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Mehdi Ghayedi

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Mehdi Ghayedi
Ghayedi with Esteghlal in 2023
Personal information
Full name Mehdi Ghayedi[1]
Date of birth (1998-12-05) 5 December 1998 (age 27)
Place of birth Bushehr, Iran[1]
Height 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)[2]
Position(s)
Team information
Current team
Al-Nasr
Number 10
Youth career
2011–2012 Iranjavan
2012–2013 Esteghlal Bushehr
2013–2016 Shahin Bushehr
2016 Iranjavan
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2017 Iranjavan 29 (10)
2017–2021 Esteghlal 81 (19)
2021–2025 Shabab Al Ahli 22 (4)
2022–2023Esteghlal (loan) 29 (12)
2023–2025Kalba (loan) 48 (28)
2025– Al-Nasr 6 (2)
International career
2017 Iran U20 2 (1)
2018–2020 Iran U23 8 (2)
2020– Iran 27 (9)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 6 January 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 25 March 2025

Mehdi Ghayedi (Persian: مهدی قایدی; born 5 December 1998) is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a winger or second striker for UAE Pro League club Al-Nasr and the Iran national team.

Club career

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Iranjavan Bushehr

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Ghayedi was born in Bushehr and began his career at the youth level with local side Iranjavan Bushehr.[3] After his promotion to the senior squad, he was named the 2016–17 Azadegan League Young Player of the Season for scoring 10 league goals.[4]

Esteghlal

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Ghayedi playing for Esteghlal in 2017

On 8 June 2017, Ghayedi signed a three-year contract with Esteghlal.[5] Upon signing, he was given the number 16.[6]

At the start of the 2017–18 season, the FFIRI barred Ghayedi from playing for Esteghlal, along with club teammates Majid Hosseini and Omid Noorafkan, as the three were expected to join the Iran under-23 training camp.[7] However, the order was cancelled on 29 July 2017, with Ghayedi missing only the first week of the new season.[8] He made his debut for Esteghlal as a substitute on 4 August 2017 in a 0–0 draw against Esteghlal Khuzestan, becoming the youngest league player to ever play for the club.[9][10] Despite limited minutes, Ghayedi was praised on his debut for his skills and effort.[11]

Ghayedi made his first start for the club in a 3–0 victory over Sepahan on 6 December 2017.[12] On 25 January 2018, he was named man of the match for his performance in a 4–0 victory against Pars Jonoubi Jam, during which he provided an assist and won a penalty kick.[13]

On 29 January 2018, Ghayedi was involved in a serious car crash in his hometown of Bushehr, along with friends and a cousin, who died a few days later.[14] As a result of the accident, Ghayedi required surgery on his spleen and was ruled out for the rest of the season.[15] A day later, Esteghlal beat Sanat Naft in Hazfi Cup, and Ghayedi's teammates dedicated the victory to him.[16]

Shabab Al Ahli

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During the summer of 2021, Ghayedi was heavily linked with a move to Qatari side Al-Gharafa.[17] However on 23 August 2021, he signed for Emerati side Shabab Al Ahli on a five-year contract.[18]

International career

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Youth

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Ghayedi was selected by manager Amir Hossein Peiravani to join the Iran under-20 team for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. After sitting on the bench for Iran's opening match against Costa Rica, Ghayedi made his tournament debut against Zambia, playing for 18 minutes in Iran's 4–2 defeat.[19] He also played for a few minutes against Portugal as Iran lost the match and was knocked out of the competition.[20]

Senior

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Ghayedi with Iran at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup

On 8 October 2020, Ghayedi made his senior international debut in a friendly against Uzbekistan.[21]

Style of play

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Ghayedi often uses nutmeg skill for dribbling in one-on-one situations. He is also known for his use of long range shots.[22]

Personal life

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Political views

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On 24 January 2026, Ghayedi shared on Instagram a poem by the 11th-century Persian poet Ferdowsi, "Surely, come to mourn with us... from the sight of the blood that has fallen to the earth." He did so in reaction to a video from the 2025–2026 Iranian protests showing a father in Kahrizak searching for the body of his son, who was killed by regime forces.[23] On 31 January, rumors began circulating that Ghayedi would withdraw from the national team in response to the government's suppression of the protests; however, the FFRI dismissed the claims as false.[24]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 6 January 2026[25]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps goals
Iranjavan 2016–17 Azadegan League 29 10 1 0 30 10
Esteghlal 2017–18 Persian Gulf Pro League 12 0 2 0 1[b] 0 15 0
2018–19 Persian Gulf Pro League 10 3 2 0 3[b] 0 15 3
2019–20 Persian Gulf Pro League 30 10 5 2 6[b] 3 41 15
2020–21 Persian Gulf Pro League 29 6 5 0 6[b] 3 40 9
Total 81 19 14 2 16 6 111 27
Shabab Al Ahli 2021–22 UAE Pro League 22 4 3 1 1 0 0 0 26 5
Esteghlal (loan) 2022–23 Persian Gulf Pro League 29 12 5 0 1[c] 0 35 12
Kalba FC (loan) 2023–24 UAE Pro League 25 12 3 3 0 0 6 1 34 16
2024–25 UAE Pro League 23 16 2 2 0 0 1 0 26 19
Total 48 28 5 5 0 0 7 1 60 34
Al-Nasr 2025–26 UAE Pro League 6 2 0 0 0 0 5 2 11 4
Career total 215 75 28 8 17 6 13 3 273 92
  1. ^ Includes Hazfi Cup, UAE League Cup and UAE President's Cup
  2. ^ a b c d Appearance(s) in AFC Champions League
  3. ^ Appearance in Iranian Super Cup

International

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As of match played 25 March 2025[26][27]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Iran 2020 2 1
2021 6 1
2023 2 0
2024 15 7
2025 2 0
Total 27 9
Scores and results list Iran's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ghayedi goal.
List of international goals scored by Mehdi Ghayedi
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 12 November 2020 Koševo City Stadium, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina  Bosnia and Herzegovina 2–0 2–0 Friendly
2 11 June 2021 Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain  Cambodia 9–0 10–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
3 9 January 2024 Al Rayyan Training, Al Rayyan, Qatar  Indonesia 4–0 5–0 Friendly
4 5–0
5 14 January 2024 Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar  Palestine 3–0 4–1 2023 AFC Asian Cup
6 19 January 2024 Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar  Hong Kong 1–0 1–0 2023 AFC Asian Cup
7 26 March 2024 Ashgabat Stadium, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan  Turkmenistan 1–0 1–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
8 10 September 2024 Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates  United Arab Emirates 1–0 1–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
9 14 November 2024 New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane,Laos  North Korea 1–0 3–2 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

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Esteghlal[25]

Individual

References

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  1. ^ a b "Mehdi Ghayedi". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Personal details". esteghlal fc. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  3. ^ آشنایی با باشو غریبه‌ی کوچک (المهدی گاییدی)آبی‌های تهران (in Persian).
  4. ^ "مهدی قائدی، پدیده لیگ یک در فصل ۹۵-۹۶" (in Persian).
  5. ^ قائدی رسما استقلالی شد (in Persian).
  6. ^ عجیب ترین پیراهن استقلال بر تن پژمان منتظری (in Persian).
  7. ^ "محرومیت 3 بازیکن استقلال از هفته اول لیگ" (in Persian).
  8. ^ محرومیت سه بازیکن استقلال لغو شد (in Persian).
  9. ^ "استقلال 0 - استقلال خوزستان 0؛ آبی‌ها شاکی از داور و دیوار" (in Persian).
  10. ^ قائدی رکورد جوان‌ترین بازیکن تاریخ استقلال را در لیگ برتر شکست (in Persian). 6 August 2017.
  11. ^ نیمار در آزادی، نه در پاریس! (in Persian).
  12. ^ "استقلال 3-0 سپاهان؛ در روز سوپر گل ها، طلسم های استقلال شکسته شد" (in Persian). 11 August 2017.
  13. ^ "استقلال 4- پارس جم 0؛ خط آتش آبی فاتح روز جنجالی" [Esteghlal 4 Pars Jam 0;] (in Persian). Varzesh3.com. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  14. ^ آخرین اخبار از وضعیت مهدی قائدی بعد از تصادف [Latest news on Mehdi Ghaedi after the accident] (in Persian). Varzesh3.com. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  15. ^ آخرین وضعیت روند درمان و آسیب دیدگی قائدی [Mehdi Ghaedi's latest injury and therapy situation] (in Persian). Varzesh3.com. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  16. ^ خوشحالی شجاعیان با پیراهن مهدی قائدی [Shojaeian's celebration with Mehdi Ghay edi's shirt.] (in Persian). Varzesh3.com. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  17. ^ لاعب الاستقلال الإيراني مهدي قايدي في طريقه إلى الغرافة. استاد الدوحة (in Arabic). 13 August 2021.
  18. ^ @AlBayanSports (23 August 2021). شركة نادي شباب الأهلي لكرة القدم، تتعاقد مع اللاعب الدولي الإيراني مهدي قائدي "22 سنة" لمدة 5 مواسم، تدعيماً لصفوف الفريق الأول للمرحلة المقبلة (Tweet) (in Arabic) – via Twitter.
  19. ^ "ایران 2 - زامبیا 4 ؛ توفان آفریقایی در 10 دقیقه" (in Persian).
  20. ^ "ایران 1- پرتغال 2؛ با دو ویدئو چک حذف شدیم" (in Persian).
  21. ^ "Uzbekistan vs. Iran 1 - 2". soccerway.com. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  22. ^ گل اول استقلال به پرسپولیس توسط قایدی. ویدیو ورزش سه (in Persian). 26 August 2020.
  23. ^ https://www.iranintl.com/202601244057
  24. ^ https://www.iranintl.com/202601310090
  25. ^ a b Mehdi Ghayedi at Soccerway
  26. ^ "Statistics: Iran [Team Melli]".
  27. ^ "Ghayedi, Mehdi". National Football Teams. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  28. ^ "Mehdi Ghayedi wins Asia's Choice – Best Young Player of 2020". the-AFC.
  29. ^ "Team of the Tournament". Instagram.com. AFC Asian Cup. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
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