Hossein Kanaanizadegan
Iranian footballer
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Mohammad Hossein Kanaanizadegan (Persian: محمدحسین کنعانیزادگان; born 23 March 1994), known as Hossein Kanaani, is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Persian Gulf Pro League club Persepolis which he captains and the Iran national team.[2][3]
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Kanani Zadegan in Persepolis training in 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mohammad Hossein Kanaanizadegan[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 23 March 1994 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bandar-e Mahshahr, Iran | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Positions | |||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Persepolis | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2013 | Persepolis | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2016 | Persepolis | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | → Beira-Mar (loan) | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | → Malavan (loan) | 48 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Esteghlal | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Saipa | 7 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Machine Sazi | 27 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Persepolis | 51 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Al Ahli | 41 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Persepolis | 71 | (10) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2011 | Iran U17 | 25 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Iran U20 | 19 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | Iran U23 | 5 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015– | Iran | 67 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 7 September 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 27 June 2026 | |||||||||||||||||
Club career
Persepolis
He joined Persepolis in January 2012. He signed a 2+1⁄2-year contract until the end of 2013–14 season with the club.[4] He made his debut for Persepolis as a starter against Foolad in the final fixture of the 2011–12 Iran Pro League.[5] He played for Persepolis U21 in AFC Vision Asia U21 Tehran Premier League.
Loan to Beira Mar
Kanaani joined Portuguese club Beira Mar on loan in August 2013, but due to work permit issues he returned to Iran without playing a match.
Loan to Malavan
He joined Malavan on a two–year loan to spend his conscription period in summer 2014. Kanaani scored his first goal for Malavan in a 1–1 draw against Esteghlal.
Esteghlal
In May 2016, after completing his two–year conscription period at Malavan, it was thought Kanaani would return to his original club, Persepolis. However, Kanaani rejected Persepolis' offer and joined rivals Esteghlal. Shortly after joining the club, Kanaani suffered a season-ending injury after only playing two games. He was released by Esteghlal at the end of the season having only played two games for the club.
Saipa
He played the 2017–18 season for Saipa FC.[6]
Machine Sazi
He joined Machine Sazi for the 2018–19 season.[7] He finished the 2018–19 Persian Gulf Pro League at Machine Sazi F.C. with 27 appearances and 1 goal.
Persepolis
On 7 July 2019, Kanaanizadegan signed a two-year[8] contract with Persian Gulf Pro League champions Persepolis.[9][10] Kanaanizadegan scored his first goal for Persepolis in a 1–0 victory over Sanat Naft Abadan on 16 September 2019.[11][12][13]
Al Ahli
On 2 August 2021, Kanaanizadegan joined Qatari top flight football club Al Ahli on a two-year deal.[14][15][16] His performance in the new team led to new offers from Iran.[17]
Return to Persepolis
On 8 July 2023, Kanaanizadegan signed a new two-year contract with Persepolis.[18][19]
International career
U17
He played two matches at the 2010 Asian U16 Championships.
U20
He started in all four games for the 2012 Asian U19 Championship Qualifiers helping the team keep a clean sheet in all of them. He started in Iran's first game during the championships, helping Team Meli keep a clean sheet as well as hitting the bar from 30 meters out. He was part of Iran U–20 during the 2012 AFC U-19 Championship qualification, 2012 CIS Cup, 2012 AFF U-19 Youth Championship and 2012 AFC U-19 Championship.
U23
He was invited to the Iran U-23 training camp by Nelo Vingada[20] in preparation for Incheon 2014 and the 2016 AFC U-22 Championship (Summer Olympic qualification). He was named in the Iran U23 final list for Incheon 2014.[21]
Senior
Kanaanizadegan made his debut against Uzbekistan in a friendly match on 11 June 2015. He also played against Turkmenistan on 16 June 2015. He scored his first goal for the team with the third goal in the 14–0 thrashing of Cambodia in the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers on 10 October 2019.[22] He scored his second goal for the team with a header against Syria on 30 March 2021.[23] Scored two goals in a friendly against Qatar on the 17th of October, 2023
Career statistics
Club
- As of 7 September 2026
| Club | Division | Season | League | Hazfi Cup | Asia | Super Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Persepolis | Pro League | 2011–12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2013–14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2019–20 | 27 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 32 | 1 | |||
| 2020–21 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | 26 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 34 | 6 | |||
| 2024–25 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 3 | ||
| 2025–26 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 19 | 3 | ||||
| 2026–27 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 123 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 161 | 14 | ||
| Malavan | Pro League | 2014–15 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 1 | ||
| 2015–16 | 28 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 47 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 49 | 3 | ||||
| Esteghlal | Pro League | 2016–17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| Saipa | 2017–18 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 3 | |||
| Machine Sazi | 2018–19 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 1 | |||
| Al Ahli | QSL | 2021–22 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 41 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 42 | 7 | ||||
| Career Total | 247 | 26 | 14 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 290 | 28 | ||
International
- As of match played 27 June 2026[24]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iran | 2015 | 2 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 13 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 67 | 6 | |
- Scores and results list Iran's goal tally first.score column indicates score after each Kanaanizadegan goal [25]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 10 October 2019 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran |  Cambodia | 3–0 | 14–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 30 March 2021 |  Syria | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 3. | 17 October 2023 | Amman International Stadium, Amman |  Qatar | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2023 Jordan International Tournament |
| 4. | 4–0 | |||||
| 5. | 21 March 2024 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran |  Turkmenistan | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6. | 3–0 |
Under-20
| International U-20 goals | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 November 2012 | Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates |  Japan | 2–0 | Win | 2012 AFC U-19 Championship | |
Honours
- Persepolis
- Persian Gulf Pro League (3): 2019–20, 2020–21, 2023–24
- Hazfi Cup: Runner-up 2012–13
- Iranian Super Cup (2): 2019, 2020
- AFC Champions League runner-up: 2020
Personal life
Due to his long and difficult surname, he is often known as "Kanaani".
During the Mahsa Amini protests, Kanaanizadegan supported fellow footballer Amir Reza Nasr Azadani, who was jailed as a result of the protests, by posting a picture of the latter with calls for the authorities to not execute Azadani.[26]
