Question:

Ali Karimi of IR Iran scoop AFC honor
Alas, his individual brilliance alone was not enough. Truly, it is the loss to all those who love their football – to not see the best player of the tournament in the final match. Such was the stature of the magician from IR Iran – Ali Karimi.
Ali Karimi was instrumental in leading IR Iran to the Asian Cup semi-finals with a performance worthy of magician pulling off a vast array of spells from his bag of tricks. Already many football pundits have dubbed him the Maradona of Asia.
His remarkable rise towards the pinnacle of football was remarkable though. Before moving to Iran’s biggest club Pirouzi, he was playing for Second Division side Fath where training was conducted on the streets with a plastic ball.
However, he was quick to find success with Pirouzi in 1999 when he clinched the domestic double and the league title the following year. At the international level, he helped Iran win the Asian Games gold in 1998 by also scoring in the final.
The quarterfinal match up at the Asian Cup 2004 between Iran and Korea Republic was undoubtedly the most entertaining and pulsating match of the tournament. In a tit-for-tat battle, Karimi put his side ahead in the 10 th min only for Wolverhampton Wanderers Seol Ki-hyeon to equalise for Korea six min later.
Again, Karimi who plies his trade with UAE club Al Ahli put his side ahead in the 20 th min only to see Lee Dong-gook level the match at 2-2 all.
After the break, another inspired Karimi move saw Park Jin-sub inadvertently put the ball in his own net in 51 st min. Always courageous fighters, Korea fought back and Kim Nam-il put his side back in the hunt with 68 th min equaliser. Nonetheless, Karimi’s influence proved telling with the winner in the 77 th min.
The Iranian finished joint top scorer of the Asian Cup China 2004 with five goals to his credit. Karimi won the most number of Most Valuable Player of Asian Cup matches and also came in a close second in the tournament’s Most Valuable Player Award.
His mesmerizing skills has not gone unnoticed outside Asia. Serie A club Perugia and La Liga side Atletico Madrid have made advances to him but he choose to remain with his Al Ahli club where he led the club to win the UAE President Cup in the 2001-2002 season.

Answer:


Ali Karimi of IR Iran scoop AFC honor
Alas, his individual brilliance alone was not enough. Truly, it is the loss to all those who love their football – to not see the best player of the tournament in the final match. Such was the stature of the magician from IR Iran – Ali Karimi.
Ali Karimi was instrumental in leading IR Iran to the Asian Cup semi-finals with a performance worthy of magician pulling off a vast array of spells from his bag of tricks. Already many football pundits have dubbed him the Maradona of Asia.
His remarkable rise towards the pinnacle of football was remarkable though. Before moving to Iran’s biggest club Pirouzi, he was playing for Second Division side Fath where training was conducted on the streets with a plastic ball.
However, he was quick to find success with Pirouzi in 1999 when he clinched the domestic double and the league title the following year. At the international level, he helped Iran win the Asian Games gold in 1998 by also scoring in the final.
The quarterfinal match up at the Asian Cup 2004 between Iran and Korea Republic was undoubtedly the most entertaining and pulsating match of the tournament. In a tit-for-tat battle, Karimi put his side ahead in the 10 th min only for Wolverhampton Wanderers Seol Ki-hyeon to equalise for Korea six min later.
Again, Karimi who plies his trade with UAE club Al Ahli put his side ahead in the 20 th min only to see Lee Dong-gook level the match at 2-2 all.
After the break, another inspired Karimi move saw Park Jin-sub inadvertently put the ball in his own net in 51 st min. Always courageous fighters, Korea fought back and Kim Nam-il put his side back in the hunt with 68 th min equaliser. Nonetheless, Karimi’s influence proved telling with the winner in the 77 th min.
The Iranian finished joint top scorer of the Asian Cup China 2004 with five goals to his credit. Karimi won the most number of Most Valuable Player of Asian Cup matches and also came in a close second in the tournament’s Most Valuable Player Award.
His mesmerizing skills has not gone unnoticed outside Asia. Serie A club Perugia and La Liga side Atletico Madrid have made advances to him but he choose to remain with his Al Ahli club where he led the club to win the UAE President Cup in the 2001-2002 season.