Karimi returns to Iran

Sep 5, 2008, 12:10 GMT

Tehran - After six years abroad, Iranian midfielder Ali Karimi, once nicknamed as 'Asia's Maradona,' has returned to Iran to play in the local premier league, ISNA news agency reported Friday.

'I have returned to my home club,' Karimi told ISNA before signing a one-year contract with his former club Persepolis Tehran.

Karimi, still considered by many football experts as Iran's best player, left Persepolis in 2002 and played for three years with the United Arab Emirates' Al-Ahli club.

His strong performance in the UAE and in the national Iranian team made Bayern Munich sign him for two years but Karimi could not fulfil the German club's expectations and was only used as substitute.

In 2007 he changed to Qatar SC but again in the Gulf sheikhdom, Karimi failed to repeat the performance of his UAEA days and eventually decided to return to Iran.

His biggest disappointment was however after head coach Ali Daei did not even nominate him for Saturday's World Cup qualification game against Saudi Arabia. Daei's decision is said not to be only because of Karimi's form.

Last May Karimi termed the current squad, including both federation and coach Daei, as the weakest in his 10-year presence in the national team. Since then he has reportedly been unofficially banned from the national team.

The match against Saudi Arabia is the first qualification game in Asia group 2 where Iran will also meet the United Arab Emirates and the two Koreas.