Karo Haghverdian ( hy, Կարո Հախվերդյան; fa, کارو حقوردیان; born January 11, 1945)
is a retired
Iranian Armenian
Iranian-Armenians ( hy, իրանահայեր ''iranahayer''), also known as Persian-Armenians ( hy, պարսկահայեր ''parskahayer''), are Iranians of Armenian ethnicity who may speak Armenian as their first language. Estimates of thei ...
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player.
Early life
Haghverdian started playing football at the age of 13 when he joined amateur side Gohar F.C.
Under the guidance of coach
Areshavir Yeritsian, Haghverdian developed into a star player for the team. However, his parents - worried about how his passion for football was affecting his schooling - cautioned Haghverdian to stop playing football and to concentrate on his studies instead.
Going against his parents' wishes, Haghverdian continued to play. His performances on the pitch helped his team win several local championships.
Career
In 1963, Haghverdian was spotted by
Ararat Tehran FC coach
Garnik Mehrabian
Garnik Mehrabian (September 1937 – 5 June 2022) was an Iranian Armenian football player and coach.
Managerial career
After retiring from professional football, Mehrabian received a coaching position from Iranian Armenian club Ararat Tehran ...
. Noticing his talent, Mehrabian immediately signed Haghverdian to a contract for the remainder of the season.
Haghverdian continued to play for the team for three seasons, until he was spotted by
Taj S.C. manager
Zdravko Rajkov.
Haghverdian spent 6 seasons with
Taj S.C., in where he participated in a record 17
Tehran derbys against rival
Persepolis F.C.
Persepolis Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال پرسپولیس, Bâšgâh-e Futbâl-e Perspolis) is an Iranian professional football club based in Tehran, that competes in the Persian Gulf Pro League.
Persepolis was founded in 1 ...
International
Haghverdian received 23 caps by the
Iran national football team, scoring his only goal against
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
in the
1970 RCD Cup
The RCD Cup 1970 was the fourth edition of the RCD Cup professional football tournament, held in Tehran, Iran in 1970. This was a three-nation tournament played in league format between Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey XI.
In this tournament, Turkey ...
.
References
کارو حقوردیان - جام تخت جمشید
External sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Haghverdian, Karo
Living people
1945 births
Footballers from Tehran
Armenian men's footballers
Iranian men's footballers
Iranian people of Armenian descent
Iran men's international footballers
F.C. Ararat Tehran players
Esteghlal F.C. players
Asian Games gold medalists for Iran
Asian Games medalists in football
1968 AFC Asian Cup players
Footballers at the 1970 Asian Games
Footballers at the 1974 Asian Games
Men's association football midfielders
Medalists at the 1974 Asian Games