Alireza Mansourian

1.1. Club Career

Born on 2 December 1971, in Tehran, Iran, Mansourian began his professional club career in 1993 with Pars Khodro. In 1995, he joined Esteghlal F.C., one of Iran's most prestigious clubs, for his first stint. His journey then took him to Singapore, where he played for S.League clubs Balestier Khalsa FC in 1996 and Geylang United in 1997.

Mansourian returned to Esteghlal from 1997 to 1998 before venturing into European football. In 1998, he transferred to Greek club Skoda Xanthi F.C. after the club's fans notably contributed funds to finalize his transfer. He played for Skoda Xanthi for one and a half seasons, making 29 appearances. In December 1999, Mansourian moved to another Greek club, Apollon Smyrnis F.C., for six months, where he played 6 matches and scored one goal before the team faced relegation.

Following his time in Greece, he continued his career in Germany with FC St. Pauli, remaining there for two seasons and making 15 appearances. Mansourian eventually returned to Iran and Esteghlal in 2002, where he was appointed the team's captain. He concluded his professional playing career at the end of the 2007-08 season, a season which saw Esteghlal clinch the Hazfi Cup. During his final tenure with Esteghlal from 2002 to 2008, he made 130 appearances and scored 8 goals.

1.2. International Career

Mansourian was a prominent figure in the Iran national football team, making his debut in May 1996. He participated in the 1996 AFC Asian Cup, playing in all six matches and contributing to Iran's third-place finish. He also played a crucial role in the 1998 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, featuring in all 17 matches and helping Iran secure a spot in the World Cup for the first time in 20 years.

He was part of the Iran squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and made two appearances in the tournament. Mansourian also earned a gold medal with the national team at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok. Overall, he made 47 appearances for the Iran national team, scoring 7 goals between 1996 and 1998.

2.1. Early Coaching Career

Mansourian's coaching journey began in 2009 when he served as the head coach of Pas Hamedan for four months. In August 2010, he was appointed as an assistant coach for the Iran national football team under head coach Afshin Ghotbi. Following Ghotbi's resignation, Mansourian briefly served as interim head coach until Carlos Queiroz was appointed, notably leading Iran to a 1-0 victory against the Russian national team.

2.2. Iran U-23 National Team

On 28 April 2011, Mansourian was named the head coach of the Iranian national under-23 football team. He held this position until 2 January 2014, when he resigned and was subsequently replaced by Nelo Vingada.

2.3. Naft Tehran

Mansourian took over as manager of Naft Tehran F.C. in the Iran Pro League on 31 May 2014. In his first season, he guided the club to a third-place finish in the league and to the final of the 2015 Hazfi Cup, where they were narrowly defeated by Zob Ahan. His team also delivered a strong performance in the 2015 AFC Champions League, qualifying from the group stage and defeating Saudi Arabia's Al-Ahli in the Round of 16 on away goals. However, their continental campaign ended in the Quarter-finals with a loss to Al-Ahli Dubai.

At the end of the season, his former club Esteghlal expressed interest in appointing him as manager after the departure of Amir Ghalenoei, but negotiations broke down as Naft Tehran refused to release him. Mansourian subsequently signed a two-year contract extension with Naft Tehran on 19 August 2015. Despite facing significant financial problems during the season, which led to the sale of key players such as Kamal Kamyabinia to Persepolis, Hossein Ebrahimi to Foolad, and Leandro Padovani to Sepahan, Mansourian successfully led Naft Tehran to a fifth-place finish in the league. He officially resigned from the club at the end of that season. Towards the end of 2015, Mansourian also received an offer from English team Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., but he declined it, prioritizing his desire to manage Esteghlal.

2.4. Esteghlal

On 1 June 2016, Mansourian realized his ambition of coaching his former club, Esteghlal, signing a three-year contract. His tenure as manager lasted for 16 months, before he resigned on 20 September 2017. Following his departure, his assistant coach, Mick McDermott, took over as caretaker manager.

2.5. Zob Ahan

On 15 November 2018, Mansourian was appointed as the head coach of Zob Ahan F.C., replacing Omid Namazi. He managed the team for just over a year before stepping down by mutual consent on 18 December 2019.

2.6. Other Club Coaching Roles

After his departure from Zob Ahan, Mansourian continued his coaching career with several other Iranian clubs. He managed Tractor F.C. in 2020, followed by a spell at Aluminium Arak F.C. in 2021. From 2021 to 2022, he was in charge of Sanat Naft F.C. in Abadan, and in 2023, he briefly managed Foolad F.C..

3.1. Club Statistics

3.2. International Goals

Scores and results list Iran's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mansourian goal.

3.3. Managerial Statistics

4.1. Player Honours

Esteghlal

• Iranian Football League
  • Winner (2): 1997-98, 2005-06
  • Runner-up (1): 2003-04
• Hazfi Cup
  • Winner (2): 1995-96, 2007-08
  • Runner-up (1): 2003-04
• AFC Champions League
  • Runner-up (1): 1998-99

  Iran

  • Asian Games
    • Gold Medal (1): 1998 Bangkok

4.2. Managerial Honours

Naft Tehran

• Hazfi Cup
  • Runner-up (1): 2014-15

  Esteghlal

  • Persian Gulf Pro League
    • Runner-up (1): 2016-17

4.3. Individual Honours

• IFCA Manager of the Month (March 2015)