Last week, former PSV, Brighton and VfL Bochum winger Jurgen Locadia signed for Iranian top flight club Persepolis in an incredible fashion, with an eclectic welcome video.
Foreign players don’t come often in the Persian Gulf Pro League. This is, mainly, down to sanctions imposed on Iran by the Western world - with these in place, it’s harder for Iranian teams to attract foreign talent, or pay them handsomely. Sometimes, it’s even impossible to transfer money out of the country.
In the 2020/21 season, no new foreign players or coaches joined the league, and this campaign only 6.3% of players are foreigners - 29 of 461.
The arrival of Locadia, once the Oranje’s ‘great hope’, in Tehran lights up the fans’ imagination in the Islamic Republic.
The 28-year-old joins the league’s 14-time champions on a one-year deal, reportedly worth over 42 billion Iranian rials (£825,000).
The Dutchman started his career at PSV in 2011, scoring 62 goals in 176 games in seven years at one of the Netherland’s greatest clubs.
In 2018, he joined Brighton & Hove Albion, for what was, at the time, a record transfer fee for the English club. But things didn’t quite work out. Loan moves to Hoffenheim in Germany, and the MLS’s FC Cincinnati followed, before a permanent switch to VfL Bochum in January of this year. That half a season, however, did not develop into a long-term contract, and Locadia was released from the club this summer.
So, we come to a situation where a player, who was once one of the Netherlands’ finest young prospects, found himself without a club at 28.
Now comes the move to Iran, where the forward will join up with the club’s shining stars, the likes of Alireza Beiranvand and Mehdi Torabi included, and hope to help Persepolis regain the league title - they were runners up to bitter rivals Esteghlal Tehran last time out.
According to sources at the club, one of the key figures in Locadia’s move was Iranian international Alireza Jahanbakhsh, a former teammate of his at Brighton.
Whether Locadia will succeed in Tehran, remains to be seen, but this exciting addition to Iranian football provides us with an opportunity to revisit some of the exciting names to have landed in the Persian Gulf Pro League.
Cheick Diabate, Esteghlal Tehran
The Mali international donned the Bordeaux uniform for years, tasted football in Turkey, Italy and the United Arab Emirates, and landed in Tehran in 2019, becoming an immediate hit for the blues of Esteghlal.
He netted a hat-trick away to Tractor Sazi, won the hearts of millions of Esteghlal fans across Iran, and took them on an exciting campaign in the 2019/20 AFC Champions League.
Things weren’t quite the same a year later though, and a move to Al Gharafa in the Qatari Stars League followed.
Kevin Constant, Tractor Sazi
Not every day does an ex-AC Milan player join an Iranian side, and when Kevin Constant, a French-born Guinean international, signed for Tractor Sazi in 2019, excitement was in the air.
These were the first days of Mohammed Reza Zounouzi, the flamboyant owner who started to build his empire in Tabriz.
It was promising to witness, at the start at least, but Constant never played a game for Tractor. He failed medicals and left Iran, retiring from football shortly afterwards - just one of the symbols of Zounouzi’s failed spending spree
Taribo West, Paykan
The Super Eagles legend arrived in Iran in 2007, at the end of his playing career, when he signed for Paykan.
Despite the expectations, the former Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Partizan centre-back wasn't fit, and disappeared in Iran, according to reports. West failed to make a single appearance for the club, and his contract was terminated a few months later.
Harry Forrester, Tractor Sazi and Machine Sazi
Forrester might not be a familiar name in Europe, but in the lower leagues of the United Kingdom he certainly is.
The attacking midfielder played for Aston Villa at a youth level, and later Rangers, AFC Wimbledon and Brentford, before somehow landing in Tabriz.
But, again, this move didn’t work out at all. The Englishman played two games, went on loan to Machine Sazi, and four months later had left the country with a move to USL side Orange County SC.
Armando Sa, Foolad and Sepahan
Sa is one hell of a story.
He was born in Maputo, Mozambique, and was touted as a future star in European football for years - playing for Benfica, Villarreal, Espanyol and Leeds United. Then, in 2007, out of the blue he joined the Iranian second division side, Foolad.
His father-in-law, Augusto Inació, was the coach there, and they won promotion together, earning Sá a contract with Sepahan.
Jlloyd Samuel, Esteghlal Tehran
Samuel is a familiar name for Championship Manager addicts. The former Aston Villa and Bolton Wanderers rock signed for the Tehran Blues in 2011, after being without a club for a while.
The Trinidad & Tobago defender won the Hafzi Cup and was a key figure for Esteghlal, but the club didn't pay his salary for a month, and he stayed in Iran without playing until the issue was sorted.
He later signed for Paykan, retired and, in 2018, sadly died in a car accident. Aston Villa wore black armbands as a show of respect for him.
Anthony Stokes, Tractor Sazi and Perspolis
One of the least-rated names on this list is Anthony Stokes. The former Arsenal, Sunderland and Celtic striker was also a part of Zounouzi's talent train to Tabriz.
And, surprisingly for this list, he was pretty good - in 2018/19, he scored 13 goals in 24 matches. Fans loved him and even returned to Iran a year later, for a less successful stint at Persepolis.
Jerry Bengston, Persepolis and Zob Ahan
Bengston is not a normal prospect for an Iranian team to sign - an internationally experienced striker in his prime, that had never stepped foot into Asia - yet the Honduras international joined Persepolis in 2016 from the MLS’s New England Revolution.
He scored nine goals before moving to Zob Ahan, where his performances remained consistent.
Honorable mention: Ashkan Dejagah, Tractor Sazi and Foolad
Although he was born in Tehran, Ashkan Dejagah was raised and nurtured in German and European football.
Dejagah is probably the most familiar name to have worn the PGPL logo on his sleeve. He started his career in Germany's youth teams, starring for the national team with the under-21’s.
After playing well at Hertha Berlin, strong showings at Wolfsburg and Fulham followed, and Dejagah, who switched his allegiances back to Iran, went to two World Cups at the senior level.
A return to his birth country happened in 2018, as a star name in Zounouzi’s project at Tractor.
He flourished in the midfield, became a fan favourite and captain, leading the team to their second Hafzi Cup title ever in 2020.
Dejagah isn't a foreign player in Iran, but his qualities brought Tractor a rare spark that is hard to find in the Persian Gulf. The fact that, culturally, he wasn't new to the country helped this gem to quickly adjust to one of the most interesting leagues in Asian football.
Edited by Alex Smith
Thumbnail photo by Persepolis FC official Twitter account
