Ex-Iran international Dejagah announces retirement at 38
Former Iranian international midfielder Ashkan Dejagah announced his retirement from professional football on Friday, calling time on his career at the age of 38.
An ex-player of German clubs Hertha BSC and VfL Wolfsburg as well as Premier League outfit Fulham and Al Arabi in Qatar had been without a team since making his last appearance for Foolad Khuzestan against Iralco on the final day of previous Persian Gulf Pro League season back in May.
“After years of unforgettable moments on the pitch, it is time to say goodbye to football as a player,” Dejagah wrote in an Instagram post.
“Since the very first days that I played football on the streets, till representing my country on the biggest stages, football, more than being a game, was a love, a journey, and a path in life for me.
“I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to wear the shirt of some admirable clubs and my dear national team. Every game, every goal, and every victory will have a special place in my heart forever.
“I want to thank all my teammates, coaches, and fans, who gave me their support through this unbelievable journey, from the deep bottom of my heart. Merci football.”
Dejagah, who moved to Germany with his family as an infant, came through the ranks at Hertha before joining Wolfsburg in 2007, where he bagged 20 goals in 160 games, lifting the Bundesliga trophy two years later.
“A master player, a hooligan, and a Wolfsburg legend…Thank you for everything Asche!” the German club wrote on X later on Friday.
Dejagah reunited with his Wolfsburg manager Felix Magath in Fulham in 2012 and netted six goals in 49 matches for the Cottagers.
His first appearance in the Iranian top flight came for the start of the 2018/19 season, when he signed for Tractor – along with international teammates Masoud Shojaei and Ehsan Hajsafi – and went on to win the Hazfi Cup title the following season.
A European under-21 champion with Germany in 2019, Dejagah made his senior international debut for Iran under Portuguese Carlos Queiroz in a World Cup qualifier against Qatar in 2012, scoring twice in a 2-2 draw in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium.
He scored 11 goals in 59 international caps and played an essential role for the country in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and was again part of the squad in the 2018 showpiece, though he sat on the bench during all of the three games in Russia.
Dejagah also represented the national team at the 2015 and 2019 Asian Cups and was named in the team of the tournament in the second occasion in Qatar, where Iran fell to a last-four defeat against Japan.