Shoja Khalilzadeh #4

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Shoja – whose name in Persian means “brave” or “fearless” – is the kind of defender who is never intimidated, whether in on-field battles or off-field confrontations. He has consistently been among the players with the most yellow and red cards in the Iranian league. Recently he was involved in a high-profile dispute with his longtime friend and former teammate Hossein Kanaani-Zadegan, which led to the two unfollowing each other on Instagram. The pair, who had long formed the backbone of Iran’s defence, exchanged taunts during a Tractor v Persepolis match in the Hazfi Cup by mimicking each other’s goal celebrations. After being benched by Carlos Queiroz at Qatar 2022, Khalilzadeh is expected to be a key starter under Amir Ghalenoei this summer.

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