Iran has a legend in Ali Daei whose 109 goals in international games is a record that seems to be incredibly difficult to beat in the near future.
The Shariyar has the World All-time Top scorer record registered under his name; no one is even close to this 109 goals unless you consider the 85 that Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal has scored to be quite near!
Despite of that, Daei is not the first hero of Iran’s illustrious football history. That accolade goes to the great Parviz Ghleechkhani who preceded him in an implausible record that is simply next to impossible to beat in modern day football.
Ghleechkhani has played in 3 AFC Asian Cup tournaments. He won 3 titles in 1968, 1972 and 1976. The utility player who has excelled in every post he played, bar in the goal, has played 12 matches in the three editions of what was called Asian Nations Cup and won them all. No draws, no defeats and absolute 100% record. As such, Ghleechkhani holds 2 Asian records with that feat. 3 consecutive championships title and the 100% undefeated record. No Asian player is close to those records.
Ghleechkhani. who was the Captain of Team Melli , added the Asian Games Tehran 1974 Gold Medal to his cabinet too.
Considered by many as Iran’s best ever player, Parviz Ghleechkhani was deprived from the World Cup when Iran first qualified in 1978. His absence was nothing to do with football but much about politics and his expression of leftist leaning views in the era of the Pahlavi dictatorship. Ghleechkhani was arrested by SAVAK in February 1972 for anti-regime activities and viewing or spreading of Marxists literature which was a taboo in Iran. Some months later, Ghleechkhani appeared live on national TV in an orchestrated interview where he expressed his regrets and declared repentance; as a result, he was released from prison a few days later.
Ghleechkhani continued playing football with unrelenting success on the field. He was offered professional contracts by a number of European clubs including Galatasaray S.K, Bayern Munich, Olympiacos. Despite being released, Ghleechlkhani was constantly monitored and kept under surveillance by the regime security apparatus. He was not allowed to leave Iran to play for any of the clubs that offered him contracts. While still at his peak and playing quite well in the North American Soccer League (NASL) with SD Earthquakes, he was ignored in the selection for the squad of Team Melli to Argentine for the first ever appearance in the FIFA World Cup in 1978.
The legendary midfielder played for several clubs starting from Kayan, Taj, Pas , Oghab , Daraei, and Persepolis. In 1977 he moved to the United States where he signed for the San Jose Earthquake.
The success of the Iranian Revolution in 1979 lead by Ayattollah Khomeini was another serious setback for the activist Ghleechkhani. In April 1979 Iran was declared an Islamic republic, while elements within the clergy promptly moved to exclude their former left-wing, nationalist, and intellectual allies from any positions of power in the new regime, and a return to conservative social values was enforced. Ghleechkhani and his comrades were out of luck.
Ghleechkhani’s success was hindered by his political beliefs and the struggles against the regimes of both The Shah and Ayatollah Khomeini. Ghleechkhani was a great player in all meaning of the word. He never managed to reach his potential despite his skills and abilities, instead he made millions of Iranians fans celebrate the success of Team Melli through his great performances. One of the most memorable of which , was against Australia in the FIFA Qualifiers in 1973 in Tehran Arayamehr Stadium (Azadi) where he scored two goals in less than 30 minutes. His first was a thunderous shoot and the second a penalty.
An exile in Paris now, Ghleechkhani record of 3 consecutive Asian Cup titles and 100% record, seems like being immortal.
Parviz Ghleechkhani
Asian Cup Games Details
| # | Date | Competition | Venue | Opponent | Score |
| 1 | 10-May-68 | Asian Cup | H | Hong Kong | 2 – 0 |
| 2 | 13-May-68 | Asian Cup | H | Taiwan | 4 – 0 |
| 3 | 16-May-68 | Asian Cup | H | Burma | 3 – 1 |
| 4 | 19-May-68 | Asian Cup / Final | H | Israel | 2 – 1 |
| 5 | 07-May-72 | Asian Cup | N | Cambodia | 2 – 0 |
| 6 | 09-May-72 | Asian Cup | N | Iraq | 3 – 0 |
| 7 | 13-May-72 | Asian Cup | A | Thailand | 3 – 2 |
| 8 | 17-May-72 | Asian Cup | N | Cambodia | 2 – 1 |
| 9 | 19-May-72 | Asian Cup / Final | N | Korea Rep. | 2 – 1 |
| 10 | 04-Jun-76 | Asian Cup | H | Iraq | 2 – 0 |
| 11 | 05-Jun-76 | Asian Cup | H | China | 2 – 0 |
| 12 | 13-Jun-76 | Asian Cup / Final | H | Kuwait | 1 – 0 |
|
P |
W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Win % |
| 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 6 | 22 | 36 |
100% |