This is the second article of my series where I look at top Iranian footballers (that don't play in Europe) who in my view can cut it at a top European club.
I have a different approach to the article this time, where I let the player's impressive career do all the talking.
In this edition I take a look at the 22-year old Iranian superstar Hossein Kaebi, whose former clubs include Leicester City and Persepolis.
Facts and Info about Hossein Kaebi
As a little introduction to Hossein Kaebi, here's a few facts you may not have known about him.
Hossein Kaebi was born on 23rd December, 1985. He is the youngest of 14 siblings in his family; he has 8 brothers and 5 sisters. When Kaebi was at Leicester City, he used a translator to speak for him as he couldn't and still doesn't know English.
Kaebi plays as a wingback, fullback, or winger, so his rather versatile on the wing.
Club Career
The talents of Hossein Kaebi were first noticed at his youth club: Esteghlal Ahvaz. It was this youth academy that got Kaebi's professional career started, at IPL (Iran Pro League) side Foolad FC; and more importantly it was where his international career started.
Iran's Croatian youth coach Vinko Begovic discovered Kaebi's talents at Esteghlal Ahvaz, and at the tender age of 14, put him in Iran's U-17 side that performed so well in the 2000 U-17 Asian Championship.
Soon after, at just 16 years old, he was selected for the senior Team Melli (Iran's national football team).
Of course such success got the big boys in Europe interested, and in 2003 he was offered a three-week trial at then EPL side Wolverhampton Wanderers; however, he stayed with Foolad and the season after he won the IPL with Foolad FC, the first and only ever time in their history.
Leicester City
In June 2007, Hossein Kaebi was set for the big time. After fantastic performances for both Team Melli, and Foolad and Persepolis in Iran, Kaebi received offers from both Tottenham Hotspur and Wigan Athletic.
However, despite receiving these offers from EPL sides, Kaebi chose to play in the Championship with Leicester City, after the determination of then boss Martin Allen to bring the talented Iranian to Leicester. Kaebi signed for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £1M.
Things didn't work out for Kaebi at Leicester, however, as after the sacking of Martin Allen, new boss Ian Holloway demoted Kaebi to the reserve team, and on 23rd December put him on the transfer list.
He terminated his Leicester City contract on 4th February 2008, after understandably getting increasingly frustrated with his lack of chances. In just over half a season with the Foxes, Kaebi made only three first team appearances.
Persepolis
A move back to Iran seemed to do the trick for Kaebi. He moved to Persepolis on a contract to the end of the season, and within the three months he was there he played an instrumental part in helping secure Persepolis the IPL title.
This season he is currently plying his trade at Saipa FC, the third biggest IPL side behind Persepolis and Esteghlal Tehran, a team currently managed by legendary Iranian Ali Daei.
International Career
This boy has an amazing international record. He made his debut for the senior side having just turned 16, and by the time he was 20 he had recieved over 50 caps for Iran.
He was impressive in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, with performances that caught the eye of several European clubs, such as Bolton Wanderers and Borussia Dortmund who made their interest official.
His most memorable performance at the World Cup came in the game against Portugal, where according to all the commentators of the game, was able to "clamp down" both Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Figo.
To this date, at the age of 22, Hossein Kaebi has already made 65 appearances for Team Melli, scoring twice.
Also, in 2004, at the age of 19, Kaebi was named World Soccer Magazine's Top 10 most promising players.
Honours
Just to round off Hossein Kaebi's already glittering career, I have to mention his honours.
Kaebi has won the IPL twice, with both Foolad FC (2004/05) and Persepolis (2007/08).
In his international career with Iran, Kaebi has won the AFC/OFC Cup Challenge (2003), and the West Asian Football Federation Championship (2004).
So, as you can see, at just 22 years of age, Hossein Kaebi has already had an excellent career and is no stranger to winning trophies.
He has the international experience, having played at the highest level for Iran. And he is also a great defender, as he has not been fooled or intimidated by the skills of Cristiano Ronaldo, or any of the great Iranian wingers for that matter.
So, teams in the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Eredivisie, Ligue 1, what are you waiting for? You have available: a talented young full back with tons of experience. That is a very rare sight and I suggest if you want to be lead to glory, you sign Hossein Kaebi. If you need/want a full back, then definitely Hossein Kaebi is your man.
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about 1 month ago
Good work Yoosof
To be honest I don't really know anything about Iranian football or players for the matter but it's really fun to read these kind of articles and get a wider knowledge of relatively unknown players here i Europe ;)
from about 1 month ago
exactly the reason i publish these articles on b/r, to share my knowledge of iranian football with everyone else. thanks for the comment marzia.
about 1 month ago
His international record is quite impressive but if he couldn't make it at Leicester, I doubt he'd make it at Liverpool! haha! Nice article!
from about 1 month ago
it is impressive, and he could've made it at leicester, i have seen a hell of a lot of this player to know that he is epl quality, let alone some championship side who that season would end up relegated. i'm adamant that if kaebi stayed and played regularly for leicester that season, they wouldn't have got relegated and would be fighting for promotion. anyway, thanks for the comment barney.
about 1 month ago
good article yoosof, really enjoyed. though i will never forgive iran for denying us qualification for the world cup in 97 ;) . it was about that time i really started to follow football, and it was devastating. i think ill forgive you though, lol
from about 1 month ago
ok lol. thanks for the comment chris.
about 1 month ago
Nice work Yoosof.. I always associated (for a year!) the IPL to the Indian Premier League!
This guy sounds like a good talent.. again, the fact that things didn't work out for him in England might go against him - but we've all seen players bounce back from those horrid spells.. like Matterazzi and Gattusso (Scotland, but hey, you get where I'm going).
from about 1 month ago
kaebi is a fantastic talent, why he is still in iran i do not know. thanks for the comment shyam.
about 1 month ago
i dont like soccer, but youre a solid writer. like your sytle.
from about 1 month ago
shame you don't like FOOTBALL (alright then, call it soccer...), but thanks for the kind words. and thanks for the comment.
about 1 month ago
Nice job man. I'd definately like to see him.
from about 1 month ago
thanks thomas. give it a year or so and you will see him in a top european league.
about 1 month ago
good work u no ur stuff
I think he could defently make it in Europe
from about 1 month ago
i certainly do, and yes he definitely will make it in europe. thanks for the comment callum.
about 1 month ago
Great article Yoosof!
Maybe he would make it in Europe. Haha , maybe he could play alongside Zaki! :)
I really didn't know Iranian players were this good though :( If only we could see more Indians try out for the EPL
from about 1 month ago
yes indeed zaki might be playing with kaebi soon, for real madrid. iranian players are great footballers. ali daei is the record international goalscorer, of all-time!!! yes, he has scored more international goals than pele or maradona, and if you don't believe me check it up on wikipedia! thanks for the comment michelle.
about 1 month ago
We can only hope he gets signed by a decent team, preferably Hull!.
Colin Gentle says: It's good! :P
from about 1 month ago
yes i would love to see kaebi at hull city. he would make a fantastic signing for them. also, roman pavlyuchenko (aka colin gentle) better think it's good, or else...
thanks for the comment rowlands.
about 1 month ago
I have never heard of this guy but he has a long club and international tradition and he is only 22 so there is certainly time for him to have another go in Europe.
from about 1 month ago
there certainly is. i'm sure he will move back to europe, and this time with a bigger and better club than leicester city. thanks for the comment mary.
about 1 month ago
Good stuff, Yoosof. I'm always interested in players who are hoping to break into the big leagues, especially youngsters with a long career ahead of them.
from about 1 month ago
and hossein kaebi certainly does have a long career ahead of him. he is a fantastic talent that is sure to move to one of europe's big boys in the next few years or so. thanks for the comment joe.
about 1 month ago
Other than the weird title, I gotta say this is a pretty great series. These player profiles are great for getting to know players outside of the European leagues, which are pretty much where our attention span is focused most of the time. Fantastic stuff, Yosoof.
from about 1 month ago
i'm not changing this title. i like the title, i think it's a good one. but anyway, yeah that's the whole point of this series, to get people knowledgeable about the top iranian footballers out there who don't ply their trade in europe, but could well do. apart from the comment about the title, thanks for the kind words eric.
about 1 month ago
I certainly hope that managers in the major european leagues read these articles of yours as you could influence many on how many great players there are in Iran.
from about 1 month ago
i would love to have the power to influence top european managers john. if it isn't happening now with these articles, then i can assure you that in the future when i became a top journalist i will make sure i have the power to influence these people and their decisions.
about 1 month ago
It is hard to understand Kaebi. At times he is brilliant, energetic and plays with such tenacity you think he is the next great Iranian footballer and other times he flat out disappears, makes huge mistakes, and his positioning is dreadful. He is a true Mr. Jekyl and Dr. Hyde and until he becomes consistent, Europe will be just a dream. At 22 he is still relatively young but seriously, how can you think a player who could not make the cut in Leicester City be able to hang with the big boys. Honestly, how in the world is he going to survive in legit Euro leagues when he is so inconsistent?
The hope is Kaebi becomes consistent with team Melli bringing movement and energy in the qualifying rounds. Kaebi makes great runs and he can be the spark plug on counter attacks. This will give Team Melli a lethal weapon. Hopefully European teams see he has matured and Kaebi gets another opportunity but the truth is the Iranian back line is going to need more than just good games from Kaebi.
Good article and great topic. It is important to keep writing about Team Melli. I hope you continue to write about the national team. Go Iran!
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