5 forgotten footballers you had no idea are now playing in Iran: Munir, Aurier… | OneFootball

Iran has a rich, vibrant footballing history and culture. The national team have made it to their fourth successive World Cup, while the nation’s Persian Gulf Pro League is home to a number of big, well-supported clubs.

It’s not all that often that familiar faces from the European game go over and play their football there, although there are always some notable exceptions.

We’ve taken a closer look at Iran’s top flight and have found five players you probably had no idea are now playing over there.

Didier Ndong

Once Sunderland’s record signing, the Gabon international’s debut season on Wearside was an epic disaster that ended in relegation.

The midfielder subsequently had a bit-part role in Sunderland ‘Til I Die before a curious half-season loan to Watford amounted to a grand total of zero appearances.

After being sacked for breach of contract, failing to show up for training following the Black Cats’ second successive drop, Ndong eventually got picked up by French outfit Guingamp.

Stints at Dijon, Yeni Malatyaspor and Al-Riyadh followed before his move to Persian Gulf Pro League side Esteghlal last summer.

Antonio Adan

Born and raised in the Spanish capital, Adan was handed his Real Madrid debut by Jose Mourinho back in 2011, but he never quite nailed down a place as Iker Casillas’ long-term successor as he might’ve hoped.

He later found a home with Real Betis, spending four years as their first-choice goalkeeper as they came back up through the Segunda Division and re-established themselves as a solid La Liga side.

After returning to Madrid as the back-up to Jan Oblak at Atletico Madrid, Adan spent four wildly successful years at Sporting Lisbon and won two Primeira Liga titles under Ruben Amorim.

Still going at the age of 38, he’s now seeing out the twilight years of his playing career alongside Ndong at Esteghlal.

Munir El Haddadi

The once highly-rated La Masia graduate never quite lived up to his potential after first breaking through at Barcelona over a decade ago.

Munir’s had a solid if unspectacular career as something of a La Liga journeyman, with Valencia, Sevilla, Alaves, Getafe, Leganes and Las Palmas all on his CV.

The 30-year-old Morocco international finally left Spain to take on a new challenge earlier this year, joining Esteghlal’s eclectic dressing room.

He’s notched three goals and three assists in 11 appearances for the club, at the time of writing.

Serge Aurier

So that’s where Aurier ended up.

The infamously erratic defender has had short but not especially successful stints with Villarreal, Nottingham Forest and Galatasaray since he left Tottenham back in 2021.

After a year without a club, Aurier signed for Tehran-based giants of the Iranian game Persepolis in July. He only made his debut for the club last month after testing positive for Hepatitis B in the club’s medical tests ruled him out of action for the first few months of the campaign.

Moussa Djenepo

You might remember Djenepo promising a lot (remember that solo goal against Sheffield United?) but ultimately delivering little in his Southampton days.

Just three goals and four assists in 73 Premier League appearances for Saints is a testament to that.

The Malian winger quietly left St. Mary’s following their 2023 relegation, returning to Standard Liege. But he struggled back in Belgium and was soon loaned out to Antalyaspor before being sold to Esteghlal this summer.