Iran’s Mesigar speaks up on retirement and sweetest success
Moslem Mesigar, Iran’s retired beach soccer captain, says he did not expect such a massive turnout by the fans for his farewell party on Saturday.
Mesigar, 40, called time on his illustrious career during a 2-1 victory over Belarus in his hometown of Bushehr in southern Iran.
A jam-packed crowd, including Mesigar’s friends and family as well as the governor-general of Bushehr Province, watched from the stands as the Iranian brought the curtain down on a distinguished two decades on the sand.
“Beach soccer players are barefoot in this game, so I didn’t have any boots to hang up,” the Iranian joked about his retirement in an interview with Varzesh3, adding: “I had already said that I would finish my career after last year’s World Cup. I never really thought I would retire in such a magnificent manner, and it was truly a great joy to see all my family members, friends, and fellow citizens present for my last game.”
Having made his international debut in 2006, Mesigar played an integral part when Iran enjoyed a best-ever World Cup run in 2017, finding the net during a 5-3 victory over Italy in the third-place matchup in Bahamas.
He wore the armband again as Team Melli repeated the success last year in the United Arab Emirates, thanks to a 6-1 win against Belarus.
Mesigar also won three Asian Cup titles with the country in 2013, 2017, and 2023 – claiming the Most Valuable Player prize in the latest edition in Thailand – while he lifted the Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup trophy on four occasions (2013, 2018, 2019, and 2022).
Asked about the sweetest memory of his time wearing the Iranian shirt, Mesigar said: “It was definitely the dramatic Asian Cup triumph in 2013. I scored a last-gasp equalizer in the final against Japan to push the game into the shootout, where we came out on top to win a first Asian title, while I was the top scorer in the tournament. So, I guess that goes down as the finest moment of my career.”
The Iranian said the country’s failure to reach the World Cup finals in 2019 remains the lowest point of his career.
“We had finished third in the 2017 edition, but were knocked out by Japan in the 2019 Asian Cup quarterfinals and failed to qualify for the World Cup later that year. One of the finest generations of the Iranian beach soccer missed out on the showpiece in Paraguay,” said Mesigar.
Mesigar said he would be looking to contribute to the national team in a new capacity from now on.
“I played as a player-manager in club level over the past six years, and I will be thrilled to join the Team Melli’s coaching staff if the technical committee of the federation gives me the green light.”