Ali Karimi Iranian Footballer Born 1978 in Karaj

Early life

Mohammad Ali Karimi Pashaki, known as Ali Karimi, was born on 8 November 1978 in Karaj, Iran. He began his professional career with Fath Tehran, a second-division side, where he made his first-team debut in 1996 as a teenager.

Career

Karimi played as a midfielder, most often as a playmaker or attacking midfielder, and was known for his dribbling. His professional career lasted about eighteen years and took him through the Iran Pro League, the UAE Pro League, the Qatar Stars League and the Bundesliga.

In 1998 he joined Persepolis. Over three seasons there the club won the Iranian league twice and the Hazfi Cup once. In July 2001 he signed with Al-Ahli of Dubai on a two-year contract and stayed until 2005. At Al-Ahli he won two cup titles, and in the 2003-04 season he finished as the league's top scorer, a notable total for a midfielder.

In 2005 he moved to Europe, signing with Bayern Munich on a one-year deal that was later extended. He was part of the squad that won both the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal in 2005-06, and he scored in his first Champions League appearance, against Rapid Vienna. Across two seasons he made 42 appearances for the club and scored four goals. Injuries limited his playing time in both campaigns.

He then spent a year with Qatar SC from 2007 and another with Al-Sailiya, before returning to Persepolis in 2008. A move to Steel Azin followed in 2009, where he scored regularly. In January 2011 he signed a short contract with Schalke 04, where he was reunited with his former coach Felix Magath. He played twice for the German club and added a second German Cup winner's medal. Later in 2011 he rejoined Persepolis for a third spell, serving as club captain. After a brief retirement he signed with Tractor in 2013 and helped the club win the Hazfi Cup in what became his final season. He announced his retirement from playing in 2014.

For Iran, Karimi made his debut in October 1998 and went on to play 127 matches, scoring 38 goals. That same year Iran won gold at the Asian Games, and he scored in the final against Kuwait. He appeared at five major tournaments: the 1998 Asian Games, the Asian Cups of 2000, 2004 and 2007, and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. At the 2004 Asian Cup he scored five goals, including a hat-trick in a 4-3 quarter-final win over South Korea, and Iran finished third. Manager Carlos Queiroz later brought him back into the squad for the qualifying campaign for the 2014 World Cup.

After he stopped playing, he moved into coaching. In 2014 he joined Queiroz's staff as an assistant for the national team, and in 2018 he became head coach of Sepidrood, which stayed in the top flight that season.

Recognition

Karimi was named Asian Footballer of the Year in 2004 and was joint top scorer at that year's Asian Cup. He was also the top scorer and best player of the 2003-04 UAE Pro League. In 2017 the Asian Football Confederation described him as one of the icons of Asian football history. Supporters and journalists gave him the nicknames "Asian Maradona" and "The Magician". A 2015 television poll named him Iran's most popular footballer of the period from 1991 to 2015.

Public roles

In late 2022 Karimi publicly backed the protests that were taking place in Iran. He used his social media following to advise people on getting around internet restrictions. He has since lived outside Iran, first in Dubai and then in the United States from 2023. In December 2022 he met the German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and in January 2026 he spoke at a rally in Los Angeles and wrote an open letter to FIFA about the protests.

Personal life

Karimi married Sahar Davari in 1999. They have a daughter, Hima, and two sons, Havash and Hirsa.