Mehdi Ghayedi
Iranian footballer (born 1998)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
|
Ghayedi with Esteghlal in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mehdi Ghayedi[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 5 December 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Bushehr, Iran[1] | ||
| Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)[2] | ||
| Positions | |||
| 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) |
| 2022–2023 | → Esteghlal (loan) | 29 | (12) |
| 2023–2025 | → Kalba (loan) | 48 | (28) |
| 2025– | Al-Nasr | 6 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017 | Iran U20 | 2 | (1) |
| 2018–2020 | Iran U23 | 8 | (2) |
| 2020– | Iran | 29 | (10) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 6 January 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 31 March 2026 | |||
Club career
Iranjavan Bushehr
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
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
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
Youth
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
_(cropped).jpg)
On 8 October 2020, Ghayedi made his senior international debut in a friendly against Uzbekistan.[21]
Style of play
Personal life
Political views
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
Club
- As of match played 6 January 2026[25]
| 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 | ||
- Includes Hazfi Cup, UAE League Cup and UAE President's Cup
- Appearance(s) in AFC Champions League
- Appearance in Iranian Super Cup
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iran | 2020 | 2 | 1 |
| 2021 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 15 | 7 | |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 2 | 1 | |
| Total | 29 | 10 | |
- Scores and results list Iran's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ghayedi goal.
| 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 |
| 10 | 31 March 2026 | Corendon Airlines Park, Antalya, Turkey |  Costa Rica |
5–0 | 5–0 | 2026 Jordan International Tournament |
Honours
Esteghlal[25]
Individual
- Persian Gulf Pro League most assists: 2019–20
- AFC Best Young Player of the Year: 2020[28]
- AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament: 2023[29]
