# Mehrdad Minavand

Mehrdad Minavand (Persian: مهرداد میناوند; 30 November 1975 – 27 January 2021) was an Iranian professional footballer and coach. He played mostly as a left midfielder but was also deployed as a left winger or left-back.

## Club career

Minavand was born in Tehran. He played for a few clubs, including Keshavarz F.C., Persepolis FC, Sturm Graz (Austria), Sporting Charleroi (Belgium) and Al-Shabab (United Arab Emirates) as well as Sepahan. He last played for Rah Ahan FC, but left the team after the 2005–06 season. He played 21 matches in UEFA Champions League and he is all-time record holder among the Iranian footballers in this feature.

## International career

Minavand played for the Iran national team and was a participant at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

## Death

On 21 January 2021, Minavand was hospitalised due to COVID-19. Six days later it was announced that he had died from the virus, at age 45.

## Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | Cup | Cup | Continental | Continental | Other | Other | Total | Total | Ref. |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Ref. |
| Persepolis | 1995–96 | Azadegan League | 30 | 4 | | | | | | | 30 | 4 | |
| Persepolis | 1996–97 | Azadegan League | 31 | 5 | | | | | | | 31 | 5 | |
| Persepolis | 1997–98 | Azadegan League | 28 | 4 | | | | | | | 28 | 4 | |
| Persepolis | Total | Total | 89 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 89 | 13 | – |
| Sturm Graz | 1998–99 | Austrian Bundesliga | 17 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 1 | |
| Sturm Graz | 1999–00 | Austrian Bundesliga | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | | | 28 | 0 | |
| Sturm Graz | 2000–01 | Austrian Bundesliga | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | | | 40 | 1 | |
| Sturm Graz | Total | Total | 67 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 91 | 2 | – |
| Charleroi | 2001–02 | Belgian First Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | | | 2 | 0 | |
| Persepolis | 2002–03 | Pro League | 8 | 0 | | | | | | | 8 | 0 | |
| Persepolis | 2003–04 | Pro League | 11 | 0 | | | — | — | | | 11 | 0 | |
| Persepolis | Total | Total | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | – |
| Sepahan | 2004–05 | Pro League | 19 | 0 | | | — | — | | | 19 | 0 | |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 196 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 220 | 15 | – |

### International

Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Iran |
| Iran | 1996 | 7 | 1 |
| Iran | 1997 | 16 | 2 |
| Iran | 1998 | 10 | 0 |
| Iran | 1999 | 3 | 0 |
| Iran | 2000 | 12 | 0 |
| Iran | 2001 | 16 | 1 |
| Iran | 2002 | 4 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 68 | 4 |
    Scores and results list Iran's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Minavand goal.
List of international goals scored by Mehrdad Minavand :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 8 December 1996 | Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Thailand | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1996 Asian Cup |
| 2 | 2 June 1997 | Abbasiyyin Stadium, Damascus, Syria | Maldives | 17–0 | 17–0 | 1998 World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 4 June 1997 | Abbasiyyin Stadium, Damascus, Syria | Kyrgyzstan | 5–0 | 7–0 | 1998 World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 31 October 2001 | Al-Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | United Arab Emirates | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2002 World Cup qualification (play-off) |

## Honours

Persepolis
* Iranian League: 1995–96, 1996–97
Sturm Graz
* Austrian Bundesliga: 1998–99
* Austrian Cup: 1998–99
* Austrian Supercup: 1998, 1999
Individual
* AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament: 1996