Iraj Danaeifard

Iraj Danaeifard was an Iranian football player who played most of his career for Taj and also the football team.

Club career

Danaeifard became involved in football at a young age. His father, Ali Danaeifard was one of the founders of Taj SC football club. He became famous in Iran while playing for the club, winning the Iranian league in 1971. He also played for Oghab F.C. and Pas F.C., where he won the Iranian Takht Jamshid in 1977. In 1977, he returned to Taj.
In 1980, he moved to the United States and started playing for the NASL team, the Tulsa Roughnecks. He remained in the club until 1984 when the league folded, and retired from football soon thereafter.

Danaeifard was invited to the national team for the first time in 1977 and helped the team qualify for 1978 World Cup. He played well in the tournament and many still remember his goal against Scotland, which was Iran's first goal ever at a World Cup. After the Asian Cup in Kuwait in 1980 and reaching the third place he retired from international football with 17 caps and 3 goals for his country.

Danaeifard died on 12 December 2018 of liver failure. He was 67.