Omid Noorafkan

Omid Noorafkan (Persian: امید نورافکن‎; born 9 April 1997) is an Iranian professional footballer who currently plays for Iranian club Sepahan and the Iran national team.[1]

Omid Noorafkan
Noorafkan with Esteghlal in 2019
Personal information
Full name Omid Noorafkan
Date of birth (1997-04-09) 9 April 1997
Place of birth Rey, Iran
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position(s) Defensive midfielder/ Winger
Club information
Current team
 Sepahan
Number 19
Youth career
2005–2007 Erfan Nasim Shahr
2008–2012 Ehsan Rey
2012–2015 Esteghlal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2018 Esteghlal 49 (4)
2018–2020 Charleroi 2 (0)
2019 → Esteghlal (loan) 9 (0)
2019–2020 → Sepahan (loan) 17 (3)
2020– Sepahan 0 (0)
National team‡
2011–2014 Iran U17 5 (1)
2014–2017 Iran U20 13 (3)
2017–2020 Iran U23 11 (2)
2018– Iran 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 3 June 2019
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17 March 2018

Noorafkan started his career with Esteghlal and at the time became the youngest ever player to play a game for the club at the age of 18 years and eight months and 12 days.[2]

Noorafkan is an Iranian international, having represented his nation at under-17 and under-20 level. He made his senior international debut in March 2018, aged 20, in a friendly match against Sierra Leone.

Club career

Early career

A native of Rey, Noorafkan started playing football at Ehsan Rey where he played as striker mostly.[3]

Esteghlal

Noorafkan joined Esteghlal as a youth player in 2012 at the age of 15 and played for their under-19 team. During his time in Esteghlal's Under-19, his position was shifted from striker to left back.[3]

2015–16 season: Debut season

Noorafkan was promoted to the senior squad before the start of the 2015–16. Due to the absence of Yaghoub Karimi and Meysam Majidi, Esteghlal's coach Parviz Mazloumi decided to play Noorafakan as left back in order to fill their place.[3] He made his first senior appearance on 17 December 2015 at the age 18 years and 271 days in a 1–0 win against Saba Qom making him the youngest ever player to appear in a match for Esteghlal at the time.[2] A record which was broken by Mehdi Ghaedi two seasons later.[4] His impressive performances lead him to become a regular member of the starting eleven during 2015–16 season. He finished the season with 11 appearances playing as a left back.[5]

2016–17 season: First team breakthrough
Noorafkan (right) with Xavi in AFC Champions League qualifying play-off match against Al Sadd SC

He was placed in the starting line up for the season opening match against Naft Tehran.[6] However, due to a FIFA imposed transfer ban which lead to Esteghlal's lack of midfield, team manager Alireza Mansourian, tried Noorafkan in his favorite position as a defensive midfielder.[7] The position which he played with Iran U19 as well.[8] Following his stunning display in that role, he secured his place in the team's starting line up. On 27 January 2017, he scored his first professional goal in a 3–2 home win against Paykan.[9] He scored another goal in a 3–0 win against Machine Sazi the following week.[10] Earlier in that match he assisted Ali Ghorbani's goal. On 2 February 2017, he started the AFC Champions League qualifying play-off match against Al Sadd SC which Esteghlal won in a 4–3 penalty shoot-out following a 0–0 draw after extra time.[11][12] On 12 February he played his first Tehran derby against city rivals Persepolis assisting Kaveh Rezaei's goal as Esteghlal won 3–2.[13] Noorafkan was lauded by Iranian media for his display against Persepolis, marking-out creative Attacking midfielder Soroush Rafiei as he played an insignificant role in the match against Esteghlal.[14]

Noorafkan playing against Paykan in January 2017

On 4 April he had an argument with his teammate, Yaghoub Karimi after being substituted.[15] Due to his behaviour Alireza Mansourian decided to ban him from group training.[16] He was also excluded from the squad to play against Gostaresh Foulad on 4 April.[17] On 7 April he finally got the permission to join the team training with the rest of the squad.[18] He was included in the called up squad for the AFC Champions League match against Lokomotiv Tashkent but he sat on the bench during the match.[19] He returned to the starting line-up in the match against Saba Qom on 15 April which resulted in a 2–1 win for Esteghlal.[20] On 29 April he scored a stunner from outside of the box with his weaker foot, in Esteghlal's 2–1 win against Padideh.[21] He ended the season with 3 goals in 18 appearances in all competition as Esteghlal finished the season in second place in the league, were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Hazfi Cup by Naft Tehran and qualified from the group stage of Champions League. He signed a contract extension through 2019 with Esteghlal on 16 June 2017.[22] He was named "Persian Gulf Pro League Young Player of the Year" by F.F.I.R.I. at the end of the season.[23]

2017–18 season

At the beginning of the season, Noorafkan was banned from playing by the F.F.I.R.I. along with two other Esteghlal players Majid Hosseini and Mehdi Ghaedi as Alireza Mansourian prevented them to join Iran under-23 camp.[24] After missing the first week of the season, the deprivation from the F.F.I.R.I. was finally cancelled on 29 July 2017 and the players were ready to play for the second week of the 2017–18 campaign.[25] He finally made his season debut on 4 August 2017 in a 0–0 draw against Esteghlal Khuzestan.[26] On 8 September 2017, he scored his first goal of the season in a 2–1 win over Gol Gohar in Hazfi Cup.[27]

Noorafkan in action against Sepahan in December 2017

On 20 December 2017, he was introduced as one the "100 Best Young Players to Watch in 2018" by outside of the boot website.[28][29] His first league goal was the game-winning goal in a 2–1 away victory against Naft Tehran on 29 March.[30] He finished the season with 1 goal in 24 appearances in all competition as Esteghlal finished the season in third in the 2017–18 campaign, won the Hazfi Cup and qualified for the quarter-finals of Champions League.[31]

Charleroi

On 6 June 2018, Noorafkan signed for Belgian First Division A club Charleroi,[32] for a fee reported to be worth around €250,000.[33] He made his official debut for Charleroi in a 3–2 away win over Genk on 19 August.[34]

Return to Esteghlal

On 26 January 2019, Esteghlal re-signed Noorafkan on a six-month loan deal.[35] On 7 February, he made his first league appearance, since leaving Esteghlal in a 4–0 win against Paykan.[36]

International career

Youth

Noorafkan played five matches for Iran under-17 scoring one goal. Later on, he was called up for Iran under-20 and became a regular member. With the Iranian under-20 team he became the vice-captain and took part at the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship, under manager Amir Hossein Peiravani, playing an important role in Iran's tournament run.[37] After beating Uzbekistan in the Quarter-finals, Iran managed to qualify for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, making their first appearance in World Cup after 16 years having Noorafkan started every match of the tournament.[38] However Iran was knocked out of the competition after losing 5–6 on penalties to Saudi Arabia in Semi-finals.[39]

As 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup coincided with Esteghlal's match in Champions League against Al Ain, Esteghlal's coach Alireza Mansourian was against Noorafkan joining the U20 squad to play in the competition.[40] However, later on, the coach changed his mind and decided to let the player join the U20 squad and captain the side.[41] He made his tournament debut against Costa Rica while wearing the captain armband,[42] as Iran beat their opponent 1–0.[43] It was Iran's first win and the goal was Iran's first goal in the competition after 40 years which was scored by Mehdi Mehdikhani.[44][45] On 24 May, in Iran's second match against Zambia, Noorafkan began the game and managed to be fouled and get a free-kick which was converted by Reza Shekari and get a 2–0 lead. However, Iran couldn't keep the lead as Zambia made a comeback and Iran lost the match 4–2.[46] He also played the full 90 minutes against Portugal which Iran lost 2–1 and was eventually eliminated from the competition.[47]

Senior
Noorafkan on his debut with Iran national team in 2018.

Noorafkan was called up for the first time for the Iran senior team in August 2017 at the age 20 by coach Carlos Queiroz for Iran's 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Korea and Syria.[48] On 17 March 2018, he made his official debut in a 4–0 victory against Sierra Leone, assisting Mohammad Reza Khanzadeh's goal.[49] In May 2018 he was named in Carlos Queiroz's Preliminary 35-man Iran squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.[50] However he did not make the final 23 and was left out of the squad.[51]

Personal life

Noorafkan was raised in Baharestan County in Tehran Province.[52] His parents are from Rey and he is Persian.[53] He is a fan of Germany national football team and Bayern Munich and he idolises Germany's former captain Philipp Lahm.[54][53]

On 29 May 2020, Noorafkan announced on his Instagram that he was tested positive for COVID-19, amid its pandemic in Iran.[55]

Career Statistics

Club
As of 7 september 2019 [56]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Continental1 Total
League AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals
Esteghlal2015–16Persian Gulf Pro League 11000—110
2016–17 1430060203
2017–18 2414160342
Total 49441120655
Charleroi 2018–19 Belgian First Division A 2000—20
Esteghlal (loan)2018–19Persian Gulf Pro League 900050140
Sepahan (loan)2019–20Iran Pro League 1832020223
Career total 777611901028

1 Includes AFC Champions League matches.

International
As of 17 March 2018[56]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Iran
201810
Total10

Honours

Esteghlal

Individual

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References
  1. https://www.fifa.com/fifa-tournaments/players-coaches/people=403248/index.html
  2. "نور افکن جوانترین بازیکن تاریخ لیگ برتر استقلال" (in Persian).
  3. "پدیده استقلال تلفن همراه نداشت!" [Esteghlal's phenomenon did not have a mobile phone!] (in Persian).
  4. "قائدی رکورد جوان‌ترین بازیکن تاریخ استقلال را در لیگ برتر شکست" (in Persian).
  5. "Soccerway stats". Archived from the original on 2017-10-03. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
  6. "استقلال 1 - نفت 1؛" (in Persian).
  7. "امید جدید خط هافبک استقلال" (in Persian).
  8. "تغییر پست نورافکن در ترکیب استقلال" [Noorafkan's position changed in Esteghlal's squad] (in Persian).
  9. "استقلال 3 ـ پیکان 2؛ فریاد جوانی" (in Persian).
  10. "ماشین‌سازی 0 - استقلال 3؛ بولدوزر قوی تر از برف و یخ" (in Persian).
  11. AFC official match summary
  12. "استقلال 0(4) - السد 0(3)؛ آبی بهتر از ژاوی" (in Persian).
  13. "استقلال3 ـ پرسپولیس2؛ سلفی با شگفتی" (in Persian).
  14. "بچه 19 ساله علیه ستاره‌های میلیاردی" (in Persian).
  15. "درگیری یعقوب کریمی و امید نورافکن در پایان بازی" [Contention between Yaghoub Karimi and Omid Noorafkan at the end of the match] (in Persian).
  16. "با تصمیم علیرضا منصوریان؛ نورافکن تا اطلاع ثانوی اجازه تمرین با استقلال را ندارد" (in Persian).
  17. "نبود نورافکن و از دست دادن فضای میانه میدان" (in Persian).
  18. "بازگشت چشمی، نورافکن و غفوری به تمرینات استقلال" [Return of Cheshmi, Noorafkan and Ghafouri to Esteghlal's training] (in Persian).
  19. "ترکیب استقلال مقابل لوکوموتیو ازبکستان" [Esteghlal's squad against Lokomotiv Tashkent] (in Persian).
  20. "استقلال 2 - صبا 1؛ امید آسیایی با امید" (in Persian).
  21. "پدیده 1 - استقلال 2؛ یک سوپر گل برای سکوی دوم" (in Persian).
  22. "نورافکن قرارداد خود با استقلال را تمدید کرد" [Noorafkan renewed his contract with Esteghlal] (in Persian).
  23. "نورافکن پدیده فصل فوتبال ایران شد" [Noorafkan named Young player of the year] (in Persian).
  24. "محرومیت 3 بازیکن استقلال از هفته اول لیگ" (in Persian).
  25. "محرومیت سه بازیکن استقلال لغو شد" (in Persian).
  26. "استقلال 0 - استقلال خوزستان 0؛ آبی‌ها شاکی از داور و دیوار" (in Persian).
  27. "گل گهر سیرجان 1-2 استقلال؛ آبی ها در کویر به آرامش رسیدند" (in Persian).
  28. Saemian, Sina. "100 Best Young Players to Watch in 2018". Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  29. "نورافکن در بین ۱۰۰ استعداد جوان برتر فوتبال جهان" (in Persian).
  30. "نفت تهران 1 - استقلال 2؛ استقلال ملی شد و برد" (in Persian).
  31. "استقلال 1- خونه به خونه 0؛ هفتمین تاج‌گذاری" (in Persian). Varzesh3. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  32. "رسمی؛ امید نورافکن به شارلوا بلژیک پیوست (عکس)" [Official; Omid Noorafkan joined Charleroi] (in Persian). Tarafdari. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  33. "Omid Noorafkan signe à Charleroi" (in French). 6 June 2018.
  34. "شکست شارلروا با ۳ بازیکن ایرانی" [Charleroi's defeat with three Iranian playerss] (in Persian). Varzesh 3. 19 August 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  35. "با اعلام فتحی؛ امید نورافکن با قراردادی 6 ماه به استقلال پیوست" [With Fathi's announcement, Noorafkan joined Esteghlal on a six-month loan deal] (in Persian). Esteghlal F.C. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  36. "پیکان 0 - استقلال 4؛ آماده باش تیم پرستاره به لیگ" [Paykan 0 - Esteghlal 4]. Varzesh3. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  37. "ترکیب تیم ملی فوتبال جوانان مشخص شد" (in Persian).
  38. "ایران 2- ازبکستان 0؛ صعود شیر بچه‌ها به جام جهانی" (in Persian).
  39. "ایران 5 – عربستان6؛ جوانان ایران سوم آسیا شدند" (in Persian).
  40. "مخالفت منصوریان با حضور نورافکن در تیم جوانان" (in Persian).
  41. "با تصمیم منصوریان؛ نورافکن به جام جهانی می‌رود" (in Persian).
  42. "ترکیب 11 نفره جوانان ایران مقابل کاستاریکا" (in Persian).
  43. "ایران 1 - کاستاریکا 0 ؛ گل مهدی‌خانی کلید صعود" (in Persian).
  44. "دومین پیروزی تیم ملی در سومین حضور" (in Persian).
  45. "لحظه ای که به انتظار چهل ساله پایان داد(عکس)" (in Persian).
  46. "ایران 2 - زامبیا 4 ؛ توفان آفریقایی در 10 دقیقه" (in Persian).
  47. "ایران 1- پرتغال 2؛ با دو ویدئو چک حذف شدیم" (in Persian).
  48. "قدوس و نورافکن اردو اولی های لیست کی‌روش" (in Persian).
  49. "ایران 4 - 0 سیرالئون؛ تمرین گلزنیِ تیم ملی مقابل یک تیم محلی" [Iran 4 - 0 Sierra Leone] (in Persian). Tarafdari. 17 March 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  50. "World Cup 2018: All the confirmed squads for this summer's finals in Russia".
  51. "Carlos Queiroz Names Provisional Iran Squad for FIFA World Cup 2018". IFPNews.com.
  52. "بیوگرافی امید نورافکن" [Omid Noorafkan's Biography] (in Persian).
  53. "برای رفتن به تمرین استقلال چند کورس ماشین سوار می‌شوم/ هدفم رفتن به بوندسلیگاست" (in Persian). mashreghnews.ir.
  54. "امید نورافکن در مصاحبه با "متافوتبال": عاشق لام و تیم ملی آلمان هستم" [Omid Noorafkan interview with "Metafootball": I love Philipp Lahm and Germany national football team] (in Persian).
  55. "شوک کرونایی سپاهان به فوتبال ایران" (in Persian). Varzesh 3. 29 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  56. "Soccerway stats".
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