2/21/2006
goal.com

Habib Abbasi profiles Bayern Munich midfielder Ali Karimi, Iran’s superstar

The hero is an ordinary person with an extraordinary level of commitment.

Muhammad Ali Karimi Pashaki has earned football fame as Ali Karimi. The name might be unknown to most European people, but this guy is a superstar in Iran.

Ever since Karimi was a kid he played in the streets with a plastic ball. Ali Karimi started his career at Faith Football Club. With Faith Club, training was conducted in streets with plastic balls because of lack of facilities and grounds. Then Pirouzi signed him for US$ 15,000.

His debut for the Iranian national team came during a friendly international against Kuwait on Oct 13th, 1998. Two months later the moment he raised his profile and secured his fame came when he scored for his country in the final of the Asia Cup and won a Gold medal for Iran.

When Iran disappointingly missed out on qualification for the 2002 World Cup, Karimi joined Al-Ahli and proved a skilful midfielder whose dribbling skills and ability to beat opposition players earned him quite a reputation in the UAE League.

Karimi was a leading goal scorer in the 2004 Asia Cup and helped Iran to clinch third place in the tournament. His efforts were then recognised when he received the AFC best player award in 2004. That year proved to be one of the best in Karimi's career. German giants Bayern Munich signed him on a one-year contract and he is currently playing for the Bavarians in the Bundesliga.

Karimi’s compatriots Ali Daei and Vahid Hashemia had both tried their luck in Europe without any success, leading many fans to think it would be difficult for Karimi to survive in the physically demanding German league. But he quickly showed why he had attracted the attention of a big club.

Now he is a regular member of the first-team squad of Bayern Munich, and it seems likely that the club will offer him an extension of his one-year contract.

‘Asian Maradona’

Karimi earned his nickname of ‘The Asian Maradona’ because his moves are thought to be more ‘magical’ than those of anyone else from the continent. He is the best dribbler in Iran and his ball skills are amongst the best in Asia.

Bayern’s coach Felix Magath was delighted when the club sealed the player's signature. He told Bayern’s official website: "Ali Karimi is a pacy, mobile and dangerous attacking midfielder, " and emphasised the utility man's ability to play on either side of midfield or even up front, justifying his reputation as the ‘Asian Maradona.’

‘You Haven't Seen The Best Of Me Yet’

In an interview with his club’s website fcbayern.de, when asked if he could play even better, Karimi replied: "Of course I can. I have to keep working on my game, put in even more effort, and I still need more experience. You definitely haven't seen the best of me yet."

Seen as Iran's key player for the 2006 World Cup, Karimi was recently asked by Fifa.com what Iran could achieve at the tournament. He replied: “Up to now, just making it to the finals has been an achievement in itself.

“Now we've qualified, we want to put on a show for the large Iranian community in Germany and go back home with our heads held high. I don't mean we'll win the trophy, I'm not that unrealistic, but getting through the group stage would be a fantastic achievement.

Asked what playing in his first World Cup finals would mean to him personally, Karimi said: “Every footballer dreams of playing at the World Cup finals. The preparations I'm going through here at Bayern should enable me do the best I can to help my country.”

He helped take Iran to the 2006 World Cup, he is at the pinnacle of his career, and he is the world’s most popular Iranian player. Iranian fans all over the world are in a state of high excitement and eager expectation, anticipating the dribbling arts of their famous number 8.

Ali Karimi is certainly an Asian player to watch out for at the World Cup this summer.

Quality is not always doing things better — It is always doing things differently.