AFC Asian Cup 2019: Five midfielders to watch out for

#2 Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Iran):

Alireza Jahanbakhsh is one of the stars who caught the eyes of several scouts around Europe before featuring in the World Cup. The Iranian forward scored 22 times for AZ Alkmaar last campaign which was good enough to convince Chris Houghton to lure him to Brighton and Hove Albion for a good fee.

The 25-year-old was part of the squad which made it to the Quarterfinals of the AFC Asian Cup last time, losing to the arch-rivals Iraq in the process. He was also part of the World Cup squad which nearly stunned the group which consisted of Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.

The hamstring injury has forced Jahanbakhsh into limited action with the English outfit this campaign, and Iran manager Carlos Queiroz said that he would be given every opportunity to prove himself fit for the first game against Yemen on January 7. If he misses out on that game, he is expected to feature in the next two games though.

About the author

Sudarshan has been covering European and Indian football for Sportskeeda for
around 9 years. An Information Technology graduate and a post-graduate in International Business Operations, he has previously worked with Chennai Super Kings, Chennai City FC and the SunRisers Hyderabad handling their social media for OPN Advertising and Ting Labs. He has also travelled with the SunRisers for around 2 years, shooting content and interviewing stars such as David Warner, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Jonny Bairstow.

An ardent Liverpool supporter since 2008, Sudarshan's favorite footballer is Steven Gerrard, who impressed with his unmatched leadership during the Reds' challenging periods. His favorite manager is Jurgen Klopp as the German's connection with fans and preference for high-intensity football resonates with him. Sudarshan aims to better analyze football matches by relying on websites like FotMob and DataMB and excels in swiftly covering breaking news events.

Mario Gotze's winner in the 2014 final is Sudarshan’s favorite FIFA World Cup moment, and believes that Jamal Musiala and Jude Bellingham could emerge as the successors to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. When not writing, he enjoys binge-watching movies, learning new skills to enhance his professional development, and participating in marathons.

Know More

Edited by Vignesh Ananthasubramanian