Ramin Rezaeian Semeskandi ( fa, رامین رضائیان سمسکندی; born 21 March 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 ...
who plays as a
defender for
Persian Gulf Pro League
The Persian Gulf Pro League ( fa, لیگ برتر خلیج فارس, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Pro League ( fa, links=no, لیگ برتر ایران, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is the highest division of profe ...
club
Sepahan
Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan Sport Club ( fa, باشگاه فرهنگی ورزشی فولاد مبارکه سپاهان اصفهان, ''Bâšgâh-è Varzeši-ye Fulâd-è Mobârake-ye Sepâhân''), commonly known as Sepahan S.C., are an Iranian spor ...
and the
Iran national team.
He started his career as a
right-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
, but he often plays as a
winger. Rezaeian was
Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Manuel Brito Leal de Queiroz (; born 1 March 1953) is a Portuguese football coach who currently is the head coach of the Iran national team. He has served as the manager of his native Portugal's national team, the United Arab Emirate ...
's first choice on the right side of the defense of the
Iran men's national team in the
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations to decide 31 of the 32 teams which would play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Russia qualifying automatically as hosts. All 210 ...
matches.
Early life
Rezaeian was born in
Semes Kandeh-ye Olya, a village in
Sari County
Sari County ( fa, شهرستان ساری) is in Mazandaran province, Iran. The capital of the county is the city of Sari. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 490,830 in 132,919 households. Retrieved 4 November 2022 The following ...
,
Mazanderan.
Club career
Saba Qom
Rezaeian played his entire career for
Saba Qom
Saba Qom Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال صبای قم, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e Sâbay-e Qâm'') was an Iranian football team based in Qom, Iran. The club was dissolved in 2018. The team is a former part of Saba Battery Club, owned by ...
before signing for
Rah Ahan
Rah Ahan Sports Club ( fa, باشگاه ورزشی راهآهن, ''Bashgah-e Vârzeshi-ye Rahâhen''), commonly known as Rah Ahan Football Club, is an Iranian professional football club based in Tehran. They currently play in the Azadegan Lea ...
in 2013. He made 98 appearances for the club scoring seven goals.
Rah Ahan
Rezaeian signed a three–year with the
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the Capital city, capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is th ...
-based club
Rah Ahan
Rah Ahan Sports Club ( fa, باشگاه ورزشی راهآهن, ''Bashgah-e Vârzeshi-ye Rahâhen''), commonly known as Rah Ahan Football Club, is an Iranian professional football club based in Tehran. They currently play in the Azadegan Lea ...
in 2013. After several good performances in the
2014–15 season, Rezaeian was recognized as one of the best fullbacks in the league and was called up to the national team. On 3 April 2015, Rezaeian scored his team's first goal in a 2–2 draw against
Persepolis
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. Two weeks later, on 17 April, he scored a brace in a 2–2 draw against
Esteghlal Khuzestan
Esteghlal Khuzestan Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال استقلال خوزستان, ''Bašgâh-e Futbâl-e Esteqlâl-e Xuzestân''), commonly known as Esteghlal Khuzestan, is an Iranian football club based in Ahvaz, Iran. The club ...
.
Persepolis

Rezaeian joined
Persepolis
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, image = Gate of All Nations, Persepolis.jpg
, image_size =
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, caption = Ruins of the Gate of All Nations, Persepolis.
, map =
, map_type ...
on 27 June 2015 with a two-year contract. He scored his first goal for Persepolis in a 2–0 victory against
Siah Jamegan. On 26 December 2015, Rezaeian scored a 30-yard free kick against
Padideh in stoppage time to earn them a 2–2 draw. He also scored the third goal for Persepolis in the
Tehran derby against
Esteghlal F.C.
Esteghlal Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال استقلال, ''Bâšgâh-è Futbâl-è Esteqlâl''), commonly known as Esteghlal ( fa, استقلال, meaning 'The Independence'), is an Iranian football club based in capital Tehran th ...
on 15 April 2016. Persepolis won that derby 4-2. After initially signing a contract with Turkish
Süper Lig
The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...
club
Rizespor in the summer of 2016, Rezaeian cancelled his contract and re–joined
Persepolis
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, alternate_name =
, image = Gate of All Nations, Persepolis.jpg
, image_size =
, alt =
, caption = Ruins of the Gate of All Nations, Persepolis.
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.
After an altercation with teammate
Ali Alipour
Ali Alipour Ghara ( fa, علی علیپور قرا; born 11 November 1995) is an Iranian international footballer who plays as a forward for Gil Vicente.
At the age of 19 years and 185 days, Alipour was the youngest-ever player to score in the ...
during a training camp before an
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...
match, Rezaeian was told to train by himself. After a few weeks, his contract was eventually terminated with Persepolis and he was released.
Oostende
After rejecting an offer from Tehran rivals
Esteghlal F.C.
Esteghlal Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال استقلال, ''Bâšgâh-è Futbâl-è Esteqlâl''), commonly known as Esteghlal ( fa, استقلال, meaning 'The Independence'), is an Iranian football club based in capital Tehran th ...
, Rezaeian joined Belgian club
K.V. Oostende
Koninklijke Voetbalclub Oostende, also called KV Oostende () or KVO, is a Belgian football club from the city of Ostend, West Flanders in Belgium. The team was founded in 1904 as ''VG Oostende'' and has the matricule No. 31.
History
In 1911, a ...
on 9 July 2017 with a two-year contract after a successful trial period at the club. Ramin made his debut on 27 July 2017 in a 3rd round
Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
qualifier against French club
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille (, ; oc, Olimpic de Marselha, ), also known simply as Marseille or by the abbreviation OM (, ), is a French professional men's football club based in Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Founded in 1899, the club p ...
. Oostende lost the match 4–2 and Rezaeian played the full 90 minutes.
Al Shahania
On 6 November 2018, Rezaeian joined
Qatar Stars League
The Qatar Stars League ( ar, دوري نجوم قطر), or the QSL, also called QNB 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 promotio ...
side
Al Shahania. In his first match with the club, on 8 November, Ramin scored a free kick goal in his team's 5–1 loss to
Al Duhail. On 23 November, in his second match with his club, Ramin assisted his team's only goal in a 1–0 win against
Al-Kharitiyath
Al Kharaitiyat Sport Club ( ar, نادي الخريطيات) 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 the Second Division in 2004 and played in the Qat ...
.
Al-Duhail
On 22 August 2020, Rezaeian signed a two year contract with
Qatar Stars League
The Qatar Stars League ( ar, دوري نجوم قطر), or the QSL, also called QNB 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 promotio ...
champion,
Al-Duhail.
Al-Sailiya
After the engagement of the new trainer from Al-Duhail, Rezaein was loaned to Al-Sailiya.
Persepolis
On 12 February 2022, Rezaeian signed a contract with
Persian Gulf Pro League
The Persian Gulf Pro League ( fa, لیگ برتر خلیج فارس, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Pro League ( fa, links=no, لیگ برتر ایران, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is the highest division of profe ...
champions
Persepolis
, native_name_lang =
, alternate_name =
, image = Gate of All Nations, Persepolis.jpg
, image_size =
, alt =
, caption = Ruins of the Gate of All Nations, Persepolis.
, map =
, map_type ...
.
Sepahan
On 15 July 2022, Rezaeian signed a contract with Persian Gulf Pro League side
Sepahan
Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan Sport Club ( fa, باشگاه فرهنگی ورزشی فولاد مبارکه سپاهان اصفهان, ''Bâšgâh-è Varzeši-ye Fulâd-è Mobârake-ye Sepâhân''), commonly known as Sepahan S.C., are an Iranian spor ...
.
International career

He was called into
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...
's
2015 AFC Asian Cup
The 2015 AFC Asian Cup was the 16th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in Australia from 9 to 31 January 2015. The tournament was ...
squad on 30 December 2014 by
Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Manuel Brito Leal de Queiroz (; born 1 March 1953) is a Portuguese football coach who currently is the head coach of the Iran national team. He has served as the manager of his native Portugal's national team, the United Arab Emirate ...
.
He made his debut against
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
in a friendly on 4 January 2015. He also played a friendly match against
Sweden. Rezaeian scored his first international goal on 17 November 2015 in a 6–0 victory against
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic ce ...
. In May 2018, he was named in
Iran's preliminary squad for the
2018 FIFA World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...
in Russia.
2021
Despite his good performances, he was not invited to the national team.
Style of play
Rezaeian has a high-level skill in long and fast starts. He has a high skill in long passes and
corner
Corner may refer to:
People
* Corner (surname)
* House of Cornaro, a noble Venetian family (''Corner'' in Venetian dialect)
Places
* Corner, Alabama, a community in the United States
* Corner Inlet, Victoria, Australia
* Corner River, a tributar ...
and
free kicks. He also has good scoring skills.
BBC Persian
BBC Persian ( fa, بیبیسی فارسی) is the Persian language broadcast station and subsidiary of BBC World Service which conveys the latest political, social, economical and sport news relevant to Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, and ...
wrote about him: "On the right side, Ramin Rezaeian is the key player of
Branko Branko (Cyrillic script: Бранко; ) is a South Slavic male given name found in all of the former Yugoslavia. It is related to the names Branimir and Branislav, and the female equivalent is Branka.
People named Branko include:
* Branko Babi ...
. He is considered Branko's savior with his scoring power in difficult situations."
Personal life

He is popular among Iranian football fans, especially Persepolis fans. His father is a retired doctor and he has only one older sister. Among football players, he is interested in Iranian legend,
Ali Karimi
Mohammad Ali Karimi Pashaki ( fa, علی کریمی ; born 8 November 1978) is an Iranian football coach and former player. During his professional football career, he has played in the Iran Pro League, UAE Pro League, Qatar Stars League and Bu ...
. He has announced that he controls his diet and loves ice cream.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Statistics accurate as of match play''
International goals
:''Scores and results list Iran's goal tally first.''
Honours
Persepolis
*
Iran Pro League
The Persian Gulf Pro League ( fa, لیگ برتر خلیج فارس, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Pro League ( fa, links=no, لیگ برتر ایران, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is the highest division of profe ...
:
2016–17; runner-up:
2015–16
Al-Sailiya
*
Qatari Stars Cup
The Qatari Stars Cup is a Qatari football competition played during the Qatar Stars League season known as Ooredoo Cup due to sponsorship reasons.
The knockout competition, which involves a round-robin league structure, was first started in 2009 ...
: 2020–21
*
QFA Cup: 2021
Individual
*
Iran Pro League
The Persian Gulf Pro League ( fa, لیگ برتر خلیج فارس, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Pro League ( fa, links=no, لیگ برتر ایران, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is the highest division of profe ...
Team of the Season:
2014–15,
2015–16
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rezaeian, Ramin
1990 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Sari, Iran
Footballers from Mazandaran province
Iranian men's footballers
Men's association football defenders
Men's association football wingers
Saba Qom F.C. players
Rah Ahan Tehran F.C. players
Persepolis F.C. players
K.V. Oostende players
Al Shahaniya SC players
Al-Duhail SC players
Al-Sailiya SC players
Sepahan S.C. footballers
Persian Gulf Pro League players
Belgian Pro League players
Qatar Stars League players
Iranian expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium
Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar
Iranian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
Iranian expatriate sportspeople in Qatar
Iran men's international footballers
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