Farhad Majidi

Farhad Majidi (; born 3 June 1976) is an Iranian football coach and former player who most recently manages Al Bataeh Club.

He mostly played as attacking midfielder for Esteghlal when he was a football player. He scored 2 important goal for AlAin at 2002–03 AFC Champions League

Club career Having played for Esteghlal Tehran for several seasons, Majidi's performance attracted Rapid Vienna to recruit him for one season. However, the offer for a permanent transfer to Austria was not accepted by the Austrians, and they released Majidi who joined Al-Wasl in the UAE.

In the UAE League and in combination with his compatriot Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht, Majidi scored a handful of goals and topped the league chart with Al Wasl. Majidi was unlucky with injuries and was out of action for quite a few matches. One of the highlights of Majidi's career was his short loan to Al-Ain. Majidi was the star of the 2002–03 AFC Champions League semi-final game against Dalian Shide. His goal helped Al Ain to reach the AFC Champions League final match, eventually winning the trophy for the first time in the club's history.

All together in the five years Majidi played for Al Wasl FC, he scored over 100 goals. He played until the end of the season at Al Gharafa and his contract was expired on 1 July 2012. Majidi announced his retirement from football on 28 September 2012 after Esteghlal refused to offer him a contract extension. but upon request of Esteghlal fans and management, he later withdrew his decision and rejoined the team with an 18-months contract on 18 December 2012. He then won the league title with the team and scored six goals. Finally, Majidi retired for the second time as a football player on 29 October 2013 after Esteghlal was unable to qualified to the finals of the 2013 AFC Champions League.

International career He made his debut for Iran national football team in December 1996 in the 1996 Asian Cup match against Saudi Arabia. He was occasionally getting called up but never became a regular starter till the arrival of Branko Ivankovic where he was experiencing the top of his football. He was mostly benched by Ivankovic because of Ali Daei and Arash Borhani and decided to leave Team Melli camp in 2004 just before the 2004 AFC Asian Cup where Iran lost the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Jordan in Tehran and he was benched for the whole match. Before the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he was called for a few friendlies but could not break it through to the tournament. Majidi was invited by Amir Ghalenoei and Afshin Ghotbi in 2006 and 2009 for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification and 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification for a couple of matches and was used as the substitute. He was called for few friendlies three months before 2011 AFC Asian Cup but decided to announce his retirement. Majidi was again invited on 23 August 2011 by Carlos Queiroz. He was the oldest player in the Iran national team since he had been a member of the team since 1996, however Majidi does not have many international caps. Farhad Majidi and the Persepolis captain, Ali Karimi, were considered two of the fans' favorite players during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification. On 27 September 2011, Majidi announced his retirement from national playing.

Personal life On 11 January 2026, Majidi publicly supported the 2025–2026 Iranian protests on his Instagram by criticizing the Iranian government's internet blackout, stating, "Iran's internet has been shut down, but the voices can still be heard." On 24 January, he said, "The religious leaders destroyed the celebrations and looted the country's money, and this is what happened to us. Condolences to all the people of my country, Iran." Majidi also reposted a video on his Instagram of an elderly individual reciting poetry describing the Islamic Republic's destruction of Iran, saying, "If there is no art and freedom in a society, violence will take its place. Art, freedom, and literacy have been eliminated from our country for years."

Club statistics

Assists

International goals Scores and results list Iran's goal tally first. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 4 June 1997Abbasiyyin Stadium, Damascus, Syria 4–0 7–0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification 2 7–0 3 16 August 2000 Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran 2–1 2–1 Friendly 4 1 September 2000 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 1–0 1–5 5 24 November 2000 Takhti Stadium, Tabriz, Iran 1–0 19–0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification 6 16–0 7 18–0 8 17 November 2002 Sabah Al Salem Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait 3–1 3–1 Friendly 9 26 September 2003 Al-Hassan Stadium, Amman, Jordan 2–2 2–3 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification 10 21 June 2004 Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran 7–1 7–1 2004 WAFF Championship

Managerial statistics

Team From ToRecordGWDLGFGAGDWin % Esteghlal (caretaker) 29 April 2019 1 June 2019 Iran U23 10 June 2019 6 October 2019 Esteghlal 2 January 2020 5 September 2020 3 March 2021 1 June 2022 Kalba 4 June 2022 2 March 2024Al Bataeh 13 January 2025 present Total coaching for Esteghlal Total The result of wins and losses on penalties is calculated in the statistics of wins and losses.

Honours Player Club

Esteghlal Persian Gulf Pro League: 1997–98, 2008–09, 2012–13 Hazfi Cup: 2007–08 AFC Champions League runner-up: 1998–99 AFC Champions League semi final:2013

Al-Ain AFC Champions League: 2002–03

Al-Ahli UAE Football League: 2005–06

Al-Gharafa Emir of Qatar Cup: 2012

National Iran WAFF Championship: 2004

Manager Esteghlal Persian Gulf Pro League: 2021–22 Hazfi Cup runner-up: 2019–20, 2020–21