Dejagah reaffirms interest to play for Iran's national football team

IRNA - Hertha Berlin's up-and-coming Iranian striker Ashkan Dejagah reiterated interest in playing for Iran's national football squad.

"Although I am playing for Germany's (Under-20) national team.

Iran is always on the back of my mind. I am Iranian, my family is Iranian and my heart beats for Iran," the 20-year-old Dejagah said in an interview with IRNA on Tuesday.

"If there is an offer from the Iranian federation to join the national squad, I would discuss it with my parents, especially with my father," he added.

Dejagah acknowledged that there had been "informal contacts" with player manager Reza Fazeli before the 2006 World Cup on becoming a member of the Iranian national team.

The Berlin player pointed out that there are also other Iranian expatriate footballers in the Bundesliga like Hamburg's Sassan Gouhari or Hansa Rostock's Amir Shapourzadeh who have have the "potential to be in the Iranian national team".

Dejagah hailed other Iranian Bundesliga legionnaires - Ali Karimi, Mehdi Mahdavikia, and Vahid Hashemian, labeling them as "very good players".

He stressed that Iran had many players who could also play in the Bundesliga.

On his own future at Hertha Berlin, Dejagah said he would make a decision on extending his contract during the Bundesliga winter break.

Hertha manager Dieter Hoeness confirmed earlier that talks are ongoing with Dejagah's manager Joerg Neubauer to extend the player's contract beyond 2007.