Javad Nekounam

Javad Nekounam

Nekounam with Iran in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Javad Nekounam
Date of birth	7 September 1980
Place of birth	Rey, Iran
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Iran (assistant)
Youth career
	Naft Tehran
	Pas
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1998–2005	Pas	179	(45)
2005–2006	Al-Wahda	11	(3)
2006	Al-Sharjah	11	(5)
2006–2012	Osasuna	149	(24)
2012–2014	Esteghlal	44	(8)
2014	Al-Kuwait	11	(1)
2014–2015	Osasuna	22	(5)
2015–2016	Saipa	15	(3)
2016	Al-Arabi	11	(1)
Total		453	(95)
National team
1998–2000	Iran U20
1999–2002	Iran U23	10	(2)
2000–2015	Iran[lower-alpha 1]	151	(39)
Teams managed
2016–	Iran (assistant)
Honours Representing  Iran Asian Games 2002 Busan Team Competition
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Javad Nekounam (Persian: جواد نکونام‎‎; born 7 September 1980) is an Iranian retired footballer who played as a central midfielder.

He spent most of his professional career with Pas and Spain's Osasuna, appearing in 197 official games and scoring 31 goals during his two spells with the latter and also being team captain. He also competed in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar, during 18 seasons overall.

Nicknamed Neku,^[2] and widely regarded as one of his country's greatest footballers,^[3] Nekounam represented the Iranian national team 151 times,^[1] playing several major tournaments including two World Cups and four Asian Cups.

Club career

Early years

Nekounam was born in Rey. Having played for Pas Tehran F.C. for several years, appearing in the AFC Champions League with the team, he signed a five-month contract with Al-Wahda F.C. in the United Arab Emirates for US$1 million, in 2005.^[4]

In January 2006, Nekounam joined Al Sharjah SC, although some European clubs such as 1. FC Kaiserslautern and Tottenham Hotspur had previously shown interest in him.^[5]

Osasuna

After his performance at the 2006 World Cup Nekounam was linked to the likes of Hertha BSC of the Bundesliga and Ligue 1's Olympique Lyonnais, but he eventually joined CA Osasuna on a two-year contract,^[6] with an option to a third year and a €5 million minimum release-fee clause on his contract – he thus became the first Iranian player to be signed by a Spanish club.^[7] On 22 February 2007, he scored in the 120th minute of the match against FC Girondins de Bordeaux for the knockout stages of the UEFA Cup to help to a 1–0 home win and aggregate score,^[8] and after a particularly successful first season began to attract interest from other European sides, notably Scotland's Rangers who had a £1 million pound offer rejected.^[9]

On 14 August 2007, Nekounam suffered an anterior cruciate ligament rupture in his right knee^[10][11] and, after undergoing a successful surgery in Augsburg, Germany, missed eight months of action. His number 24 was given to new signing Jaroslav Plašil, as he recovered from his injury.

On 24 November 2007, Osasuna showed faith in Nekounam signing a three-year contract extension on his existing contract that was set to end on 30 June of the following year, with a €5 million buy-out clause for the first two seasons and €2.5M for the last.^[12] In February of the following year he made his first training appearance since the injury – incidentally, a week later, Xavier Margairaz suffered a similar injury, missing an estimate period that could amount to one year, on 27 April he made his return against Valencia CF, replacing Francisco Puñal in the 70th minute of a 0–3 away loss.^[13]

On 31 August 2008, Nekounam scored Osasuna's first goal of the season, from the penalty spot in a 1–1 home draw against Villarreal CF.^[14] In November/December he also netted, but the Navarrese failed to win at Málaga CF (2–4)^[15] and with Real Valladolid (3–3),^[16] also scoring the opener against Real Madrid, in a 1–3 away loss on 18 January 2009.^[17]

On 22 March 2009, Nekounam netted a last-minute goal against RCD Espanyol for a 1–0 home win,^[18] and finished the season as Osasuna's second goalscorer behind Walter Pandiani, scoring nine times in the league (a career-best in Spain). In the 2009 summer he received offers from both Espanyol and Villarreal, with the latter in particular being ready to pay the buy-out clause in Nekounam's contract; however, the player repeatedly insisted to be "happy at the club", waiting until he "hears some better deals".^[19][20]

Nekounam was again a regular starter for Osasuna in the 2010–11 campaign, but also spent one month at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup with his national team. On 20 February 2011, in the second game upon his return from Qatar, he scored twice in a 4–0 home win against Espanyol,^[21] and eventually finished the campaign with six goals in 26 appearances as his team again avoided relegation.

On 21 May 2011, Nekounam renewed his contract with Osasuna for another two seasons, with the option of an annual renewal of his link.^[22] In July of the following year, amidst interest from Iranian powerhouse Esteghlal F.C. and unnamed Turkish and Qatari clubs, it was reported that he would only remain with the Rojillos if he accepted a salary reduction – he was the highest-paid player.^[23]

Esteghlal

Nekounam playing for Esteghlal in a Champions League match against
Al-Ain

On 21 July 2012, aged almost 32, Nekounam returned to his country and signed a two-year contract with Esteghlal, for a record fee of US$1,500,000, which made him the most expensive player in the Iran Pro League history.^[24][25] He scored his first goal for his new club in a 2–3 loss against Foolad FC, through a penalty.

On 5 May 2013, against the same opponent, he also found the net, helping his team secure its 28th league title^[26] and winning his second national championship.

Al-Kuwait

On 14 January 2014, Nekounam agreed to a four-month deal with Kuwait SC.^[27] He scored his first goal for the club on 2 February, netting the only in an AFC Champions League qualifier against Al Shorta SC.

Nekounam scored three goals in the 2014 edition of the AFC Cup,^[28] and also won the season's Kuwait Emir Cup.^[29]

Return to Osasuna

On 4 August 2014, Nekounam returned to Osasuna by signing a two-year contract.^[30] He scored in his first game upon his return, a 1–3 Segunda División loss against Deportivo Alavés on 6 September;^[31] on 2 November he added another, helping to a 3–2 home success over Real Betis.^[32]

Saipa

Nekounam returned to Iran and its Persian Gulf Pro League on 6 July 2015, joining Saipa F.C. on a one-year deal.^[33] He scored his first competitive goal for his new team on 6 August, netting the second in a 2–0 win at Rah Ahan Yazdan FC.

Al-Arabi

On 21 January 2016, Nekounam moved to Qatari club Al-Arabi SC on a four-month contract with an option to extend for a further year.^[34] In his first match, at home against Qatar SC, he assisted countryman Ashkan Dejagah in an eventual 1–1 draw.

Nekounam left the team on 30 June 2016, and the 35-year-old announced his retirement two weeks later.^[35]

International career

Nekounam with Iran manager Carlos Queiroz during a press conference at the 2014 World Cup

Nekounam received his first call-up to Iran in May 2000. He became a starter for the national side during the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and, already a key midfield element, played in two of the national team's matches during the 2006 World Cup in Germany, being suspended for the final group game against Angola after his second yellow card against Portugal.

Additionally, Nekounam helped Iran win the 2002 Asian Games and the 2004 West Asian Football Federation Championship, and also represented the country in the 2004, 2007 and 2011 AFC Asian Cups.^[1] He was Team Melli's leading goalscorer in its successful 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign and, on 1 June 2014, he was called up as captain by Carlos Queiroz for the finals in Brazil,^[36] where he captained the nation in an eventual group stage exit.

Nekounam was also selected for the 2015 Asian Cup squad, on 30 December 2014.^[37] In March 2015, he hinted that a friendly against Sweden on the 31st – five days earlier, against Chile, he had become his country's most capped player after surpassing Ali Daei^[38]– might be his last international, but later went back on that statement^[39] only to confirm it the following day and subsequently send an emotional open letter to fans;^[40] he scored 39 goals for his country,^[41] and shortly after retiring was named Queiroz's assistant.^[42]

International goals

Score and Result lists Iran's goal tally first

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1.	1 February 2003	Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong, China	Denmark	1–0	1–0	2003 Carlsberg Cup
2.	17 June 2004	Azadi, Tehran, Iran	Lebanon	3–0	4–0	2004 WAFF Championship
3.	23 June 2004	Azadi, Tehran, Iran	Iraq	1–0	2–1	2004 WAFF Championship
4.	25 June 2004	Azadi, Tehran, Iran	Syria	4–1	4–1	2004 WAFF Championship
5.	20 July 2004	Olympic Sports Center, Chongqing, China	Thailand	2–0	3–0	2004 AFC Asian Cup
6.	6 August 2004	Workers Stadium, Beijing, China	Bahrain	1–0	4–2	2004 AFC Asian Cup
7.	17 November 2004	Azadi, Tehran, Iran	Laos	5–0	7–0	2006 World Cup qualification
8.				7–0
9.	30 March 2005	Kim Il-sung, Pyongyang, North Korea	North Korea	2–0	2–0	2006 World Cup qualification
10.	29 May 2005	Azadi, Tehran, Iran	Azerbaijan	2–0	2–1	Friendly
11.	24 August 2005	Azadi, Tehran, Iran	Libya	2–0	4–0	Friendly
12.				4–0
13.	16 August 2006	Azadi, Tehran, Iran	Syria	1–0	1–1	2007 Asian Cup qualification
14.	6 September 2006	Abbasiyyin, Damascus, Syria	Syria	2–0	2–0	2007 Asian Cup qualification
15.	2 July 2007	Azadi, Tehran, Iran	Jamaica	1–0	8–1	Friendly
16.				3–0
17.	15 July 2007	National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Malaysia	China PR	2–2	2–2	2007 AFC Asian Cup
18.	18 July 2007	National Stadium, Bukit Jalal, Malaysia	Malaysia	1–0	2–0	2007 AFC Asian Cup
19.	25 May 2008	Azadi, Tehran, Iran	Zambia	1–0	3–2	Friendly
20.	22 June 2008	Azadi, Tehran, Iran	Kuwait	1–0	2–0	2010 World Cup qualification
21.	6 September 2008	King Fahd International, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	Saudi Arabia	1–1	1–1	2010 World Cup qualification
22.	15 October 2008	Azadi, Tehran, Iran	North Korea	2–0	2–1	2010 World Cup qualification
23.	11 February 2009	Azadi, Tehran, Iran	South Korea	1–0	1–1	2010 World Cup qualification
24.	14 November 2009	Azadi, Tehran, Iran	Jordan	1–0	1–0	2011 Asian Cup qualification
25.	3 March 2010	Azadi, Tehran, Iran	Thailand	1–0	1–0	2011 Asian Cup qualification
26.	2 January 2011	Jassim Bin Hamad, Doha, Qatar	Angola	1–0	1–0	Friendly
27.	2 September 2011	Azadi, Tehran, Iran	Indonesia	1–0	3–0	2014 World Cup qualification
28.				2–0
29.	5 October 2011	Azadi, Tehran, Iran	Palestine	3–0	7–0	Friendly
30.	15 November 2011	Gelora Bung Karno, Tanah Abang, Indonesia	Indonesia	4–1	4–1	2014 World Cup qualification
31.	16 October 2012	Azadi, Tehran, Iran	South Korea	1–0	1–0	2014 World Cup qualification
32.	6 February 2013	Azadi, Tehran, Iran	Lebanon	2–0	5–0	2015 Asian Cup qualification
33.				3–0
34.				5–0
35.	11 June 2013	Azadi, Tehran, Iran	Lebanon	2–0	4–0	2014 World Cup qualification
36.				4–0
37.	19 November 2013	Camille Chamoun, Beirut, Lebanon	Lebanon	3–0	4–1	2015 Asian Cup qualification
38.	26 March 2015	NV Arena, Sankt Pölten, Austria	Chile	1–0	2–0	Friendly
39.	31 March 2015	Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden	Sweden	1–2	1–3	Friendly

Statistics

Club

As of 28 April 2016^[43][44][45]

Club performance			League		Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Iran			League		Hazfi Cup		Asia		Total
1998–99	Pas	Azadegan League	22	2			–	–	22	2
1999–00			24	5			–	–	24	5
2000–01			21	5			–	–	21	5
2001–02		Iran Pro League	25	4			–	–	25	4
2002–03			25	7			–	–	25	7
2003–04			25	10			–	–	25	10
2004–05			25	9			8	4	33	13
2005–06			12	3			–	–	12	3
United Arab Emirates			League		President's Cup		Asia		Total
2005–06	Al-Wahda	UAE Football League	11	3	0	0	–	–	11	3
	Al-Sharjah		11	5	3	3	–	–	14	8
Spain			League		Copa del Rey		Europe		Total
2006–07	Osasuna	La Liga	24	2	3	0	11	1	38	3
2007–08			2	0	0	0	–	–	2	0
2008–09			35	8	2	0	–	–	37	8
2009–10			31	3	2	0	–	–	33	3
2010–11			26	6	2	0	–	–	28	6
2011–12			31	5	5	1	–	–	36	6
Iran			League		Hazfi Cup		Asia		Total
2012–13	Esteghlal	Persian Gulf Cup	27	5	4	1	8	3	39	9
2013–14			17	3	1	0	3	0	21	3
Kuwait			League		Emir Cup		Asia		Total
2013–14	Al-Kuwait	Kuwaiti Premier League	11	1	2	1	6	3	19	5
Spain			League		Copa del Rey		Europe		Total
2014–15	Osasuna	Segunda División	22	5	1	0	–	–	23	5
Iran			League		Hazfi Cup		Asia		Total
2015–16	Saipa	Persian Gulf Pro League	15	3	3	0	–	–	18	3
Qatar			League		Emir Cup		Asia		Total
2015–16	Al-Arabi	Qatar Stars League	11	1	1	0	–	–	12	1
Total	Iran		238	56	8	1	19	7	265	64
	United Arab Emirates		22	8	3	3	–	–	25	11
	Spain		171	29	15	1	11	1	197	31
	Kuwait		11	1	2	1	6	3	19	5
	Qatar		11	1	1	0	–	–	12	1
Career total			453	95	29	6	36	11	518	112

International

Nekounam before a friendly with Montenegro in 2014

^[1][46]

Iran
Year	Apps	Goals
2000	7	0
2001	11	0
2002	9	0
2003	11	1
2004	18	7
2005	11	4
2006	11	2
2007	8	4
2008	8	4
2009	8	2
2010	6	1
2011	10	5
2012	9	1
2013	8	6
2014	9	0
2015	7	2
Total	151	39

Honours

Nekounam celebrating Esteghlal's 2013 IPL title

Club

Pas

• Iran Pro League: 2003–04

Esteghlal

• Iran Pro League: 2012–13

Al-Kuwait

• Kuwait Emir Cup: 2013–14

Country

• AFC – OFC Challenge Cup: 2003
• West Asian Football Federation Championship: 2004; Third-place 2002
• Asian Cup: Third-place 2004

Individual

• Football Iran News & Events: Player and Midfielder of the Year (Osasuna, 2006–07)
• AFC Champions League: Dream Team 2013
• Asian Footballer of the Year: Runner-up 2013

See also

• Iranians in Spain
• List of current Iranian expatriate footballers

Notes

1. He has two additional caps awarded by the Iranian FA. Those matches are not considered full internationals by FIFA, which only counts 149.^[1]

References

1. Javad Nekounam – Century of International Appearances; at RSSSF
2. "World Cup 2014: Player profile – who is Javad Nekounam, the Iran midfielder?". The Independent. 16 March 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
3. "Iran will miss Javad Nekounam -- the talisman that allowed them to dream". ESPN FC. 12 April 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
4. "Nekounam states Euro ambition". Sky Sports. Retrieved 7 April 2007.
5. "Buh, Bye". The Guardian. 10 July 2005.
6. "Osasuna sign Javad Nekounam". Persian Football. Archived from the original on 20 October 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2006.
7. Javad Nekounam – Osasuna's new star
8. "Osasuna 1–0 Bordeaux". UEFA.com. 22 February 2007. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
9. Gers miss out on Iranian ace; Sky Sports
10. Nekounam sidelined at Osasuna; UEFA.com, 16 August 2007
11. "Nekounam sufre una rotura de ligamento cruzado anterior" [Nekounam suffers anterior cruciate ligament rupture] (in Spanish). CA Osasuna. 16 August 2007. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
12. Javad Nekounam renueva su contrato hasta 2011 (Javad Nekounam renews contract until 2011); CA Osasuna, 24 November 2007 (Spanish)
13. "Ontanaya falla, Villa no" [Ontanaya fails, Villa does not] (in Spanish). Marca. 27 April 2008. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
14. "Osasuna 1–1 Villarreal". ESPN Soccernet. 31 August 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
15. "Málaga 4–2 Osasuna". ESPN Soccernet. 30 November 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
16. "Osasuna 3–3 Valladolid". ESPN Soccernet. 7 December 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
17. "Real Madrid 3–1 Osasuna". ESPN Soccernet. 18 January 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
18. "Osasuna 1–0 Espanyol". ESPN Soccernet. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
19. Javad Nekounam not interested in leaving Osasuna; Goal.com, 21 June 2009
20. Villarreal looking to recruit Iran's Nekounam; Press TV, 17 June 2009
21. "Nekounam at the double". ESPN Soccernet. 20 February 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
22. Iranian duo to stay at Osasuna; Persian Football, 31 May 2011
23. Javad Nekounam could stay at Osasuna if he accepts pay cut; Goal.com, 9 July 2012
24. "Javad Nekounam officially joins Esteghlal". Kabir News. 21 July 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
25. گرانقیمت ترین بازیکن تاریخ فوتبال ایران با رقم قراداد 4.5 میلیارد تومان! [Javade Nekoonam: The most expensive player in the history of football in Iran with 9 million dollars contract] (in Persian). Jam News. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
26. Esteghlal won the league; Goal.com, 5 May 2013 (Persian)
27. الإيراني نيكونام كويتاي رسمياً; Kuwait Club, 14 January 2014 (Persian)
28. "Javad Nekonam". The AFC. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
29. One more trophy for Nekounam in his club career; Persian Football, 8 May 2014
30. "Javad Nekounam está en Pamplona" [Nekounam is in Pamplona] (in Spanish). CA Osasuna. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
31. "Nekounam scores in Osasuna comeback [VIDEO]". Persian Football. 6 September 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
32. "Nekounam goal inspires Osasuna comeback". Persian Football. 3 November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
33. "Saipa signs Javad Nekounam from Osasusna". Tehran Times. 6 July 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
34. "جواد نکونام به العربی قطر پیوست" [Javad Nekounam joins Qatar club Al-Arabi] (in Persian). 90TV. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
35. Official: Nekounam retired from football; Varzesh3, 15 July 2016 (Persian)
36. "Queiroz trims Iran squad to 24". FIFA.com. 1 June 2014. Archived from the original on 1 June 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
37. "Queiroz names Team Melli squad". AFC Asian Cup. 30 December 2014. Archived from the original on 1 January 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
38. "Javad Nekounam becomes Iran's most capped player". Persian Football. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
39. "Nekounam changes mind over Iran retirement". Persian Football. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
40. بیانیه احساسی جواد نکونام پس از خداحافظی/جلوی هیچکس سرم را خم نمی کنم جز هواداران [Nekounam: I only bow to the fans but nobody else] (in Persian). Khabar Online. 5 April 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
41. "Javad Nekounam bids farewell to international career". Persian Football. 1 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
42. "Nekounam appointed Carlos Queiroz's assistant". Persian Football. 28 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
43. "J. Nekounam". Soccerway. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
44. "Javad Nekounam" (in Persian). IRIB Varzesh. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
45. "Javad Nekounam" (in Persian). IRIB Varzesh. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
46. Players with a Century of Caps; at RSSSF

External links

• Javad Nekounam profile at BDFutbol
• TeamMelli official profile
• Javad Nekounam at National-Football-Teams.com
• Javad Nekounam – FIFA competition record