Abedzadeh, Ahmad Reza

Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh (احمد رضا عابدزاده) is an Iranian former goalkeeper who was dubbed the Eagle of Asia for his ability to protect the net. He was particularly known for his high rate of saves on opponent’s penalty kicks. Born in 1966 in Abadan, he would later relocate to Isfahan at a young age.  During his school years would represent club team Helal Ahmar in addition to Isfahan’s youth selection.

He would gradually represent Isfahan’s adult selection and with them win the 1988 Daheyeh Fajr Tournament, beating Bushehr’s selection on penalty kicks with Abedzadeh saving one of his opponent’s shots. He would join Gendarmerie for his military service and after a couple of years with them would return to Isfahan to play for club team Tam.

In spite of representing Tam in the Ghods League, he would sign with and play for Esteghlal in 1990 in the same competition and go on to win the title following a 2-1 victory over Persepolis in the Final. Abedzadeh would add more hardware in his three year stint with Esteghlal. The following year he would help Esteghlal defeat Pas via a shootout in the semifinals of the Hazfi Cup after a scoreless draw and some penalty kick saves. In the Final Esteghlal would tie Malavan 0-0 but succumb to a defeat with Abedzadeh making no saves in the ensuing penalty kicks. Abedzadeh and Estghlal entered the Asian Club Championship and would go on to win the title in mid 1991. As defending champion they once again reached the Final but would lose to Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia (once again following a draw and shootout). Abedzadeh would close out the year by keeping a clean sheet against Persepolis which gifted Esteghlal the Tehran League Championship.

He would return to Isfahan in 1993 to join Sepahan although injury would mean that he would only end up playing a single game for them. The following season he would sign with Persepolis where he would remain for the rest of his career. With Persepolis he would win four national titles in 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2000 and finish runner up in 2001. While playing for Persepolis, he would go 802 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal.

Abedzadeh suffered a stroke in 2001 which signaled the end of his career. He required several surgeries after, and even to this day, has side effects from his stroke. In 2006 Persepolis would hold a testimonial game for him against Bayern Munich where the game stopped in the seventh minute as Abedzadeh came off the pitch to a standing ovation and officially hung up his boots.

Abedzadeh first represented Iran at the youth level in 1984 and then played for Iran’s B team in the 1986 Fajr International Tournament. After the mass resignation of national team players following the 1986 Asian Games, Abedzadeh was called up to the full national team and played in the unsuccessful 1988 Olympic qualifiers. Abedzadeh faced fierce competition from Rezaei and Mohtasham during preparation games and the actual qualifiers for the 1988 Asian Championship but would ultimately win the starting position and play in most of the games.

Other than a meaningless final group game in which he eventually came on as a sub, Abedzadeh started all games in the 1988 Asian Championship. This would be his first opportunity to showcase his penalty saving skills on a global stage as he would save a Saudi penalty kick during regulation time in the semifinals in addition to two Chinese kicks in a shootout enroute to a third place finish.

Abedzadeh would play every 1990 World Cup qualifier as Iran would fall short and fail to advance due to an inferior goal difference. With Parvin taking the reins, he seemingly fell out of favor but as the 1990 Asian Games neared his superb performances could not be ignored and he once again regained his starting spot in the national team. He would be ever present at the Asian Games, conceding only once in five games, while saving two North Korean penalty kicks in the shootout at the end of a scoreless tie in the Final to win gold.

The following year Abedzadeh would fall short against Algeria in the Afro-Asian Cup and would skip the 1992 Asian Championship qualifiers against inferior opposition, India and Pakistan. He would only concede once in the 1992 Asian Championship but it would be a crucial one against hosts Japan that condemned Iran to a 1-0 loss and group elimination.

Abedzadeh seemed to be rotating his position with Gholampour as the 1994 World Cup qualifiers approached but Abedzadeh’s participation would be a mere 13 minutes as a serious collision against Taiwan sidelined him for the rest of the campaign. The injury would also keep him out of the following year’s 1994 Asian Games.

Abedzadeh would play most of the 1996 Asian Championship qualifiers but come the actual tournament he would be replaced with Nakisa. He would not see playing time until a shootout loomed against the Saudies in the semifinals. Once again Abedzadeh would show his expertise by saving two Saudi kicks although Iran would ultimately end up losing. Abedzadeh would get his first start in the tournament in the third place match against Kuwait which also went to a shootout where he would not only unnerve Kuwaiti players prior to their kicks by readjusting the position of the ball but also would go on to save two Kuwaiti penalty kicks and help Iran earn a bronze medal.

Abedzadeh would once again become the starting keeper for the 1998 World Cup qualifiers in a marathon campaign which spanned most of 1997. Having finished second in the final group round and losing to Japan in an Asian playoff, Iran faced Australia in an intercontinental playoff. With the first leg tied 1-1 in Tehran, Iran faced a vicious onslaught by the Australians in Melbourne. Within the first five minutes Abedzadeh was forced to make three crucial saves and in spite of the pressure, Abedzadeh’s one-handed saves and calm demeanor, accompanied by smirks, smiles and chewing gum, gave the team confidence. In spite of Abedzadeh’s numerous saves, Australia would take a 2-0 lead but only for Iran to storm back and tie the game 2-2 and book their ticket to the World Cup on away goals.

Prior to Iran’s first game in the World Cup, Abedzadeh would suffer from knee issues and would give his spot to Nakisa for the opener against Yugoslavia. He would return for the second game against the United States. With Iran taking the lead, the US would find Abedzadeh impenetrable, most notably when he made a point blank save on a Hejduk shot from inside the six-yard box. 

It would be late in the game before the US would score but it would not be enough as Iran would come away 2-1 winners. In the final group game Iran faced defending champions Germany. While Abedzadeh kept a clean sheet for the first half, however, Germany would score twice in the second half to win 2-0. This would be Abedzadeh’s final national team game.

Following his retirement Abedzadeh acted as the goalkeeping coach for many clubs including Saipa, Esteghlal Ahvaz, Persepolis, Steel Azin and the Los Angeles Blues for which his son Amir also played. Amir, who was also a goalkeeper, would carve out a career in Europe, play for the Iranian national team and represent Iran in two World Cups (albeit from the bench).