Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht | |||||||||||
| Date of birth | 30 June 1980 | |||||||||||
| Place of birth | Mashhad, Iran | |||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | |||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder | |||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||
| Aboomoslem | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Aboomoslem | 30 | (6) | |||||||||
| 1999–2006 | Esteghlal | 138 | (22) | |||||||||
| 2004 | → Fenerbahçe (loan) | 0 | (0) | |||||||||
| 2005 | → Al-Wasl (loan) | 12 | (1) | |||||||||
| 2006–2009 | Persepolis | 85 | (26) | |||||||||
| 2009 | Tractor Sazi | 0 | (0) | |||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Steel Azin | 8 | (0) | |||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Saba Qom | 14 | (1) | |||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Paykan | 22 | (1) | |||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Damash Gilan | 4 | (0) | |||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Esteghlal | 14 | (0) | |||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Khoneh Be Khoneh | 6 | (1) | |||||||||
| Total | 308 | (58) | ||||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||
| 2002 | Iran U23 | 6 | (5) | |||||||||
| 2000–2008 | Iran[1] | 73 | (14) | |||||||||
Honours
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* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 August 2013. | ||||||||||||
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Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht (Persian: علیرضا واحدی نیکبخت, born 30 June 1980 in Mashhad) is an Iranian professional football player who last played for Khoneh Be Khoneh in Iran Football's 2nd Division.
Club career
Starting out in Aboomoslem and then being transferred to Esteghlal, he improved in a short period of time. His excellent performance for his club eventually lead to his inclusion in the national squad.
Fenerbahçe (loan)
He has experience with UAE club Al-Wasl, and has had trials with Atlético Madrid and Fenerbahçe. He had signed on with Fenerbahçe in 2004 and had even practiced with the team getting ready for the upcoming season in the Turkish league, but the deal was canceled before the starting of the season.
Al-Wasl (loan)
Nikbakht Vahedi signed a four-month loan deal For the second half of the season 2004–05 with Al-Wasl. He scored his league with a goal 25 May 2005, 1–2 lose over Al-Ahli.
Esteghlal
Nikbakht was instrumental in helping Esteghlal grab the 2005–06 league championship with an electrifying display in the win over Bargh Shiraz. The win resulted in Esteghlal (59 points) edging Pas (58 points) for the IPL championship.
Persepolis
In June 2006 he signed a two-year contract with Esteghlal's fierce rival, Persepolis which caused him to lose his popularity among Esteghlal fans. He played in the final of the Hazfi Cup for Persepolis and scored in first match but missed a penalty in the second leg. In the 2006–07 season in Persepolis, Nikbakht played as a forward, which made him score 8 goals in 25 appearances and have 8 assists in the league. In his second season for Persepolis, he won the league and had his best season of his career with 9 goals and 7 assists.[2]
In January 2008, Nikbakht was invited to go on a trial with Sheffield United.[3] He was the most influential player after Ali Karimi for Persepolis in 2008–09 season.
Tractor Sazi
He signed for Tractor Sazi in summer 2009 but for disciplinary reason he was not able to play for the first half of the season and his contract was canceled.
Steel Azin
For the second half of the season 2009–10 he joined Steel Azin.[4][5]
Saba Qom
He moved to Saba in 2010 and played in the first half of the season but for unknown reasons he did not continue with the team and there were rumours that again there has been disciplinary actions against him which prevented him to play in the top level.
Paykan
Then he moved to Paykan in Azadegan League which he got promoted to the league for the season after with the team.
Gahar Zagros
In July 2012, he signed a one-year contract with Gahar but he was still banned to play in Iran Pro League due disciplinary actions.
Damash Gilan
he terminated his contract with Gahar Zagros and joins Damash Gilan.[6]
Return to Esteghlal
On 1 July 2013, Nikbakht returned to Esteghlal after seven years, after signing a one-year contract.[7]
Khoneh Be Khoneh
On 22 December 2014, Nikbakht signed a three-and-a-half-month loan deal with promotion-battling Iran Football's 2nd Division club FC Khoneh Be Khoneh until the end of the season. On 16 January, Nikbakht came on as a substitute in the 53rd minute and scored goal the match winner against Sepidrood.
Club career statistics
- Last Update: 9 August 2013
| Club performance | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Iran | League | Hazfi Cup | Asia | Total | ||||||
| 1998–99 | Aboomoslem | Azadegan League | 30 | 6 | – | |||||
| 1999–00 | Esteghlal | 26 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||||
| 2000–01 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 9 | |||||
| 2001–02 | Pro League | 19[8] | 3 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 9 | |||
| 2002–03 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 9 | ||||
| 2003–04 | 16 | 3 | 1 | – | 4 | |||||
| 2004–05 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 | 2 | |||
| United Arab Emirates | League | President's Cup | Asia | Total | ||||||
| 2004–05 | Al-Wasl | UAE League | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 13 | 1 | |
| Iran | League | Hazfi Cup | Asia | Total | ||||||
| 2005–06 | Esteghlal | Pro League | 25 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | 26 | 2 | |
| 2006–07 | Persepolis | 25 | 8 | 5 | 4 | – | 30 | 12 | ||
| 2007–08 | 31 | 9 | 3 | 3 | – | 34 | 12 | |||
| 2008–09 | 29 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 37 | 11 | ||
| 2009–10 | Tractor Sazi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| Steel Azin | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 10 | 0 | |||
| 2010–11 | Saba | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | 15 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | Paykan | Division 1 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 24 | 1 | |
| 2012–13 | Damash | Pro League | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | |
| 2013–14 | Esteghlal | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
| 2014–15 | Khoneh Be Khoneh | Division 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 6 | 1 | |
| Total | Iran | 308 | 58 | 16 | 12 | |||||
| United Arab Emirates | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Career total | 320 | 59 | 16 | 12 | ||||||
- Assists
| Season | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 05–06 | Esteghlal | 4 |
| 06–07 | Persepolis | 8 |
| 07–08 | 7 | |
| 08–09 | 4 | |
| 10–11 | Saba | 3 |
| 12–13 | Damash | 1 |
International career
He made his first appearance for Iran in a World Cup qualifying game against Guam in Tabriz in December 2000. He scored on his debut.
Nikbakht's performance in the national squad was instrumental in Iran's progress to the next WC qualifying round. However, his disciplinary problems has created difficulties for the national team coaches and he is often viewed as a primadonna. Nonetheless, his darting runs on the flanks and his pace continues to be a great asset for his team, and most fans will not forget his winning goal in a crucial World Cup 2006 qualifier against Jordan. He won the 2002 Asian Games and 2004 West Asian Football Federation Championship with Team Melli.
There had been rampant speculation that an in form Nikbaht would definitely make Branko Ivankovic's final 23 men list for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Branko Ivankovic had himself alluded to this by stating that "I love Nikbaht" in an interview, but that his hitherto out-of-form play was the major impediment for him reclaiming his spot in Team Melli. Many had tagged him as the saviour for Iran's left-back defensive complications as he is naturally left-footed, good physique, quick with his feet, a goal-getter and a workhorse. Unfortunately for him, an old injury caused him to be crossed off the main squad heading to Germany, and he was instead placed on the reserves list.
Another injury forced him be disqualified from Iran's squad for the 2007 Asian Cup, but he is back to join Team Melli in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign.
Exit from national team
After a heated dispute with Federation official disciplinary board, Nikbakht was axed from playing for national team for the rest of his career. This marks the second time the player has been penalised for behaivour problems.
International goals
- Scores and results list Iran's goal tally first.
Honours
Club
- Iranian Football League (1): 2007–08
- Hazfi Cup:
- Runner-up (1): 2005–06
- Azadegan League (1): 2011–12
Country
- Iran
- Asian Games (1): 2002
- West Asian Football Federation Championship (1): 2004
- AFC/OFC Cup Challenge (1): 2003
References
- ↑ International Appearances
- ↑ "Reports: Player stats: Assists". Iplstats.com. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- ↑ "Reports: Sheffield United Linked To Iran's fat Star Vahedi Nikbakht". Goal.com. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
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- ↑ Isna: Nikbakht joined Gahar
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External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht. |
- Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht at National-Football-Teams.com
- Vahedi Nikbakht at PersianLeague.com
- Nikbakht's Goals during 2007/2008 Season for Persepolis on YouTube
- Vahedi Nikbakht at TeamMelli.com
- RSSSF archive of Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht's international appearances and goals
- Iran Goals – Persepolis signs Nikbakht and Badmaki