Aboomoslem in the Iranian Premier League. In the 2005–06 season, Andranik made 26 appearances for F.C. Aboomoslem and scored one goal.

Bolton Wanderers

In late August 2006 he signed a two-year deal with

FA Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football ...

club Bolton Wanderers, for an undisclosed fee, after being granted a work permit. He scored his first two goals for Bolton Wanderers in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

third round in a 4–0 win over

Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...

on 6 January 2007, in only his third appearance. Andranik then went on to make his full

debut against

on 11 February 2007. His first two league goals came during a man-of-the-match performance against local rivals

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...

on 7 April 2007.

Fulham

On 12 June 2008, Andranik signed a two-year contract with

after moving on a free transfer. He made his Fulham debut against

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

, in which he helped secure a 1–0 victory. On 2 February 2009, he went on loan to

of the

until the end of the season. He later stated that he wanted to stay with Fulham for the 2009–10 season. On 1 July 2010, Fulham announced that Andranik had been released from his contract with Fulham. In July 2010, Teymourian was named in

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

' team to face Southport FC in a pre-season friendly. On 22 July 2010, Teymourian began talks with Sheffield United after turning down a tour with Blackburn Rovers across Australia. Blades coach

Gary Speed Gary Andrew Speed (8 September 1969 – 27 November 2011) was a Welsh professional footballer and manager. As manager of Wales, Speed is often credited as being the catalyst for the change in fortunes of the national team and as setting t ...

was believed to have recommended Teymourian to Blades boss Kevin Blackwell as Speed and Teymourian played together at Bolton Wanderers. Teymourian began talks with Blackburn Rovers about a deal to stay with the

club possibly on a short-term deal. The move broke down as he was denied a work permit.

Tractor

On 19 September 2010, Teymourian returned to Iran to join the

Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...

-based club

Tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a Trailer (vehicle), trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or constructio ...

, the move marked the end of his career in England.

Esteghlal

It was confirmed in mid-July 2011 that Teymourian had signed a contract with Tehran and IPL club Esteghlal. He made his debut for club against

Sepahan Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan Sport Club (, ''Bâšgâh-e Farhangi-Varzeši-ye Fulâd-e Mobârake-ye Sepâhân''), commonly known as Sepahan, is an Iranian sports club based in Isfahan. It is best known for their football section that play in the P ...

. On 9 November 2011, he was named as one of the ten finalists for the Asian Player of the Year. He won the

Hazfi Cup Hazfi Cup (, ) formerly known as Pahlavi Cup () is an Iranian knockout football competition held annually by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran. The Iranian Football League, Iranian football league was not held during the 1980s, h ...

in his first season.

Al Kharaitiyat

Teymourian signed a one-year deal with Qatari side

Al Kharaitiyat SC Al Kharaitiyat Sport Club () is a Qatari sports club based in the town of Al Kharaitiyat, best known for its football team of the Qatari Second Division. They won promotion in 2004 and played in the Qatari Stars League the following season. Ho ...

worth $1.8 million. After his contract ended on 1 July 2013, he left the club.

Return to Esteghlal

On 18 July 2013, Teymourian returned to Esteghlal after signing a three-year contract with the club. He made his debut in a 2–1 loss to

. He scored a 40-yard goal in a match against Buriram United which Esteghlal won 2–1. Teymourian suffered a broken arm and was out of play for a month. He returned to the fields at the league's two final matches which Esteghlal finished the season at fifth place and missed next years' Champions League. On 2 August 2014, Teymourian was named the 2013–14 season's best player on the annual awards ceremony of the season.

Return to Tractor

On 27 December 2014, Teymourian joined

again with an 18–month contract. He scored a free-kick on his debut in a match against Saba Qom.

Umm Salal

On 13 July 2015, Teymourian signed with Qatari side

Umm Salal Umm Salal (; also spelled Umm Slal) is a municipalities of Qatar, municipality in the State of Qatar. Historic landmarks such as the Barzan Tower are located in Umm Salal.The municipal headquarters is located in Umm Salal Ali, about 10 km ...

. He left the club halfway through the season in January 2016 after a disagreement with the head coach, Bülent Uygun, and with only 14 appearances.

Saipa

On 19 January 2016, Teymourian signed a six-month deal with

Saipa SAIPA (, ''SAIPA'') is an Iranian automaker headquartered in Tehran. The SAIPAC (an acronym for the French ''Société anonyme iranienne de production des automobiles Citroën'' lit. ''Iranian Limited Company for the Production of Citroën Autom ...

, having previously been linked with Tehran-based club Esteghlal and Thailand's Buriram United. Injury caused him to only play four matches for the club before leaving in July 2016.

Machine Sazi

In July 2016 Teymourian returned to Tabriz and signed a one–year contract with newly promoted Persian Gulf Pro League club Machine Sazi.

International career

Teymourian played for Iran national teams at the youth level, before being selected to take part with the senior side. He was a member of the national team during the 2006 World Cup. Pictures of an emotionally and physically drained Teymourian at the end of Iran's last game of the 2006 World Cup have begun to take the shape of Iranian football's most notable photograph from the event. Teymourian dropped to the grass and began sobbing while trainers attended to him. He has started to be recognized as a national hero in Iran because of the passion he showed for his country in the 2006 World Cup. He played in the

and 2011 Asian Cups, as well as the WAFF Championships. The midfielder cemented his spot as a starter next to Javad Nekounam, leading Iran to qualify for the

2014 World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

. On 18 May 2014, Teymourian captained Iran in the match against

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

, making him the first

to captain the Iranian national team. On 1 June 2014, he was called into Iran's

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...

squad by Carlos Queiroz. He played the full 90 minutes in all three group stage matches, becoming the most capped Iran player at the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

with six matches alongside

Mehdi Mahdavikia Mehdi Mahdavikia (; born 24 July 1977) is an Iranian professional association football, football coach and former player usually played as a winger (association football), right winger or right back. He was at Hamburger SV as a youth coach, and ...

. He was called into Iran's

2015 AFC Asian Cup The 2015 AFC Asian Cup was the 16th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in Australia from 9 to 31 January 201 ...

squad on 30 December 2014 by Carlos Queiroz. He provided three assists in the tournament. Prior to the start of qualification for the

2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded t ...

, Teymourian was appointed as the new captain for Iran after Javad Nekounam's retirement. Teymourian won his 100th cap for the national team in a 1–0 win over Uzbekistan.

Personal life

Andranik's elder brother Serjik Teymourian, was also a football player and played in Germany for

1. FSV Mainz 05 1. Fußball- und Sport-Verein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05 or simply Mainz 05 (), is a German professional sports club, founded in 1905 and based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Mainz 05 play in the Bundesliga, the top tie ...

as a

defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

. He died at the age of 46 in 2020, from a traffic collision.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Iran's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Teymourian goal.''

Honours

Esteghlal *

: 2011–12 Naft Tehran *

: 2016–17 Individual * Persian Gulf Pro League Best Player of the Year: 2013–14 * Persian Gulf Pro League Best Midfield of the Year: 2014–15 * Persian Gulf Pro League Team of the Year: 2013–14, 2014–15

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Teymourian, Andranik 1983 births Footballers from Tehran Living people Iranian people of Armenian descent Iranian men's footballers Iran men's international footballers Iranian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar Iranian expatriate sportspeople in England Iranian expatriate sportspeople in Qatar Iranian Christians Esteghlal F.C. players F.C. Aboomoslem players Bolton Wanderers F.C. players Fulham F.C. players Barnsley F.C. players Persian Gulf Pro League players Premier League players English Football League players FIFA Men's Century Club 2006 FIFA World Cup players 2007 AFC Asian Cup players 2011 AFC Asian Cup players 2014 FIFA World Cup players 2015 AFC Asian Cup players Keshavarz F.C. players F.C. Ararat Tehran players Al Kharaitiyat SC players Umm Salal SC players Qatar Stars League players Ethnic Armenian sportspeople Men's association football midfielders Machine Sazi F.C. players 21st-century Iranian sportsmen