# Mehdi Taremi (مهدی طارمی)
**Mehdi Taremi** (مهدی طارمی; born 1992 in [Bushehr, Iran](https://www.edgepedia.org/bushehr-iran)) is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a center forward and captains the Iran national team, for which he has scored 58 goals in 107 FIFA-recognized matches.[1](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/59495/Mehdi_Taremi.html) A 1.86 m striker who can also play as a secondary striker, left winger, or attacking midfielder, he built his reputation at [Persepolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/persepolis) and [FC Porto](https://www.edgepedia.org/fc-porto) before moving to Inter Milan and then Olympiacos, and he has played at three World Cups (2018, 2022, and 2026).[1](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/59495/Mehdi_Taremi.html) • [2](https://elpais.com/us/2026-06-16/iran-rescata-el-empate-en-un-debut-marcado-por-la-guerra.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1992, Bushehr, Iran; 1.86 m tall[1](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/59495/Mehdi_Taremi.html) |
| Position | Centre forward; also secondary striker, left winger, attacking midfielder[1](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/59495/Mehdi_Taremi.html) |
| Club career | Persepolis 2014–18, Al-Gharafa, Rio Ave 2019–20, Porto 2020–24, Inter Milan 2024–25, Olympiacos 2025–26, Al-Wasl from 2026/27[1](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/59495/Mehdi_Taremi.html) • [3](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/bio/_/id/219611/mehdi-taremi) |
| Porto record | 182 appearances, 91 goals across four seasons (2020/21–2023/24)[4](https://www.ogol.com.br/jogador/mehdi-taremi/408631/equipes) |
| Iran record | 107 FIFA matches, 58 goals; team captain[1](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/59495/Mehdi_Taremi.html) • [5](https://apnews.com/article/13a50d2be82ac00875f33f5d770306f2) |
| Honors | Two Iran Pro League titles (2017, 2018) and three Taça de Portugal titles (2022, 2023, 2024)[6](https://www.footballdatabase.eu/en/player/details/233955-mehdi-taremi) |
| World Cups | 2018, 2022 (two goals against England), and 2026 as captain[2](https://elpais.com/us/2026-06-16/iran-rescata-el-empate-en-un-debut-marcado-por-la-guerra.html) • [5](https://apnews.com/article/13a50d2be82ac00875f33f5d770306f2) |
## Early career and Persepolis
Taremi came through Bushehr clubs, appearing for Shahin Bushehr in the Iran Pro League in 2010/11 and 2011/12 and then for Iranjavan Bushehr in the second-tier Azadegan League, where he scored 12 goals in 22 matches in 2013/14.[1](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/59495/Mehdi_Taremi.html) He joined Persepolis in 2014 and became a league-leading scorer: 16 goals in 2015/16, 18 in a 2016/17 championship season, and 4 goals in 7 matches in the first half of 2017/18 before a mid-season move.[1](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/59495/Mehdi_Taremi.html) Across his Persepolis spell he made 112 appearances and scored 55 goals, winning the Iran Pro League in 2017 and 2018.[4](https://www.ogol.com.br/jogador/mehdi-taremi/408631/equipes) • [6](https://www.footballdatabase.eu/en/player/details/233955-mehdi-taremi)
A season and a half at Al-Gharafa in Qatar followed, including a [Qatar Stars League](https://www.edgepedia.org/qatar-stars-league) cup win in 2018/19, before he moved to [Rio Ave](https://www.edgepedia.org/rio-ave-f-c) in Portugal's Primeira Liga for 2019/20, where 18 goals in 30 league matches announced him to European football.[1](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/59495/Mehdi_Taremi.html)
## Porto
Taremi signed for FC Porto in 2020 and spent four seasons there, totaling 182 appearances and 91 goals.[4](https://www.ogol.com.br/jogador/mehdi-taremi/408631/equipes) His league output peaked in 2022/23 with 22 goals in 33 [Primeira Liga](https://www.edgepedia.org/primeira-liga) matches, after 20 in 32 matches in the 2021/22 title-winning season.[1](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/59495/Mehdi_Taremi.html) He won the [Taça de Portugal](https://www.edgepedia.org/taca-de-portugal) in three consecutive seasons (2022, 2023, 2024).[6](https://www.footballdatabase.eu/en/player/details/233955-mehdi-taremi)
His game at Porto extended beyond scoring. A data analysis of Primeira Liga center-forwards recorded him at 0.96 key passes and 0.22 expected assists per game, both league highs for a forward, and tactical profiles described him as an excellent link player comparable to [Harry Kane](https://www.edgepedia.org/harry-kane): a genuine number 9 who also creates.[7](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/data-analysis/finding-the-best-centre-forwards-from-the-primeira-liga-data-analysis-statistics) • [8](https://en.rattibha.com/thread/1677334155946872833) Commentators credited him with playing close to goal, dropping between the lines, attacking crosses, and combining with wide players.[9](https://www.persianleague.com/18533-how-mehdi-taremi-became-iran%E2%80%99s-modern-reference-point-for-elite-strikers)
## Inter Milan and Olympiacos
Taremi joined [Inter Milan](https://www.edgepedia.org/inter-milan) on a free transfer in July 2024.[6](https://www.footballdatabase.eu/en/player/details/233955-mehdi-taremi)
At Olympiacos he restored his scoring form with 16 goals in the 2025/26 [Super League](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-league) season, which drew interest from Genoa and other clubs seeking a center-forward.[10](https://www.goal.com/en/lists/genoa-taremi-emerges-the-iranian-former-inter-player/blt5fb6714c3df0f0fe) In June 2025, during the Israel–Iran conflict, he was briefly stranded in Tehran with Iranian airspace closed and missed Inter's FIFA Club World Cup campaign in California.[11](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/06/14/mehdi-taremi-no-viaja-hasta-los-angeles-para-disputar-el-mundial-de-clubes-por-el-conflicto-entre-israel-e-iran-cadena-ser/)
## Iran national team
Taremi debuted for Iran in 2015 and has been a fixture since, with his most productive years including 12 goals in 11 matches in 2023 and 8 in 15 in 2024.[1](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/59495/Mehdi_Taremi.html) He scored in 2018 World Cup qualifying, including the only goal against China in a 1–0 win that kept Iran top of its group.[12](https://assets.the-afc.com/migration/i/s/Issue%2018.pdf)
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar he scored both Iranian goals in the 6–2 group-stage defeat by England.[2](https://elpais.com/us/2026-06-16/iran-rescata-el-empate-en-un-debut-marcado-por-la-guerra.html) In qualifying for 2026 he led the attack again, scoring twice in a 2–2 draw with [Uzbekistan](https://www.edgepedia.org/uzbekistan) in Tehran on the matchday that secured Iran's fourth consecutive World Cup qualification.[13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brpOG__3ruw)
**Captain at the 2026 World Cup.** Taremi captained Iran at the 2026 tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, his third World Cup at age 33.[2](https://elpais.com/us/2026-06-16/iran-rescata-el-empate-en-un-debut-marcado-por-la-guerra.html) His participation had been in question because he completed his mandatory military service in the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps](https://www.edgepedia.org/islamic-revolutionary-guard-corps), a US-designated organization, and Iran's federation sought visa assurances for such players.[5](https://apnews.com/article/13a50d2be82ac00875f33f5d770306f2) The tournament itself was disrupted: Iran's base camp was moved to Tijuana, Mexico, visas were denied to 15 technical staff members, and the team traveled by bus from Tijuana to its opening match.[2](https://elpais.com/us/2026-06-16/iran-rescata-el-empate-en-un-debut-marcado-por-la-guerra.html)
## Playing style
Taremi is described as one of Asia's most productive and sophisticated strikers, a forward who adapts to different tactical systems while keeping his finishing.[14](https://www.metroleague.org/how-good-is-mehdi-taremi/)
## References
1. [Mehdi Taremi, National Football Teams](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/59495/Mehdi_Taremi.html)
2. [Irán rescata el empate en un debut marcado por la guerra, El País](https://elpais.com/us/2026-06-16/iran-rescata-el-empate-en-un-debut-marcado-por-la-guerra.html)
3. [Mehdi Taremi Biography, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/bio/_/id/219611/mehdi-taremi)
4. [Mehdi Taremi, Histórico Equipes, ogol.com.br](https://www.ogol.com.br/jogador/mehdi-taremi/408631/equipes)
5. [Iran wants team members who served in the Revolutionary Guard to get visas for the World Cup, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/13a50d2be82ac00875f33f5d770306f2)
6. [Mehdi Taremi, Stats and titles won, footballdatabase.eu](https://www.footballdatabase.eu/en/player/details/233955-mehdi-taremi)
7. [Finding the best centre-forwards from the Primeira Liga, Total Football Analysis](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/data-analysis/finding-the-best-centre-forwards-from-the-primeira-liga-data-analysis-statistics)
8. [Mehdi Taremi tactical analysis, EverydayMUFC2](https://en.rattibha.com/thread/1677334155946872833)
9. [How Mehdi Taremi Became Iran's Modern Reference Point for Elite Strikers, PersianLeague.com](https://www.persianleague.com/18533-how-mehdi-taremi-became-iran%E2%80%99s-modern-reference-point-for-elite-strikers)
10. [Genoa: Taremi emerges, the Iranian former Inter player, Goal.com](https://www.goal.com/en/lists/genoa-taremi-emerges-the-iranian-former-inter-player/blt5fb6714c3df0f0fe)
11. [Mehdi Taremi no viaja hasta Los Ángeles para disputar el Mundial de Clubes, Cadena SER](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/06/14/mehdi-taremi-no-viaja-hasta-los-angeles-para-disputar-el-mundial-de-clubes-por-el-conflicto-entre-israel-e-iran-cadena-ser/)
12. [REVIEW: FIFA World Cup, Final Round Qualifiers, AFC Issue 18](https://assets.the-afc.com/migration/i/s/Issue%2018.pdf)
13. [The Thriller in Teheran that Punched IR Iran's Ticket to the 2026 World Cup, AFC](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brpOG__3ruw)
14. [How Good is Mehdi Taremi? Analyzing Asia's Elite Forward, Metro League](https://www.metroleague.org/how-good-is-mehdi-taremi/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania › Middle Eastern and Central Asian footballers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license