The 31-year-old Iranian soccer star was voted for by 16,785 visitors to the internet site of the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).
Eintracht Frankfurt's Iranian midfielder, Mehdi Mahdavikia, secured the 25th place with 6,282 votes.
Real Espana's Carlos Alberto Pavon from Honduras was voted the most popular soccer player with 177,177 votes.
Karimi also attained the second most popular player in Asia slot with 16,785 votes, placing after China's Li Jinyu with 34,976 votes. Yasser Al-Qahtani from Saudi Arabia placed third followed by his countryman Mohammed Noor Adam Hawsawi. Iran's Mahdavikia stood in the third place in Asia with 6,282 votes.
