Mehdi Taremi key on and off field to Iran’s World Cup knockout dream
Striker is an outspoken talisman who will have to be at his best if national side are to get out of group stage in 2026
Mehdi Taremi was born 10 days after Son Heung-min, in July 1992, but in terms of the global reputations of these Asian attackers, the Iranian striker has consistently lagged much further behind his South Korean counterpart. The Internazionale marksman has, however, been a more effective performer for his national team.
As Son and his teammates huffed and puffed to a 1-1 draw with Jordan on Tuesday –a third successive stalemate in an easier World Cup qualifying group – Taremi scored twice in a 2-2 draw with Uzbekistan to secure a fourth successive World qualification for his nation.
