Shojae Khalilzadeh (; born 14 May 1989) 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 lea ...

who plays as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

for

Persian Gulf Pro League The Persian Gulf Pro League (, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Premier League (, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is a professional association football league in Iran and the highest level of the Iranian football league s ...

club

Tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a Trailer (vehicle), trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or constructio ...

and

Iran national team Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. He is known for his pace, artistic tackles and positional sense.Shoja Khalilzadeh
at SofaScore Khalilzadeh starting his career in

Kerman Kerman (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kerman County), Central District of Kerman County, Kerman province, Kerman province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. History Kerman was founded as a def ...

where he moved to two clubs, first joining Mes Rafsanjan and then signing with

Mes Kerman Mes Kerman Football Club (, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e Sân't-e Mes Kârman'') is an Iranian professional association football, football team based in Kerman, Iran. They were promoted to Iran's top league, the Iran Pro League, in the 2005–06 season. ...

in 2010. His performance earned him a transfer to

Sepahan Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan Sport Club (, ''Bâšgâh-e Farhangi-Varzeši-ye Fulâd-e Mobârake-ye Sepâhân''), commonly known as Sepahan, is an Iranian sports club based in Isfahan. It is best known for their football section that play in the P ...

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

in 2013 and spent four years with ''Talaei Pooshan'', which included a successful loan spell with

Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...

. In May 2017, Khalilzadeh joined

Persepolis Persepolis (; ; ) was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (). It is situated in the plains of Marvdasht, encircled by the southern Zagros mountains, Fars province of Iran. It is one of the key Iranian cultural heritage sites and ...

side that he helped turn into one of the strongest on the continent, before joining Qatari side

Al-Rayyan Al Rayyan (; also spelled ''Ar Rayyan'') is the third-largest municipalities of Qatar, municipality in Qatar. Its primary settlement is the Al Rayyan (city), city of the same name, which occupies the entire eastern section and is a part of the Do ...

in October 2020.

Club career

Early years in Mazandaran

At the age of 16, Khalilzadeh started playing football with local youth teams for three years.

Mes Rafsanjan and Kerman

Khalilzadeh began his professional career with Mes Rafsanjan in 2008. He spent two seasons at Mes Rafsanjan in

Azadegan League The Azadegan League (, ''Lig-e Âzâdegân''), also known as League 1 (, ''Lig-e Yek''), is the second highest division of professional football in Iran. It was the top-level football league in Iran from its foundation in 1991 until 2001, when t ...

. In late June 2010, Khalilzadeh joined

Iran Pro League The Persian Gulf Pro League (, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Premier League (, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is a professional association football league in Iran and the highest level of the Iranian football league s ...

side

. He made a debut for the club under coach

Samad Marfavi Abdolsamad Marfavi (; born May 18, 1964, in Khorramshahr), better known as Samad Marfavi (Persian: ), is an Iranian football coach and former player. Club career He played the majority of his playing career for IPL giants Esteghlal. Internat ...

in the league 2010–11 season. In his second season, under Croatian coach

Miroslav Blažević Miroslav "Ćiro" Blažević (; 9 February 1935 – 8 February 2023) was a Bosnian-Croatian professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and Football player, player. A former right winger, his professional ...

, he reached with the team the semi-finals of the

2011–12 Hazfi Cup The 2011–12 Hazfi Cup was the 25th season of the Iranian football knockout competition. Persepolis were the defending champion but were eliminated by Esteghlal in the quarter-finals. This was the fourth consecutive win for Esteghlal against Per ...

. In June 2012, Khalilzadeh extended his contract for a third season a worth R800m. His performance did not go unnoticed, as Esteghlal,

and

teams showed interest in signing of the defender.

Sepahan and Tractor

In late June 2013, Khalilzadeh was presented as a player of Isfahani club

on a four-year contract. In his first season, under Croatian coach

Zlatko Kranjčar Zlatko "Cico" Kranjčar (; 15 November 1956 – 1 March 2021) was a Croatian professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and Football player, player. Kranjčar started his career as a player with GNK Dinam ...

, he formed a partnership in the heart of the Sepahan defensive with the

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Hadi Aghily Hadi Anvar Aghily (; born 15 January 1981) is a former Iranian professional Association football, footballer who played as a centre-back. Known for his toughness, positioning and intelligent movement, he was nominated for the Asian Player of The ...

. He helped the team to win the

2014–15 Persian Gulf Pro League The 2014–15 Persian Gulf Pro League (formerly known as Iran Pro League) was the 32nd season of Persian Gulf Pro League, Iran's Football League and 14th as Persian Gulf Pro League since its establishment in 2001. Foolad F.C., Foolad were the 2 ...

. Khalilzadeh was loaned to

to complete his mandatory military service. He was one of the best players under coach

Amir Ghalenoei Ardeshir "Amir" Ghalenoei (; born 22 November 1963) is an Iranian association football, football coach and former player who currently manages Iran national football team. He has been the most successful coach in the Iran Pro League and managed se ...

, the club reached the top of their group at the

2016 AFC Champions League The 2016 AFC Champions League was the 35th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 14th under the current AFC Champions League title. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors defeated Al ...

, outperforming the Saudi giant Al-Hilal. He returned to Sepahan at the end of the loan spell in July 2016. Sepahan coach

Abdollah Veisi Abdollah Veisi (, born 22 March 1971 in Ramhormoz, Khuzestan Province) is an Iranian retired Association football, football player and Coach (sport), manager, who is currently manager of Foolad F.C., Foolad in Persian Gulf Pro League. Playing car ...

talking about efforts to move Khalilzadeh to Persepolis in the 2016–17 season.2 سالی دنبال خریدش بود و بالاخره هم توانست او را جذب كند

Persepolis

On 6 May 2017, it was confirmed that Khalilzadeh would join the

champions

on a two-year contract to play under Croatian coach

Branko Ivanković Branko Ivanković (; born 28 February 1954) is a Croatian association football, football manager (association football), manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He was most recently the head coach of the China national football team ...

. In his debut match in the league, he scored his first goal against Foolad Khuzestan. He scored his second goal for Persepolis in the

2017 AFC Champions League The 2017 AFC Champions League was the 36th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 15th under the current AFC Champions League title. Urawa Red Diamonds defeated Al-Hil ...

quarter-finals match against Al Ahli. Persepolis reached the semi-final for the first time in its history before

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

imposed sanctions on the team's top scorer and the club. In his first season with the red half of

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

, ''

'', Khalilzadeh played 41 games and scored five goals. The following year was the most successful in Persepolis history against all odds, the ''Reds'' finished runner-up in the

2018 AFC Champions League The 2018 AFC Champions League was the 37th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 16th under the current AFC Champions League title. Kashima Antlers won the title for t ...

. Khalilzadeh was selected in two squads "Team of the Season" for his performance in the tournament. Persepolis was scoreless with Al Ahli on Matchday Three

2019 AFC Champions League The 2019 AFC Champions League was the 38th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament, organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 17th under the current AFC Champions League title. Al-Hilal defeated Urawa Red Diamo ...

, when Khalilzadeh showed superb agility to adjust his body and acrobatically

bicycle kick In association football, a bicycle kick, also known as an overhead kick or scissors kick, is an acrobatic strike where a player kicks an airborne ball rearward in midair. It is achieved by throwing the body backward up into the air and, before ...

home the opening goal, which was named as the best goal of the 2019 AFC Champions League by the fans. He scored two goals in the competition but his team were eliminated of the group stage. In the

2020 AFC Champions League The 2020 AFC Champions League was the 39th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 18th under the current AFC Champions League title. Ulsan Hyundai won their second Cham ...

, the last tournament before increasing the number of clubs to 40 teams, Khalilzadeh’s goal in the final minutes of the Al Taawoun match was a leap for the team after a faltering start in the tournament. In the

Round of 16 A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...

against Al-Sadd, the role and interventions of Khalilzadeh in the game were more influential, before Persepolis scored the winning goal in the 89th minute. He was also "Player of the Week" at the AFC Champions League

semi-final A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...

following his performance in his last match with the team against

Al Nassr Al-Nassr Football Club () is a professional football club based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The club competes in the Saudi Pro League, the top tier of the Saudi football league system. Al-Nassr is one of only three clubs to have participated ...

and help Persepolis to reach the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

, where the east champion was determined on 13 December. Khalilzadeh played a great role in winning three titles in the Iran Pro League and helped Persepolis to reach AFC Champions League final twice in three years.تیم رویایی مازنی‌های لیگ برتر نوزدهم
@shoja_khalilzadeh just doing his thing 🔥 #ACL
Since 2018, Khalilzadeh has been linked with a move to the

Qatar Stars League The Qatar Stars League (; abbreviated as QSL), known as Ooredoo Stars League for sponsorship reasons, is the top level football league in Qatar football league system. Contested by 12 teams, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation wi ...

and the

Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Super League (), commonly known as the Chinese Super League or the CSL (), also known as the China Resources Beverage Chinese Football Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Ch ...

. At the age of 31, before the start of the 2020–21 season, after not reaching an agreement to renew his contract, he moved to Qatar. Khalilzadeh was reportedly chosen as one of the candidates for the ''2020 Asian Footballer of the Year'' award before the award was confirmed to be cancelled in late December.

Al-Rayyan

On 25 October 2020,

announced on the last day of the summer

transfer window In association football, a transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club, club can add players to their squad who were previously under contract with another club. Such a Transfer (association football), transfer is comp ...

the signing of Khalilzadeh on a two-year contract a worth $700,000. It was his first career stop outside of his home country and became the second Iranian to play for Al-Rayyan since 1980s, after his former coach Ghasempour. Under the coach Aguirre, he played a

central defender In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

, and Mercado moved to the

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

in the following games. He scored his first goal with a side volley shot in a 2–1 victory against

Qatar SC Qatar Sports Club () is a sports club based in Doha, Qatar. It is best known for its football team which competes in the Qatar Stars League. The club was founded in 1961 with the merger of two Qatari football clubs, Al-Oruba and Al-Nasour. They ...

on 12 January 2021. The following week, Khalilzadeh scored his second goal with a counter-attack in a 3–0 win against

Al-Wakrah Al Wakrah () is the capital city of the Al Wakrah Municipality in Qatar. Al Wakrah's eastern edge touches the shores of the Persian Gulf and Qatar's capital Doha is situated immediately north of the city. Governed by Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Jassi ...

. As a defender and

deep-lying playmaker In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

behind the midfield, he played 26 games and scored three goals. Al-Rayyan finished third in the league. In late October 2021, Khalilzadeh extended his contract with the club until 2023.

International career

Khalilzadeh was invited to

in 2012 by

Carlos Queiroz Carlos Manuel Brito Leal de Queiroz (; born 1 March 1953) is a Portuguese football manager. He has served as the manager of his native Portugal's national team, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Iran, Colombia, Egypt and Qatar, leading ...

. He made his debut for the ''Team Melli'' in a 6–1 victory against Tajikistan national team. After seven years of notable absence from the international side, during the time of Queiroz and

Marc Wilmots Marc Robert Wilmots (born 22 February 1969) is a Belgian professional football manager and former player who is the sporting director of Standard Liège. During his club career as an attacking midfielder, he won trophies with KV Mechelen, Stand ...

, Khalilzadeh was call-up by new coach

Dragan Skočić Dragan Skočić (born 3 September 1968) is a Croatian professional association football, football coach and former player who is the manager of Iranian club Tractor S.C., Tractor. Skočić played as a midfielder in Croatia, Spain and the UAE for ...

in 2020 for a

friendlies An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the playe ...

against

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

and

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

, and to help in a difficult situation, after the failure in the

2019 AFC Asian Cup The 2019 AFC Asian Cup (or commonly called the Asian Cup 2019) was the 17th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international association football, football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ...

and two consecutive defeats from

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

and

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

in the

second round The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...

of qualifiers for the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

. The ''Team Melli'' finished top of the group stage, where they won all of his remaining four matches to qualify to

2023 AFC Asian Cup The 2023 AFC Asian Cup was the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It involved 24 national teams after its expansion in 20 ...

and the

final round A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...

of the World Cup.

Style of play

Regarded as one of the most reliable a defenders in the

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club association football, football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's List of top-division football clubs i ...

in high-pressure situations. He is known for his awareness, carrying the ball forward and also showed some impressive offensive ability. He is highly regarded by the fans and coaches for his on-the-pitch bravery. Khalilzadeh is the preferred defender for most coaches, especially the

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

and

Personal life

Khalilzadeh was born in the small village of Gālesh Kolā in Bahnemir District,

Babolsar County Babolsar County () is in Mazandaran province, Iran, on the Caspian Sea. Its capital is the city of Babolsar. History After the 2006 National Census, Fereydunkenar District was separated from the county in the establishment of Fereydunkenar ...

, Mazandaran Province, to a family working in agriculture and

fish farming Fish farming or pisciculture involves commercial breeding of fish, most often for food, in fish tanks or artificial enclosures such as fish ponds. It is a particular type of aquaculture, which is the controlled cultivation and harvesting of ...

on the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

Career statistics

Club

International

Shojae Khalilzadeh
at Team Melli :''Scores and results list Iran's goal tally first.''

Honours

Persepolis Pars Jonoubi Jam 16 May 2019 Thursday 15

Sepahan *

: 2014–15 Persepolis *

(3): 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20 *

Hazfi Cup Hazfi Cup (, ) formerly known as Pahlavi Cup () is an Iranian knockout football competition held annually by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran. The Iranian Football League, Iranian football league was not held during the 1980s, h ...

: 2018–19 *

Iranian Super Cup The Iranian Super Cup (Persian language, 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 ...

(3):

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

runner-up:

Tractor *

: 2024–25 Individual * AFC Champions League group stage Best Centre Defender: 2016, 2019According to Toyota Player of the Week (Stats Perform, OPTA, Voted by the fans), TheAFCCL and SofaScore. *

Best Centre Defender: 2018,

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

*AFC Champions League Team of the Year:

West *

Best Centre Defender: 2018–19 *AFC Champions League Best Goal: 2019, 2020 West *AFC Champions League OPTA Player of the Week: 2020 Semi-finals *AFC Champions League Top Passes:

(553 Passes as defender),

(598 Passes) *AFC Champions League group stage Top Long Passes:

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

West (58 Passes)Successful – Overall Passes: 392 (10th Place), 2021 ACL – Stats
14 July 2021.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Khalilzadeh, Shojae 1989 births Living people Footballers from Mazandaran province Iranian men's footballers Iran men's international footballers Men's association football defenders Mes Rafsanjan F.C. players Sanat Mes Kerman F.C. players Sepahan S.C. footballers Tractor S.C. players Persepolis F.C. players Al-Rayyan SC players Al Ahli SC (Doha) players Azadegan League players Persian Gulf Pro League players Qatar Stars League players Iranian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar Iranian expatriate sportspeople in Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup players 2023 AFC Asian Cup players 21st-century Iranian sportsmen