Ali Daei, the Iranian striker who first reached 100 international goals
Long before Cristiano Ronaldo chased the mark, the first man to score 100 goals for his country was a tall metallurgy graduate from Ardabil in Iran. Ali Daei got there on 17 November 2004 with four goals against Laos, and his international tally stood as the world's best for almost two more decades.
Born on 21 March 1969 into an Azerbaijani Iranian family, Daei earned an engineering degree in materials and metallurgy while starting out at his hometown club at 19. He scored 49 times in 75 games for Bank Tejarat in Tehran, then moved to Persepolis in 1994. His real strength was in the air: he was renowned for heading with precision, and defenders struggled to cope with his height.
A dazzling 1996 Asian Cup, including four goals in one match against South Korea, carried him abroad. After a season in Qatar he joined Arminia Bielefeld in the Bundesliga and then Bayern Munich, where he rarely started. Moving to Hertha Berlin, he became the first Asian to play in the Champions League, scoring twice against Chelsea on 21 September 1999 and again at the San Siro against AC Milan.
The international goals kept flowing. In November 2003 a strike against Lebanon took him to 85, past Ferenc Puskás at the top of the all-time list, and a year later came the century. He captained Iran from 2000 to 2006, played at the 2006 World Cup despite calls for him to quit, and finished with 108 goals in 148 appearances. Ronaldo overtook him in September 2021, and Daei said on Instagram that he was honoured the achievement would pass to him. Lionel Messi pushed him to third in 2024.
He moved smoothly into coaching. Appointed interim manager of Saipa in October 2006 while still playing for them, he won the league title in his first season, retired from club football, and later took charge of the national team. He also served as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador and joined the Asian Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
Source: Ali Daei
