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GOAL - 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.
Habib Abbasi |
