5/24/2006
Christian Oliver, Reuters

TEHRAN – He is 37 years old but he just keeps scoring goals. It is hard to imagine the Iranian national side without the veteran Ali Daei, international football's leading goalscorer.

The first footballer to score 100 goals in internationals, Daei had scored 110 in 147 matches by March 2006.

Although the big names he surpassed, such as Brazil's Pele and Hungary's Ferenc Puskas, did not have the luxury of soft Asian fixtures against sides such as Laos and the Maldives, Daei still had to put the ball in the back of the net.

Eight goals against the Maldives in one match is still eight goals.

Daei's strike rate has also proved impressive against sterner opposition.

Many Iranians hold up Daei's performance in the 1996 Asian Cup quarter-final against South Korea as a turning point for football in the Islamic Republic.

Trailing 2-1 at half time, the upfront duo of Khodadad Azizi and Daei ripped South Korea to shreds in the second half to win 6-2. Daei scored four times.

After the trouncing of South Korea, German and Italian clubs began to show a keen interest in snapping up Iranian talent.

In Germany, Daei played for Arminia Bielefeld, Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin.

Hailing from the northwestern Azeri-speaking city of Ardebil, Daei is not acknowledged to be much of a tactician but is widely admired in Iran as a gentlemanly sportsman.

If Iran get a penalty next month, there are no prizes for guessing who will step up to the spot.