Mehdi Mahdavikia

Mehdi Mahdavikia (Persian: مهدی مهدوی‌کیا‎, born 24 July 1977 in Tehran) is an Iranian football player who currently plays for Persepolis in Iran Pro League. He has won Asian Young Footballer of the Year award in 1997, as well as Asian Footballer of the Year in 2003. He was the captain of the Iran national football team from 2006 to 2009, and currently is the third most capped Iranian International after Ali Daei and Ali Karimi. As a product of Bank Melli, he joined Persepolis and after his performance in FIFA World Cup 1998, he was transferred to Hamburger SV in Fußball-Bundesliga, where he played for eight seasons. He usually plays as a right winger or full-back. He is known for his crossing, speed and dribbling.