Interesting confrontation between Quang Hai and goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand

Goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand's desire to play in the Premier League was inspired by 25-year-old striker Alireza, who plays for Brighton & Hove Albion. After three seasons with Dutch club AZ Alkmaar, winning the Golden Boot, Alireza moved to England. To date, the player has made 10 appearances, four of which have been in the starting line-up.

Famous atWorld Cup 2018

“After the World Cup, I decided I wanted to play abroad. I received some offers from Europe, China and even Middle Eastern teams, but of course, the Premier League is the number 1 league in the world for me,” goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand confided.

Goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand successfully blocked a penalty kick from superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo: Internet

At the 2018 World Cup, Asia's number 1 team was the "blocker" for Spain and Portugal in the group stage. Goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand became known to the world for his successful save of a penalty kick from superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Not many goalkeepers in the world can do this when facing Ronaldo, so he suddenly became famous and attracted the attention of many teams.

“I studied some of his penalty situations, including the one against Juventus in the Champions League and the one against Spain. He often shoots high and I watched his feet carefully,” he shared. This reflects the serious preparation of a goalkeeper when participating in the World Cup.

His impressive performance in goal at the 2018 World Cup earned Iran four points and opened up the opportunity for the Iranian goalkeeper to “go abroad”. However, in the end, Alireza Beiranvand still respected the contract signed with domestic club Persepolis.

The Iranian, who used to be a nomadic shepherd, is 1.94m tall, ideal for the goalkeeper position. His long and accurate “throws” are also a counter-attacking tactic that coach Carlos Queiroz is honing and will have the opportunity to implement at the 2018 Asian Cup.

The goal isPremier League

After 3 seasons playing for Persepolis Club and 7 seasons in the Iranian national championship, this 26-year-old goalkeeper wants to change the environment. He even surprisingly revealed that his home club has agreed to let him leave in January, right after the 2019 Asian Cup.

The player did not hesitate to reveal to The Sun about his dream of playing in the Premier League: "Edwin van der Sar is the ideal goalkeeper model in the Premier League while at the club level, the culture and tradition of Liverpool has always attracted me". "After that tournament, I also received much more attention. And so, I continued to try harder. This made me more confident for the upcoming arenas".

Cong Phuong and Quang Hai are expected to shine at AFF Cup 2018. Photo: Internet

Perhaps because of that, Alireza Beiranvand's way of catching the ball is quite similar to his idol Edwin van der Sar, especially his footwork and high-flying shots. In the Iranian squad, this goalkeeper often plays as a central defender behind the duo Hosseini (19) and Pouraliganji (8). Many football experts believe that with the advantage of height and the ability to play the ball with his feet,Alireza Beiranvand would fit in at a mid-table Premier League side.

In 2017, goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand became the first Iranian player to be nominated for FIFA's best goalkeeper of the year award. Alireza Beiranvand was also nominated alongside Quang Hai and Son Heung-min for the 2018 Asian Player of the Year award, voted by Fox Sports Asia and Titan Sport Plus.

With a solid performance, dominating the 16.5m box, coach Carlos Queiroz pushed Iran's formation higher. With the familiar 4-1-4-1 formation, quite a few attacking situations, goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand kicked the ball right to striker Sardar Azmoun (20) with a distance of about 60-70m. Not many Asian goalkeepers have this skill in playing football.

Interestingly, Quang Hai - the best player of the AFF Cup 2018 is also being sought after by many foreign clubs. Alireza Beiranvand is also "on the same page" with Quang Hai or Son Heung-min in the nomination for the title of Best Asian Player of the Year 2018, voted by Fox Sports Asia and Titan Sport Plus newspaper.

Because Iran and Vietnam are in the same group D, Quang Hai will have the opportunity to face goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand. If he scores against this goalkeeper, the possibility of the Hanoi FC player playing abroad will certainly be higher. The confrontation between Vietnam and Iran will therefore become more interesting!