Karim Adil Ansarifard (; born 3 April 1990) is an 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 plays as a forward for the Iran national team. His playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to

Ali Daei Ali Daei ( ; born 21 March 1969) is an Iranian Association football, football manager and former professional footballer. A Striker (association football), striker, he was the captain (association football), captain of the Iran national footbal ...

(the coach who scouted him) and he has been named Daei's "successor". '' World Soccer'' selected Ansarifard as one of the best young talents in the world alongside Javier Hernández and

Jack Wilshere Jack Andrew Garry Wilshere (born 1 January 1992) is an English Association football, football coach and former professional Association football, player who played as a midfielder. He was most recently the interim head coach of EFL Championshi ...

. In January 2012,

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

.com selected him as one of the players to watch in 2012. '' Goal.com'' also chose him as one of the hottest 100 young football players in the world. Also in 2012, FIFA ranked him as the 48th best goalscorer in the world and second best in

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

Club career

Saipa

During one of

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 ...

's training camps in

Ardabil Ardabil (, ) is a city in northwestern Iran. It is in the Central District (Ardabil County), Central District of Ardabil County, Ardabil province, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The ...

, Karim's home city, he was taken on a training trial by then-coach

and was accepted into the club's youth academy and reserves. In the 2007 season

the Iranian reigning champions encountered problems in scoring after the departure of Mohsen Khalili and retirement of then-coach

. After 12 weeks

moved Ansarifard to the first team from the reserves and the young starlet answered the coach's faith with good games including the only goal against a strong

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 ...

team. Ansarifard scored 13 goals during the 2009–10 season. After strong performances, Karim became fast one of the best players of

and targeted by European clubs such as

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...

and

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

. Later, Steaua București made a €200,000 bid for a half season loan. In May 2011, it was suggested that Everton are interested in signing Ansarifard. Despite major interest from European clubs, conscription problems made the prospect of Ansarifard moving to a foreign club unlikely. Ansarifard renewed his contract with

for another two years on 14 July 2011. In the 2011–12 Iranian Pro League season, Ansarifard scored 21 goals and made 5 assists for

, becoming the league's top scorer.

Persepolis

There was much speculation during the 2011–12 Iranian Pro League season that Ansarifard would be leaving

. On 17 June 2012 he signed a three-years contract with

Persepolis Persepolis (; ; ) was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (). It is situated in the plains of Marvdasht, encircled by the southern Zagros mountains, Fars province of Iran. It is one of the key Iranian cultural heritage sites and ...

. He was given the number 9 shirt. He scored his first goal in a pre-season match against

Aluminium Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

. He made his debut for Persepolis in an official match against Sanat Naft and scored his first goal for Persepolis against Gahar Zagros. He scored his first

Hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...

as a Persepolis player (and second in his career) against Paykan. He scored another hat-trick in the Round of 32 of

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 ...

at Malavan. He also scored the Persepolis' first goal in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

. His team would go on to lose on penalties. At the start of the season, Ansarifard initially decided to stay at Persepolis despite bids from

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 ...

and two UAE Pro League sides. However, he fell out with club head coach

during pre-season. He was out listed and was eventually transferred to

on 14 July 2013.

Tractor

After Persepolis listed him in the out of the squad, he decided to play another season in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and joined

. He signed a one-year contract with the option of a transfer to the European leagues in the case of bids. He made his debut on 1 August 2013 in a 1–1 draw in

Tabriz derby 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 ...

over Gostaresh Foolad. He won

title with Tractor and was named as the tournament's

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

. Ansarifard scored seventeen goals for ''Tabriz's reds'' during his spell at the team, fourteen goals was in the league, making him the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

's top scorer for the second time in his professional career. In July 2014 Ansarifard was released by Tractor and was allowed to sign with a European club.

Osasuna

On 29 August 2014, Ansarifard signed a two-year deal with

Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...

CA Osasuna Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional football club based in Pamplona, Navarre. It was founded on 24 October 1920 and plays in La Liga, the top division of Spanish football. The team's ...

. He made his league debut on 4 October 2014, coming on as a substitute for Roberto Torres in the 61st minute against

Racing de Santander Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. (), also known as Racing de Santander () or simply Racing, is a football club based in Santander, Spain, Santander, Cantabria, Spain, that currently competes in Segunda División, the second tier of the Spani ...

. He made his first start on 18 October in a 3–2 win against

CD Tenerife Club Deportivo Tenerife, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. Founded in 1922, the club plays in the Segunda División, holding home matches at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez L� ...

Panionios

In the summer of 2015, Ansarifard signed with

Panionios Panionios G.S.S. Football Club (Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan-Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis''), ...

in the

Superleague Greece The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repl ...

. He scored his first goal for the club in a 5–1 win over

Panetolikos Panetolikos Football Club (), or with its full name officially romanized as Panaitolikós Gymnastikós Filekpaideftikós Sýllogos (''; Pan- Aetolian Gymnastic and Educational Club''), is a Greek professional football club. It is based in Agrini ...

on 3 October 2015. He scored the winning goal on 7 November 2015 in a match against

Platanias Platanias (Greek: Πλατανιάς) is a village and municipality on the Greek island of Crete. It is located about west from the city of Chania and east of Kissamos, on Chania Bay. The seat of the municipality is the village Gerani. Platani ...

. On 28 November 2015, Ansarifard scored a brace and helped Panionios win against

PAS Giannina PAS Giannina Football Club (), or with its full name Panipirotikós Athlitikós Síllogos Giánnina (, ''Panepirotic Athletic Club Giannina'') is a Greek professional Association football, football club based in the city of Ioannina, the capita ...

2–0. His solo goal in April 2016 during matchday 28 in a victory against

PAOK PAOK (, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans''), commonly ...

earned him goal of the week honours. In May 2016, Ansarifard, whose contract was due to run out at the end of next season, was offered to

but the 26-year-old international was not on top of Eagles' shortlist at the time. He started the 2016–17 season as the indisputable leader of club's offence. On 10 September 2016, he scored his first goal for the season in a 3–0 home win against rivals Asteras Tripolis.

Olympiacos

On 13 January 2017, Ansarifard signed a 3.5-year contract with Greek giants

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...

for a transfer fee of €400,000,

held a 10% sell-on clause. He was assigned the number 17. On 24 January 2017, he made his first appearance for the club in a

Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup (), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Betsson Greek Cup for sponsorship reasons is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second-most important domestic men's footba ...

1–1 away draw against

Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to: People * Aris (surname) Given name * Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer * Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player * Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano * Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter * Aris Konstantinidis, Greek architect * ...

, scoring his first goal to equalise the game. Ansarifard made his league debut on 11 February 2017 in a 2–0 win against AEL, coming on as a late second-half substitute. On 23 February 2017, Karim scored a brace in his second

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

game against Osmanlıspor. With Karim's goals Olympiacos advanced to the Round of 16 for the first time since 2012. Karim won the UEFA Europa League Player of the week due to his performance against Osmanlıspor. Ansarifard scored his first league goal for Olympiacos on 12 March 2017 in a 2–0 victory against Atromitos. On 19 August 2017, on the first match day of the Greece Super League Ansarifard scored and assisted a goal in his team's 4–1 victory. After helping the Greek giants to a league title, he was unexpectedly left off the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

squad by new manager Besnik Hasi, who put the forward up for sale. On 14 October 2017, he scored a brace against his old club, in an Olympiacos 4–3 away win. On 2 December 2017, he scored a brace sealing a 3–1 home win against Apollon Smyrnis. On 9 December 2017, he bagged a goal and giving an assist to Kostas Fortounis for his second goal in the game, in a glorious 4–1 away Superleague win against

. On 24 December 2017, Ansarifard's exceptional performance with

sparked what has arguably become the best year of his career. The Albanian manager was fired in late September for poor results and Ansarifard has been able to work himself back into the starting lineup, becoming the league's top scorer thus far with seven goals from 11 matches, being the 6th best Asian player in Europe for the season according to ''Football Tribe Asia''. On 7 January 2018, he scored in a 3–0 away win game against AEL, helping his club to achieve the 7th successive win in his rally to gain the 8th consecutive title. On 15 January 2018, he scored after an assist from Guillaume Gillet sealing a 2–0 home win game against Lamia. On 21 January 2018, Ansarifard was on target in the 26th and 57th minutes for Óscar García’s Superleague leaders, chalked up their ninth win in a row with a straightforward 3–0 home victory over 10-man

Xanthi Xanthi is a city in the region of Western Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi regional unit of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Amphitheatrically built on the foot of Rhodope mountain chain, the city is divided ...

at the

Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium The Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium (), commonly referred to as the Karaiskakis Stadium (, ), is a football stadium in Piraeus, Attica, Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the souther ...

. He was named MVP of the game. On 28 January 2018, equalised a 1–1 away game against Asteras Tripolis with a penalty kick, when Asteras Tripolis’ former Panathinaikos defender Kostas Triantafyllopoulos brought him down in the box. On 4 February 2018, he opened the score in a frustrating 2–1 home loss against rivals

AEK Athens A.E.K. (; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelfeia, Attica. The club is more commonly known in European competitions as A.E.K. Athens. Establishe ...

stayed behind in the rally for the 2017–18 title. On 31 March 2018, he scored with a cool finish from an exquisite Leonardo Koutris pass in a 1–1 away draw against Levadiakos. On 16 April 2018, opened the score in an emphatic 5–1 home win against Kerkyra. On 29 April, he scored a brace in a 4–0 home win game against

, struggling with

's forward Aleksandar Prijović for the title of top scorer. Ansarifard's contract was cancelled by Olympiacos after their 2017–18 season.

Nottingham Forest

On 3 November 2018, it was announced that Ansarifard had signed for

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...

in the Sky Bet Championship after delays obtaining a work permit. The Iranian international penned a one-and-a-half-year contract at the City Ground. He made his debut for the club coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 win over Sheffield United on 3 November. Ansarifard scored his first goal in a 3–0 win at home to Hull City, also assisting the first goal.

Al-Sailiya

On 12 July 2019, Ansarifard made the move to Al-Sailiya in the

Qatar Stars League The Qatar Stars League (; abbreviated as QSL), known as Ooredoo Stars League for sponsorship reasons, is the top level football league in Qatar football league system. Contested by 12 teams, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation wi ...

AEK Athens

On 25 August 2020, Ansarifard signed a three-year contract with Greek

Super League Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...

club

. On 1 October 2020, he scored the winning goal in the 90+4 minute, to achieve a 2–1 win against

Wolfsburg Wolfsburg (; Eastphalian language, Eastphalian: ''Wulfsborg'') is the fifth-largest city in the Germany, German state of Lower Saxony, on the river Aller (Germany), Aller east of Hanover and west of Berlin. Wolfsburg is famous as the locat ...

in the

2020–21 UEFA Europa League The 2020–21 UEFA Europa League was the 50th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 12th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. Villarreal defeated Manchester United i ...

play-off round. On 22 November 2020, Ansarifard came in as a substitute and helped to a 4–1 home win against AEL. The following week, he scored in a 2–1 away win against Asteras Tripolis. On 13 December 2020, he scored a brace in a dramatic 4–3 away win against Apollon Smyrnis. On 11 January 2021, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 away win against Lamia. On 8 March 2021, he scored a brace in a 2–0 home win against Apollon Smyrnis. On 11 April 2021, he scored with a penalty in a 3–1 away win against

Aris Thessaloniki Athlitikos Syllogos Aris Thessalonikis, means Athletic Club Aris Thessaloniki (), is a major Greece, Greek multi-sport club founded on 25 March 1914 in Thessaloniki. Nicknamed ''God of War'', Aris was one of the strongest Greek clubs during t ...

. On 22 July 2021, he opened the score for the club in the

UEFA Europa Conference League The UEFA Conference League (UECL), usually known simply as the Conference League, is an annual association football, football competition organised since 2021 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European foot ...

, but AEK faced a frustrated away loss with 2–1 against

FK Velež Mostar Fudbalski klub Velež Mostar ( sh-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Beлеж Мостар; English language, English: Football club Velež Mostar) is a professional football (soccer), football club based in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The cl ...

. On 24 October 2021, he opened the score in a 3–1 away win against

Volos Volos (; ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the capital of the Magnesia (regional unit), Magnesia regional unit of the Thessaly Region. Volos ...

Omonia

On 30 August 2022, Ansarifard joined

Cypriot First Division The Cypriot First Division (), also known as the Cyprus League by Stoiximan for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Cyprus and the highest level of the Cypriot football league system. Operated by the Cyprus Fo ...

club Omonia on a two-year contract, with the option of an additional year. On 18 September, he scored his first goal for the club in a 4–0 home win against Paralimni. On 6 October, he opened the score in an eventual 2–3 home defeat to

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

in the Europa League. This made Ansarifard, Omonia's 100th player to score in a European competition. Ansarifard scored two goals against APOEL in the quarter finals of the 2022–23 Cypriot Cup, helping his team advance 3–2 on aggregate. On 24 May 2023, he scored the winning goal in the final against

AEL Limassol Athlitiki Enosi Lemesou () is a Cyprus, Cypriot sports club based in the city of Limassol, most famous for its football team. AEL Limassol also maintains a AEL Limassol B.C., men's and AEL Limassol B.C. (women), women's basketball teams, a wom ...

to win Omonia their 16th domestic cup.

Aris

In late January 2024, Ansarifard signed for Greek side

International career

Ansarifard was Invited to the Iran U17 national team in 2005. In

2006 AFC U-17 Championship The 2006 AFC U-17 Championship was the 12th competition of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup, AFC U-17 Championship organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which was held between 3 and 17 September 2006 in Singapore. Japan national under-17 foo ...

, he wore number 14 and was a benchwarmer. Ansarifard played as a substitute in two matches against Tajikistan and Yemen. Ansarifard made his debut for the senior Iran national team in a match against

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

in November 2009 under

Afshin Ghotbi Afshin Ghotbi (, born 8 February 1964) is an Iranian football coach who works as head coach of Vancouver FC in the Canadian Premier League. Early life Afshin Ghotbi was born in Tehran. He is the son of a teacher in Iran with whom he left Iran ...

and scored his first international goal and the only goal of the game. He was given the number 10 previously worn by

and scored on 15 January 2011 his third international goal against

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

, so Ansarifard became Iran's youngest ever goalscorer in the

AFC Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second-oldest c ...

. In

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA#Structure, FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil national football team, Bra ...

, Ansarifard scored a double against Maldives at

Azadi Stadium The Azadi Stadium (, ), opened as the Aryamehr Stadium (), is an all-seater football stadium in Tehran, Iran. The stadium was designed by Abdol Aziz Mirza Farman-Farmaian Architects and Associates (AFFA) with other parts of the sports comple ...

. He came on as a late substitute against Uzbekistan in the World Cup qualifiers and assisted with a pass for Mohammad Reza Khalatbari as a 94th-minute winner. 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 his first World Cup match against

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

, coming on as a substitute for Ashkan Dejagah in the 68th minute. 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 an assist to Sardar Azmoun in their Asian Cup preparation match against

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. In May 2018 he was named in Iran's preliminary squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He scored a penalty against

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

with a 1–1 as the result. In December 2018, he was called up for the

2019 AFC Asian Cup The 2019 AFC Asian Cup (or commonly called the Asian Cup 2019) was the 17th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international association football, football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ...

in the United Arab Emirates. In the quarter-final match against

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, he scored the third goal in the stoppage time in a 3–0 victory. On 10 October 2019, he scored four goals in a historic 14–0 victory over

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification second round. In November 2022, he was named in the 25-man squad for the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

in Qatar. In January 2024, he was included in the 26-man squad for the

2023 AFC Asian Cup The 2023 AFC Asian Cup was the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It involved 24 national teams after its expansion in 20 ...

. In the first group stage match against

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

, he scored the opening goal in a 4–1 victory, which also marked his 100th match with the national team.

Style of play

He has been compared to Iranian legend

and German forward

Thomas Müller Thomas Müller (; born 13 September 1989) is a German professional Association football, footballer who plays for club FC Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder or a second striker. Widely regarded as one o ...

by his fans. His favourite player is

Fernando Torres Fernando José Torres Sanz (; born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former Football player, player who played as a Striker (association football), striker. He is the curr ...

. He is a centre forward with great energy and impressive in both air and ground. He played as a right winger in first season for

but in next seasons returned to his main position.

Personal life

Ansarifard was born in

, the last child of an Iranian Azerbaijani family and has three brothers and three sisters. He studied

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

at Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch. In August 2018, Ansarifard married Greek businesswoman Alexandra Sofia Kalouli at a ceremony held in

Vouliagmeni Vouliagmeni (, meaning "sunken") is a seaside suburb and former municipality 20 km south of Athens city centre. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni, of which it is a municipal unit. The ...

. Kalouli is the managing director of the Innovative Maritime Emotional Intelligence Center (IMEQ Center), a mental health research center with offices in Cyprus and Greece.

Career statistics

Club

International

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

Honours

Tractor *

: 2013–14 Olympiacos *

Super League Greece The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repla ...

: 2016–17 Omonia *

Cypriot Cup The Cypriot Cup, formally known as the Cypriot Coca-Cola Cup of First and Second Division () for sponsorship purposes, is a Cypriot knockout football club competition, hosted annually by the Cyprus Football Association. First held in 1934, it i ...

: 2022–23 Individual * Persian Gulf Pro League Player of the Month: August 2011 * Persian Gulf Pro League Top scorer: 2011–12 (21 goals), 2013–14 (14 goals) * Persian Gulf Pro League Striker of the Year: 2011–12, 2013–14 *Persian Gulf Pro League Team of the Season: 2011–12, 2013–14 * Super League Greece Team of the Season: 2017–18

References

External links

Karim Ansarifard
a
PersianLeague.comKarim Ansarifard
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TeamMelli.comKarim Ansarifard's Profile in 18ghadam.ir
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ansarifard, Karim 1990 births Living people Footballers from Ardabil Iranian men's footballers Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch alumni Men's association football forwards Saipa F.C. players Persepolis F.C. players Tractor S.C. players CA Osasuna players Panionios F.C. players Olympiacos F.C. players Nottingham Forest F.C. players Al-Sailiya SC players AEK Athens F.C. players Aris Thessaloniki F.C. players Persian Gulf Pro League players Segunda División players Super League Greece players English Football League players Qatar Stars League players Iran men's international footballers Footballers at the 2010 Asian Games 2011 AFC Asian Cup players 2014 FIFA World Cup players 2015 AFC Asian Cup players 2018 FIFA World Cup players 2019 AFC Asian Cup players 2022 FIFA World Cup players 2023 AFC Asian Cup players Iranian expatriate men's footballers Iranian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Iranian expatriate sportspeople in Greece Iranian expatriate sportspeople in England Iranian expatriate sportspeople in Qatar Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar Asian Games competitors for Iran AC Omonia players Iranian expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus FIFA Men's Century Club 21st-century Iranian sportsmen