Asian Footballer of the Year
He mostly played as attacking midfielder for Esteghlal when he was a football player. He started his career at Bahman club and also played in Austrian, Emirati and Qatari clubs. He was a member of Iran national football team from 1996 to 2011, but not played many matches. In 2010, he was nominated for the Asian Footballer of the Year award which finished second in voting.