Name: Nasser Hejazi
Nickname: "the legendary Iranian goalkeeper"




Country: Iran
Club: Taj S.C. (1969-1976), Shahbaz F.C. (1976-1980)
Position: *GK
Side: RF/BS
Age: 23-29 years (19/12/1949)

Height: 186 cm
Weight: 79 kg


Attack: 30
Defence: 90
Balance: 85
Stamina: 66
Top Speed: 66
Acceleration: 68
Response: 85
Agility: 75
Dribble Accuracy: 50
Dribble Speed: 50
Short Pass Accuracy: 52
Short Pass Speed: 54
Long Pass Accuracy: 60
Long Pass Speed: 55
Shot Accuracy: 44
Shot Power: 78
Shot Technique: 44
Free Kick Accuracy: 45
Curling: 45
Header: 47
Jump: 81
Technique: 53
Aggression: 61
Mentality: 77
Goalkeeper Skills: 93
Team Work: 77

Injury Tolerance: B
Condition: 5
Weak Foot Accuracy: 4
Weak Foot Frequency: 3
Consistency: 6
Growth type: Standard/Lasting

CARDS:

SPECIAL ABILITIES:

Attack/Defence Awareness Card: Defence Minded


INFO:
Hejazi was a goalkeeper. He spent the majority of his career at Esteghlal, where he played from 1969 to 1976 ─ the club was still known as Taj ─ and from 1980 to 1986. He had a good spell at Shahbaz from 1976 to 1980. He retired in 1987 after one seasons at Bangladeshi team Mohammedan. He capped for Iran 62 times, winning the 1972 AFC Asian Cup and taking part to the 1978 FIFA World Cup where he had excellent performances, especially in the 1-1 draw against Scotland. He received an offer from Manchester United after the World Cup, training with the "Red Devils" for a month and appearing in a reserve match against Stoke City. The English club wanted to keep him for a few more months but Hejazi had to return to Iran due to political issues with the Iranian Football Federation. Hejazi without a doubt the greatest goalkeeper Iran ever produced and many consider him the greatest in Asian football history. In 2000, AFC ranked him the second greatest Asian goalkeeper of the XX century.
Distinguished for his tall and athletic physique, long arms and goalkeeping skills, Hejazi possessed excellent sense of position between the posts and catching ability that allowed him to defend his goal effectively and stop most shots without much effort. He deflected the ball away less frequently, probably when he wasn't sure about catching it. He didn't have a remarkable jump but thanks to his confidence inside the box and the ability to understand the trajectory of the ball, he could catch crosses and save high shots efficiently. He commanded his area well, coming off his goal when necessary and controlling the space around him to make sure that his defenders didn't get in trouble with the ball. In fact, his defenders often passed the ball back to him as he was always ready to handle it and immediately start another action with a long kick with his right foot. He sustained some injuries throughout the years but they didn't stop him from having a quite enduring career.