Habibi, Hasan

Hasan Habibi (حسن حبیبی) is a former Iranian defender who played his entire club soccer in Tehran. Habibi was born in Kerman in 1940, but at the age of four his family moved to Tehran, where his father found a job as a clerk for the Ministry of Health. His interest in soccer developed in the local dirt fields of Charsad Dastgah neighborhood. Upon starting high school (grade 7), he joined the school’s team at which he finished second in Tehran’s school championship. He switched schools for his second half of high school and captained his new team to three consecutive runner-up positions. During this time he would also play volleyball for his school.

After high school Habibi joined Tehran club Shahin FC and began lining up for their affiliate youth club Koolak FC. Habibi would spend two years with Shahin and before long would be recommended to the main team. He would make a number of appearances for them, including against foreign opposition Dinamo Tbilisi from the Soviet Union and Hungarian Újpest FC. Ironically a match between a Shahin Affiliated team and a Charsad Dastgah selection would lead to Habibi leaving Shahin. In protest to the one-sided officiating against his old neighborhood team, Habibi (and a number of other players) separated himself from Shahin and joined Taj (currently Esteghlal).  

He would accompany Taj to Isfahan in 1959 and win the unofficial national championship. He would then captain Taj’s reserve team (named Sepah) through qualifying games in Hamedan and another unofficial national championship in Sari in which they would finish runner-up behind Shahin of Abadan. At the local level he would go on to win the 1959-60 Tehran League, the Tehran Cup in October of 1960 and the Tehran League a year later. He would finish in third place in the 1962 Tehran League Championship while winning another league title the following season (1962-63) before once again changing clubs.

In the spring of 1963 Habibi took part in the military academy entrance exam and was admitted. As such and for the rest of his career, Habibi would join the military affiliated club team Pas. In the 1965-66 Tehran League season and going into the final stretch, Taj, Shahin, Daraei and Pas were all still vying for first place. On the final day Pas would face Habibi’s former club Taj and following a late goal would win 1-0 for Habibi to win a championship with his new club.

Habibi would win two unofficial national championships in 1967 and 1968. He would guide Pas to the 1968 and 1970 Tehran Cup championship. In between Habibi would become Iran’s 1969 footballer of the year. He would remain with Pas until 1971, becoming player-coach in his last 2 years before finally hanging up his boots.

He would receive his first callup to the national team for the qualifiers for the 1960 Asian Championship although he would not see any playing time. A rather inactive period for the national team would mean that he would not break into the starting lineup until the 1964 Olympic qualifiers in which Iran would emerge triumphant. Habibi would start all 3 games in the 1964 Olympics although ultimately Iran would finish bottom of its group with a solitary tie and two losses.

He would lead Iran to first place in the 1965 RCD Cup. The following year he would feature prominently in the 1966 Asian Games. While Ranjbar would start as captain but prior to, and including the Final, Habibi would captain the side enroute to a silver medal finish.

Habibi would take part in another RCD Cup in 1967 before hosting the 1968 Asian Championship on home soil. He would start all 4 games, as Iran’s solid backline would only concede 2 goals and Habibi (as captain) and Iran win their first continental championship.

Habibi would play in 2 more RCD Cups in 1969 and 1970, winning the latter edition. A 7-0 win against Pakistan and 1-1 tie against Turkey enabled Habibi to lift another trophy. He ended his international career at the 1970 Asian Games where he once again captained Iran although weak results in the group stage signaled an early elimination.

Almost six months later he would receive a farewell match when a handpicked selection, mainly teammates of Habibi during the 1966 Asian Games and 1968 Asian Championship, took the field against a Tehran youth selection that also included English great Stanley Matthews (although Matthews ultimately did not take the field).

Following his retirement Habibi quickly immersed himself in coaching classes. He would take the reins of Pas and guide them through all 6 seasons of the Takht’e Jamshid Cup. Under his guidance Pas won back-to-back championships in 1976-77 and 1977-78. He could have possibly won a third consecutive championship, but the league was cancelled and eventually folded with the arrival of the Iranian revolution.

In 1979 he coached the national team, which then qualified for the 1980 Summer Olympics. However the Iran Football Federation boycotted the event due to occupation of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union. He then guided the national team to a bronze medal at the 1980 Asian Championship. He left his position after the resignation of Nasser Noamooz, who was the Iranian Football Federation's General Secretary.

He would almost immediately begin coaching club team Ararat in the Tehran League and ultimately have them promoted to the Azadegan league. He performed double duty in 1991 by coaching the U23 national team in the Olympic qualifiers. While ultimately he would fall short of qualification but in the process he would introduce youngsters such as Manafi, Shahroudi and Azizi to the national team selection. He would extend his coaching career with Bargh of Shiraz and Esteghlal of Ahvaz.