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Mehdi Taremi was born 10 days after Son Heung-min, in July 1992, but in terms of the global reputations of these Asian attackers, the Iranian striker has consistently lagged much further behind his South Korean counterpart. The Internazionale marksman has, however, been a more effective performer for his national team.
As Son and his teammates huffed and puffed to a 1-1 draw with Jordan on Tuesday –a third successive stalemate in an easier World Cup qualifying group – Taremi scored twice in a 2-2 draw with Uzbekistan to secure a fourth successive World qualification for his nation.
Needing a point against Uzbekistan in Tehran to qualify, the hosts were a goal down when Taremi shrugged off recent injury issues to fire home a spectacular volley from the edge of the area. His second goal, arriving with eight minutes remaining after Uzbekistan had retaken the lead, was less spectacular and instead showcased the 32-year-old’s goal-poaching abilities just as much, as he reactedquickest to strike from close range.
That was goal No 54 for Taremi for Iran, taking him to half of Ali Daei’s international tally. While Taremi is not going to challenge the legendary Iran striker in terms of goals scored, he can do something more precious: lead his country to the knockout stages of a World Cup.
Taremi’s partnership with Sardar Azmoun has been fruitful, even if the former Bayer Leverkusen and Roma striker surprised many last summer by giving up life in Germany to return to the Middle East with Dubai’s Shabab Al-Ahli, reportedly so he can be closer to his stable of horses. Both of these particular Iranian thoroughbreds have also been linked to Premier League clubs in the recent past, including Manchester United and Arsenal. Iran’s defence is not quite as strong, as evident in the soft goals given away to Uzbekistan.
Iran were always going to qualify but to be undefeated in 14 games is credit to their head coach, Amir Ghalenoei. The 61-year-old was appointed in 2023 to succeed Carlos Queiroz after the last World Cup, when Iran came close to getting out of the group stage for the first time before falling just short. The appointment was seen as being an underwhelming choice, and not just because Ghalenoei’s first spell in charge almost 20 years ago did not go well. Many feel that as well as producing turgid football, Ghalenoei doesn’t have the tactical or motivational skills to take the team to the knockout stages. Indeed, there are rumours that Taremi would like a change.
The striker is not just Iran’s talisman and captain but also has friends in high places. He publicly fell out with Dragan Skocic, the man who led Iran to qualification for the 2022 World Cup before being replaced by Queiroz only weeks before the squad travelled to Qatar. It would not be a surprise if something similar happened to Ghaleneoi.
Taremi is not afraid to speak out publicly. During last week’s win over the United Arab Emirates, also at the same Azadi Stadium, the floodlights failed (the 29 minutes of added time was a new international record, breaking the existing one of 24 minutes when Iran lost 6-2 to England at the last World Cup, when Taremi scored both of the defeated team’s goals). Afterwards he publicly asked where the millions that had been promised to renovate the iconic but ageing arena had gone.
It is not just the facilities that are getting old. Only two of Iran’s starting XI against Uzbekistan were under 30 and the average age of the team was over 31. Ghalenoei – or his replacement – has much to do in terms of refreshing the squad.
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If the constant presence of politics – the state and all its apparatuses are closely entwined in Iranian football – can help explain poor facilities, then geopolitics makes it harder to look at and test new blood. Iran’s relative isolation has long meant that the country struggles to arrange top-class tests, especially in Tehran. The friendly list since the last World Cup has games against Russia, Kenya, Bulgaria, Angola, Jordan and Qatar. In the past, sanctions also make it tricky for the Iranian FA to get its hands on money owned from international sporting organisations such as Fifa and the Asian Football Confederation to pay for overseas training camps.
For 2026, there is another potential problem. It is expected that Donald Trump will soon announce a full travel ban on 10 countries, a list that is sure to include Iran. How this will work for fans hoping to make the trip to the United States next summer – not to mention the players and staff – remains to be seen.
Distractions are a part of life for Iranian footballers. If there was the same environment as, say, Japan in terms of facilities, atmosphere, and investment, then the natural talent that comes out of the country would make it a genuine force. As it is, an ageing team is going to need Taremi to be at his absolute best in North America next year.
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