Morteza Pouraliganji ( fa, مرتضی پورعلی‌گنجی; born 19 April 1992) is an Iranian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays as a centre-back for

Persian Gulf Pro League The Persian Gulf Pro League ( fa, لیگ برتر خلیج فارس, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Pro League ( fa, links=no, لیگ برتر ایران, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is the highest division of profe ...

club

Persepolis , native_name_lang = , alternate_name = , image = Gate of All Nations, Persepolis.jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = Ruins of the Gate of All Nations, Persepolis. , map = , map_type ...

and

Iran national team Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. He represented

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, 2018 FIFA World Cup and the

2019 AFC Asian Cup The 2019 AFC Asian Cup was the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in the United Arab Emirates from 5 January to 1 F ...

Early life

Pouraliganji was born in Pain Ganj Afruz, a village in

Babol County Babol County ( fa, شهرستان بابل) is located in Mazandaran province, Iran. The capital of the county is Babol. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 464,538, in 125,187 households. Retrieved 3 November 2022 The following cen ...

Club career

Naft Tehran

Pouraliganji started his senior career with

Naft Tehran Naft Tehran Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال نفت تهران, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e Nuft Teheran'') is an Iranian football club based in Tehran, Iran. They competed in the Persian Gulf Pro League. They were owned by the National Ira ...

in 2010. He scored his first professional goal in 2011 in a 4–1 win against

Paykan The Paykan ( fa, پيکان meaning ''Arrow'') is the first Iranian-made car produced by Iran Khodro (formerly called "Iran National") between 1967 and 2005. The car was very popular in Iran from its introduction until its discontinuation. I ...

Tianjin Teda

He joined

Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Association Super League, commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the China Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional association ...

club

Tianjin Teda Tianjin Jinmen Tiger Football Club is a professional Chinese football club that currently participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in Tianjin, and their home stadium is t ...

on 25 February 2015 with a one–year contract. He made his first appearance for the club on 8 April 2015 in a match against

Henan Jianye Henan Songshan Longmen Football Club (), previously known as Henan Jianye Football Club (), is a professional football club that currently participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team ...

. On 4 June 2015 Pouraliganji scored his first goal for Tianjin in a 2–2 draw against

Guangzhou Evergrande Guangzhou Football Club, formerly known as Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao Football Club, is a professional Chinese football club that participates in the Chinese Super League under the license of the Chinese Football Association. The team is based ...

. He left the club at the end of the season after he decided not to renew his contract.

Al Sadd

On 8 January 2016 Pouraliganji rejected several offers from European and Chinese teams and accepted an offer from Qatar Stars League club

Al Sadd Al Sadd Sports Club ( ar, نادي السد الرياضي, lit=Dam Sports Club) is a Qatari sports club based in the Al Sadd district of the city of Doha. It is best known for its association football team, which competes in th ...

. He said that playing with Xavi was one of the main reasons he accepted this offer. He signed a four-month contract on 20 January 2016 until the end of the season. He scored his first goal for his new club in February 2016 in a 3–1 victory against Al Arabi. Pouralingaji decided to remain with Al Sadd for another season and he scored his first league goal of the 2016–17 season on 12 December 2016 in an 8–0 win against

Umm Salal Umm Salal (; also spelled Umm Slal) is a municipality in the State of Qatar. It contains several historic places, such as Barzan Tower. The municipal headquarters Umm Salal is located in Umm Salal Ali, about 10 km from the coast and 15 ...

. He scored again in the following match day on 16 December 2016 in a 3–1 victory against

Al-Sailiya SC Al-Sailiya Sports Club ( ar, نادي السيلية الرياضي) is a Qatari professional football club currently competing in the Qatar Stars League. They are based in Doha and play their home games at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium. History Al Sa ...

Persepolis

On 6 June 2022, Pouraliganji joined

side

on a two-year deal.

International career

Youth

Pouraliganji represented Iran U-17 in the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup. In 2012, he broke in to coach

Ali Reza Mansourian Alireza Mansourian ( fa, علیرضا منصوريان; born 2 December 1971) is an Iranian football coach and retired player. Club career Mansourian was born in Tehran. During his career, he played for Singapore S.League clubs: Balestier Khals ...

's squad and has been a regular feature ever since. He was named in the Iran U23 final list for

Incheon 2014 The 2014 Asian Games ( ko, 2014년 아시아 경기대회/2014년 아시안 게임, Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the 17th Asian Games ( ko, 제17회 아시아 경기대회/제17회 ...

Senior

Portugal and Iran match at the FIFA World Cup 2018 8

After his performance in Asian Games in October 2014,

Carlos Queiroz Carlos Manuel Brito Leal de Queiroz (; born 1 March 1953) is a Portuguese football coach who currently is the head coach of the Iran national team. He has served as the manager of his native Portugal's national team, the United Arab Emirat ...

called Pouraliganji up for a training camp in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. He played a friendly fixtures against Estroli and Benfica and was later called up for an

international friendly An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

against

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

on 18 November 2014. He was called into Iran's 2015 AFC Asian Cup squad on 30 December 2014, making his debut in a friendly match against

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

on 4 January 2015 which Iran won 1–0. Pouraliganji was selected to start in Iran's opening match at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, a 2–0 win over

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

. His good performance in Iran's second match against

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

earned him a place in the AFC Best 11 of Round 2. In the quarter-final match against Iraq, Pouraliganji scored his first goal for Iran as they drew 3–3 at

Canberra Stadium Canberra Stadium (GIO Stadium for commercial reasons) is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sports ven ...

and were eventually defeated 7–6 on a

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

. In May 2018 he was named in Iran's preliminary squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Statistics accurate as of match played 17 October 2023 .''

International goals

:''Scores and results list Iran's goal tally first.''

Iran U23

Iran

Honours

Club

;Al-Sadd *

Qatar Crown Prince Cup The Qatar Cup is a tournament in men's football. It is played by the top 4 teams of the Qatar Stars League The Qatar Stars League ( ar, دوري نجوم قطر), or the QSL, also called QNB Stars League for sponsorship reasons, is the top l ...

: 2017 * Qatar Emir Cup: 2017 *

Sheikh Jassim Cup The Sheikh Jassim Cup ( ar, كأس الشيخ جاسم) is an annual men's super cup competition in Qatari football held between the winner of the Qatar Stars League and the Emir of Qatar Cup. History The inaugural Sheikh Jassim Cup was held i ...

: 2017 ;Persepolis *

: 2022–23 *

Hazfi Cup Hazfi Cup (Jām-e Hazfi; ) is the Iranian football knockout cup competition, run by the Iranian Football Federation. The Iranian football league was not held during the 1980s, hence the winner of Hazfi Cup represented Iran in the Asian Club Ch ...

: 2022–23 *

Iranian Super Cup The Iranian Super Cup ( Persian: سوپر جام ایران, ''Super Jam-e 'Iran'') is an Iranian association football trophy awarded to the winner of a match between the Persian Gulf Pro League's season champion and the winner of the Hazfi Cup. I ...

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pouraliganji, Morteza 1992 births Living people Iranian men's footballers 2015 AFC Asian Cup players Iran men's international footballers Iranian expatriate men's footballers Naft Tehran F.C. players Tianjin Jinmen Tiger F.C. players Al Sadd SC players K.A.S. Eupen players Al-Arabi SC (Qatar) players Shenzhen F.C. players Expatriate men's footballers in China Persian Gulf Pro League players Chinese Super League players Qatar Stars League players Belgian Pro League players Sportspeople from Babol Men's association football central defenders Men's association football defenders Footballers at the 2014 Asian Games Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar Iranian expatriate sportspeople in Qatar 2018 FIFA World Cup players Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium 2019 AFC Asian Cup players Asian Games competitors for Iran Iranian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Iranian expatriate sportspeople in China Footballers from Mazandaran province Persepolis F.C. players 2022 FIFA World Cup players 21st-century Iranian people