Esteghlal parts ways with Rezaeian, club confirms
Iranian top-flight club Esteghlal has announced the departure of veteran international full-back Ramin Rezaeian.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Tehran-based Blues said the decision to part ways with Rezaeian came after the 35-year-old declined the terms offered for an extension to his one-year contract.
The prolific right-back joined Esteghlal at the start of last season and went on to score once and provide two assists in 12 appearances. However, he fell down the pecking order under then-Portuguese head coach Ricardo Sá Pinto and secured a loan move to Foolad Khuzestan midway through the campaign in a bid to boost his chances of earning a place in Iran’s squad for the FIFA World Cup.
He registered one goal and four assists in six appearances for Foolad before the domestic league was canceled due to wartime conditions in the country, doing enough to convince Iran head coach Amir Qalenoei to include him in the squad for the global showpiece.
Rezaeian was widely regarded as Iran’s standout performer at the World Cup, scoring twice and providing an assist, though his contribution was not enough to help Team Melli secure a historic place in the knockout stage.
His equalizer in the 1-1 draw against Egypt saw Rezaeian overtake Mahdi Taremi as Iran’s all-time leading World Cup scorer with three goals.