Amir Abedzadeh

Amir Abedzadeh
Born	(1993-04-26) April 26, 1993 Tehran, Iran
Other names	Amir
Occupation	Professional footballer
Years active	2006–present
Known for	Goalkeeper for CD Castellón and Iran national team

Amir Abedzadeh (; born 26 April 1993), commonly referred to as Amir, is an Iranian professional footballer who occupies the position of goalkeeper for the Spanish side CD Castellón as well as the national team of Iran.

Youth career

Abedzadeh began his football journey at the Persepolis Youth Academy between 2006 and 2007, having been coached by his father since he was seven years old. At the age of 15, he relocated to the United Kingdom, where he spent two months training with third-division club Brentford and trialled at Arsenal before securing a place in Tottenham Hotspur’s youth setup in 2009. However, he departed Tottenham within the same year following their acquisition of goalkeeper Mirko Ranieri.

During his time in England, Abedzadeh also featured for several amateur youth sides including Dinamo Dorigo, London Tigers, and Persian FC, competing in the G.E. Roberts Enfield Football Alliance League.

United States

After being unable to obtain a work permit in the UK, Abedzadeh briefly returned to Iran where he trained with Steel Azin, a club coached by his father, to maintain his fitness. In 2011, he moved to the United States and signed with the Los Angeles Blues of the USL Championship, where his father served as an assistant coach. He made his debut on 7 June 2011 for Los Angeles Blues U-23 in the USL Premier Development League, recording eight saves though conceding five goals.

In 2012, despite having an option to join MLS team Chivas USA, Abedzadeh opted to renew his contract with the Blues.

Persepolis

On 15 July 2012, Abedzadeh secured a three-year deal with Persepolis. He competed with the Under-21 squad in the AFC Vision Asia U-21 Tehran Premier League and notably scored during a fixture against Niroye Zamini U21. He departed from Persepolis in 2014 without having featured for the senior team.

Rah Ahan

Abedzadeh signed a four-year contract with Rah Ahan on 3 July 2014, joining a squad where his father, Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh, was the goalkeeping coach. His professional debut occurred on 19 September 2014 when he came on as a substitute for the injured Igor Nenezić in a match against Persepolis. He was released after completing the 2014–15 season.

Marítimo

Following impressive performances at Barreirense in Portugal’s Campeonato de Portugal, Abedzadeh signed for Primeira Liga side Marítimo on 23 January 2017. He became Marítimo’s second Iranian goalkeeper after Alireza Haghighi. His first appearance came in September 2017 during a Portuguese League Cup fixture. On 14 October 2017, he achieved a clean sheet and earned Man of the Match honors in a Taça de Portugal third-round victory over União Torcatense.

Ponferradina

On 7 July 2021, Abedzadeh joined Spanish club SD Ponferradina, marking him as the first Iranian player to represent the team.

Return to Marítimo

After Marítimo was relegated to Liga Portugal 2 at the end of the prior season, they announced Abedzadeh’s return on 30 August 2023.

Castellón

Abedzadeh signed with Spanish Segunda División outfit CD Castellón on 16 July 2024.

International career

Abedzadeh was first summoned to Iran's under-17 squad for the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup, although he did not receive a subsequent call-up. Reflecting on his opportunities with the under-23 team, he mentioned that playing in England limited his visibility compared to domestic players, reducing his chances. He was included in Iran's roster for the 2014 AFC U-22 Championship but did not feature in any matches and was later selected for the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship qualification campaign.

Senior

On 5 November 2017, Abedzadeh earned his initial invitation to join the senior Iran national team for friendly matches against Panama and Venezuela. By June 2018, he secured a spot in Iran's final squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia, making his debut appearance on 19 May 2018 in a match versus Uzbekistan.

Personal life

He is the son of former goalkeeper for the Iranian national team, Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh.

Club

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
LA Blues	2011	USL Championship	4	0	—		—		4	0
	2012		10	0	—		—		10	0
	Total		14	0	—		—		14	0
Persepolis	2012–13	Pro League	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2013–14		0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	—		0	0
Rah Ahan	2014–15	Pro League	9	0	0	0	—		9	0
Barreirense	2016–17	Campeonato de Portugal	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
Marítimo	2017–18	Primeira Liga	8	0	3	0	4	0	15	0
	2018–19		13	0	0	0	1	0	14	0
	2019–20		25	0	1	0	0	0	26	0
	2020–21		29	0	0	0	0	0	29	0
	Total		75	0	4	0	5	0	84	0
Ponferradina	2021–22	Segunda División	35	0	0	0	—		35	0
	2022–23		30	0	0	0	—		30	0
	Total		65	0	0	0	—		65	0
Marítimo	2023–24	"Liga Portugal 2"	" 0"|"3"|" 0"|" 0"|" 0"|"20"|" 0"
Castellón	2024–25	Segunda División	3	0	2	0	۰	۰	5	۰
Career total			183	۰	9	۰	6	۰	198	۰

International

Data current as of the match held on 23 September 2022.

Iran

Honours

Persepolis

• Runner-up in the Iran Pro League: 2013–14
• Runner-up in the Hazfi Cup: 2012–13

Iran U-23

• Champion of the WAFF U-23 Championship: 2015