Mehdi Torabi (Persian: مهدی ترابی; born 10 September 1994) is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Persian Gulf Pro League club Persepolis and the Iran national team.
Club career
Saipa
He started his career with Saipa from youth levels. He was promoted to the first team by Mojtaba Taghavi in summer 2012. He made his Persian Gulf Cup debut for Saipa in the 2013–14 season against Mes Kerman as a substitute. His subsequent performances were deemed worthy of a Team Melli call up.
Persepolis
On 1 July 2018, Torabi signed a three-year deal with Persepolis. He was sent on back on loan to Saipa for the first half of the season until Persepolis had served their transfer ban. On 16 December 2018, Torabi officially joined Persepolis' squad and was assigned the number 9.[2]
Torabi scored his first goal for Persepolis in a 3–2 victory over Saipa on 13 April 2019.[3]
International career
Youth level
He was invited to Iran U23 preliminary camp by Nelo Vingada.[4] Torabi was included in the squad for the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship by coach Mohammad Khakpour and he scored his first goal of the tournament in the last group match against China from a 30-yard free kick.
Senior level
He made his debut against Uzbekistan in a friendly on 11 June 2015 where he scored the lone goal of the match. On 3 September 2015, Torabi came off the bench to score in a 6–0 victory against Guam. In May 2018 he was named in Iran's preliminary squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[5]
Personal life
Political views
Torabi has been known to be a supporter of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, having worn a shirt in support of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and wanting to offer him a football as a gift during the Mahsa Amini protests.[6][7][8] In 2019, Torabi lifted his shirt up with a message of support to the government during the 2019–2020 Iranian protests as well. The literal translation of his message was "The only path to salvation of country is to follow orders of the leader".[9]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 1 June 2024
| Club | Division | Season | League | Hazfi Cup | Asia | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Saipa | Pro League | 2013–14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 1 | ||||||
| 2015–16 | 24 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 1 | ||||||
| 2016–17 | 25 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 4 | ||||||
| 2017–18 | 27 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 10 | ||||||
| 2018–19 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 4 | ||||||
| Total | 118 | 17 | 10 | 3 | — | — | 128 | 20 | ||||
| Persepolis | Pro League | 2018–19 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | 23 | 2 | |
| 2019–20 | 26 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 12 | ||||
| Total | 40 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 1 | — | 55 | 14 | |||
| Al-Arabi | QSL | 2020–21 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 2 | ||
| Total | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 2 | ||||
| Persepolis | Pro League | 2020–21 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 7 |
| 2021–22 | 26 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 5 | ||
| 2022–23 | 29 | 7 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 34 | 9 | ||||
| 2023–24 | 28 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | — | 35 | 4 | |||
| Total | 97 | 16 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 123 | 25 | ||
| Career totals | 264 | 47 | 31 | 9 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 317 | 61 | ||
International
- Statistics accurate as of match played 11 June 2024.[10]
| Iran | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2015 | 7 | 3 |
| 2016 | 4 | 1 |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 |
| 2018 | 10 | 2 |
| 2019 | 7 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 |
| 2022 | 6 | 1 |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 |
| 2024 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | 50 | 7 |
International goals
- As of match played 10 November 2022. Iran score listed first, score column indicates score after each Torabi goal.[11]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 11 June 2015 | Bunyodkor Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan | 1 |  Uzbekistan |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 2. | 3 September 2015 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran | 3 |  Guam |
6–0 | 6–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 13 October 2015 | 5 |  Japan |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly | |
| 4. | 7 June 2016 | 10 |  Kyrgyzstan |
3–0 | 6–0 | ||
| 5. | 11 September 2018 | Bunyodkor Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan | 18 | Uzbekistan |
1–0 | 1–0 | |
| 6. | 16 October 2018 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran | 19 |  Bolivia |
2–1 | 2–1 | |
| 7. | 10 November 2022 | Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran | 36 |  Nicaragua |
1–0 | 1–0 |
Honours
Club
- Persepolis
- Persian Gulf Pro League (5): 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2022–23, 2023–24
- Hazfi Cup (2): 2018–19, 2022–23
- Iranian Super Cup (2): 2019, 2020
Individual
- Iranian Young Player of the Year: 2016
- Persian Gulf Pro League Team of the Year: 2015–16
- Navad Player of the Month: April 2018, May 2018
References
- ^ a b "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: IR Iran (IRN)" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 15. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
- ^ چک-تسویه-حساب-با-سایپا-برای-فسخ-قرارداد-ترابی-تحویل-شد [dead link]
- ^ "اولین گل ستاره پرسپولیس به تیم سابقش". www.yjc.ir (in Persian). Retrieved 24 May 2019.
- ^ "89 بازیکن در اردوی تیم فوتبال المپیک - سایت خبری تحلیلی تابناك". tabnak.ir. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ^ "World Cup 2018: All the confirmed squads for this summer's finals in Russia".
- ^ "Iran Has More Than Just Soccer On Its Mind At The World Cup". defector.com. 1 November 2022.
- ^ "Solidarity with Iran revolution prominent across soccer world". World Soccer Talk. 28 October 2022.
- ^ "Ele vai: conheça Torabi, atacante habilidoso e adulador de líder supremo do Irã". br.noticias.yahoo.com.
- ^ "Footballers Tackle the Regime". iranwire.com.
- ^ Mehdi Torabi at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ Mehdi Torabi at Soccerway
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