Iman Mobali

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Personal information
Iman Mobali
Full name	Iman Mobali
Date of birth	November 3, 1982
Place of birth	Izeh, Iran
Position	Midfield
Club information
Current club	Al-Shabbab
Youth clubs
? - ?	Foolad FC
Professional clubs*
Years	Club	Apps (goals)
2000-2005 2005-present	Foolad FC Al-Shabbab	(23) 29 (10)
National team**
2001-present	Iran	31 (1)
* Professional club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21 November 2006. ** National team caps and goals correct as of 10 October 2006.

Iman Mobali (Persian: ایمان مبعلی ‎ , born November 3, 1982 in Izeh, Iran) is an Iranian football player. He is currently on loan at Al-Shabbab FC in the United Arab Emirates.

[edit] Club career

He has been considered the creative dynamo of the highly talented Foolad Ahvaz squad, based in Iran's oil-rich Khuzestan province. The young player is usually the key member of his team, which rised to be among the strongest teams in the Iranian Premier League. On the international level Mobali is considered one of Asia's brightest prospects.

The player is both-footed and boasts an incredible array of offensive talents. He is highly adept at fast dribbling, passing, and has an amazing anticipation. However he is most often feted for his outstanding free-kicks, which have been used to tremendous effect for club and country. It was believed that following the 2006 FIFA World Cup he would move to a top European team, but he was not included in Iran's final squad for the World Cup.

[edit] International career

Iman Mobali made his debut for Team Melli in January 2001 against China. He was among Iran's under-23 squad in 2002, winning a Gold Medal in the Busan Asian Games.

Although according to many football analysts, Iman is among the most talented Asian players of his generation, his international career has not been as impressive as expected. There is some speculation that Branko Ivanković, the former coach of Iranian national football team, was not a big fan of Iman. He was not always called up to the national team, and even if selected, he was usually on the bench. Some also say that Iman Mobali has had personal issues with Ali Daei, which emerged when Mobali made a dangerous tackle on Ali Daei's legs in a cup match in Iran, although Iman has denied these speculations.