Seyed Mirjalili is renowned for his ball-striking ability
He assesses Iran’s group-stage opponents at UAE 2024 Dubai
Mirjalili’s sights are set on winning the adidas Golden Glove

For many goalkeepers, the rough and tumble of life in between the posts can work as a natural attraction to the position. Joe Hart, who won four Premier League Golden Gloves and travelled to two FIFA World Cups™ with England, said he was told to go in the sticks because he likes to “roll around in the mud.” For IR Iran’s beach soccer No1 Seyed Mirjalili, though, life guarding nets started far differently.

“I had a great interest in keeping the ball in the air and having the techniques to work with the ball,” he told FIFA. “But the excitement and showmanship of beach soccer attracted me to the beach.

“Beach soccer is a very difficult discipline that we have to practice on the sand, both in the heat and in the cold. If you don’t have love for this profession, you will never succeed.”

Between playing 11-a-side and discovering beach soccer, Mirjalili tried his hand at foot-volley. “Foot-volley helped a lot to improve my ball work and improve my individual technique, and it had a big impact on my beach soccer development,” he said. “I played foot-volley for three years and was a member of the national team.”

Mirjalili is now gearing up for his first FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™. Iran will meet Spain, Tahiti and Argentina in what has been labelled ‘The group of death’.

“The biggest sporting wish of every athlete is to participate in the World Cup,” Mirjalili said. “All teams give 100 per cent in the World Cup. Spain are a very technical team.

“We don’t know much about Argentina, but they are physical. Tahiti have strong technical ability and fighting spirit.

“We are Iranians and we will go out on to the pitch with all our strength. Beach soccer is unpredictable, especially at World Cup level, but we all enter these competitions to improve on our position from 2017.”

That was the year in which Iran finished third at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, becoming the first Asian nation to reach the podium. At that tournament, Iranian Peyman Hosseini scooped the adidas Golden Glove. Mirjalili now dreams of following in the footsteps of Hosseini, who also netted the Goal of the Tournament with a superb top-corner volley against Mexico.

“Iranian goalkeepers are different from all others teams’ because of their highly individual technique,” said Mirjalili. “The World Cup has a very high standard and it is different from all the other tournaments. But with the help of the other team players, I will try my best to be among the best scorers in the competition.

“My biggest sporting and life dream is to win the Golden Glove. Through around 10 years of training and trying – even during difficult times for beach football – all my thoughts and desires have been on winning the World Cup Golden Glove.”