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Karim Adil Ansarifard (; born 3 April 1990) is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Iran national team. His playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to Ali Daei (the coach who scouted him) and he has been named Daei's "successor".
World Soccer selected Ansarifard as one of the best young talents in the world alongside Javier Hernández and Jack Wilshere. In January 2012, FIFA.com selected him as one of the players to watch in 2012. Players to watch in 2012. FIFA.com (13 January 2012). Retrieved 4 May 2012. Goal.com also chose him as one of the hottest 100 young football players in the world. Also in 2012, FIFA ranked him as the 48th best goalscorer in the world and second best in Asia.
In May 2016, Ansarifard, whose contract was due to run out at the end of next season, was offered to PAOK FC but the 26-year-old international was not on top of Eagles' shortlist at the time. He started the 2016–17 season as the indisputable leader of club's offence. On 10 September 2016, he scored his first goal for the season in a 3–0 home win against rivals Asteras Tripolis.
Ansarifard made his league debut on 11 February 2017 in a 2–0 win against AEL, coming on as a late second-half substitute. On 23 February 2017, Karim scored a brace in his second Europa League game against Osmanlıspor. With Karim's goals Olympiacos advanced to the Round of 16 for the first time since 2012. Karim won the Europa League due to his performance against Osmanlıspor.
Ansarifard scored his first league goal for Olympiacos on 12 March 2017 in a 2–0 victory against Atromitos. On 19 August 2017, on the first match day of the Greece Super League Ansarifard scored and assisted a goal in his team's 4–1 victory. After helping the Greek giants to a league title, he was unexpectedly left off the UEFA Champions League squad by new manager Besnik Hasi, who put the forward up for sale. On 14 October 2017, he scored a brace against his old club, in an Olympiacos 4–3 away win. On 2 December 2017, he scored a brace sealing a 3–1 home win against Apollon Smyrnis. On 9 December 2017, he bagged a goal and giving an assist to Kostas Fortounis for his second goal in the game, in a glorious 4–1 away Superleague win against Panetolikos.
On 24 December 2017, Ansarifard's exceptional performance with Olympiacos sparked what has arguably become the best year of his career. The Albanian manager was fired in late September for poor results and Ansarifard has been able to work himself back into the starting lineup, becoming the league's top scorer thus far with seven goals from 11 matches, being the 6th best Asian player in Europe for the season according to Football Tribe Asia. On 7 January 2018, he scored in a 3–0 away win game against AEL, helping his club to achieve the 7th successive win in his rally to gain the 8th consecutive title. On 15 January 2018, he scored after an assist from Guillaume Gillet sealing a 2–0 home win game against Lamia. On 21 January 2018, Ansarifard was on target in the 26th and 57th minutes for Óscar García’s Superleague leaders, chalked up their ninth win in a row with a straightforward 3–0 home victory over 10-man Xanthi at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. He was named MVP of the game. On 28 January 2018, equalised a 1–1 away game against Asteras Tripolis with a penalty kick, when Asteras Tripolis’ former Panathinaikos defender Kostas Triantafyllopoulos brought him down in the box. On 4 February 2018, he opened the score in a frustrating 2–1 home loss against rivals AEK Athens stayed behind in the rally for the 2017–18 title. On 31 March 2018, he scored with a cool finish from an exquisite Leonardo Koutris pass in a 1–1 away draw against Levadiakos. On 16 April 2018, opened the score in an emphatic 5–1 home win against PAE Kerkyra. On 29 April, he scored a brace in a 4–0 home win game against Panetolikos, struggling with PAOK FC's forward Aleksandar Prijović for the title of top scorer. Ansarifard's contract was cancelled by Olympiacos after their 2017–18 season.
On 22 November 2020, Ansarifard came in as a substitute and helped to a 4–1 home win against AEL. The following week, he scored in a 2–1 away win against Asteras Tripolis. On 13 December 2020, he scored a brace in a dramatic 4–3 away win against Apollon Smyrnis. On 11 January 2021, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 away win against Lamia.
On 8 March 2021, he scored a brace in a 2–0 home win against Apollon Smyrnis. On 11 April 2021, he scored with a penalty in a 3–1 away win against Aris Thessaloniki. On 22 July 2021, he opened the score for the club in the UEFA Europa Conference League, but AEK faced a frustrated away loss with 2–1 against FK Velež Mostar. On 24 October 2021, he opened the score in a 3–1 away win against Volos.
On 6 October, he opened the score in an eventual 2–3 home defeat to Manchester United in the Europa League. This made Ansarifard, Omonia's 100th player to score in a European competition.
Ansarifard scored two goals against APOEL FC in the quarter finals of the 2022–23 Cypriot Cup, helping his team advance 3–2 on aggregate. On 24 May 2023, he scored the winning goal in the final against AEL Limassol to win Omonia their 16th domestic cup.
Ansarifard made his debut for the senior Iran national team in a match against Iceland in November 2009 under Afshin Ghotbi and scored his first international goal and the only goal of the game. He was given the number 10 previously worn by Ali Daei and scored on 15 January 2011 his third international goal against North Korea, so Ansarifard became Iran's youngest ever goalscorer in the AFC Asian Cup. In 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, Ansarifard scored a double against Maldives at Azadi Stadium. He came on as a late substitute against Uzbekistan in the World Cup qualifiers and assisted with a pass for Mohammad Reza Khalatbari as a 94th-minute winner. On 1 June 2014, he was called into Iran's 2014 FIFA World Cup squad by Carlos Queiroz. He played his first World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, coming on as a substitute for Ashkan Dejagah in the 68th minute. He was called into Iran's 2015 AFC Asian Cup squad on 30 December 2014 by Carlos Queiroz. He provided an assist to Sardar Azmoun in their Asian Cup preparation match against Iraq. In May 2018 he was named in Iran's preliminary squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He scored a penalty against Portugal with a 1–1 as the result.
In December 2018, he was called up for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates. In the quarter-final match against China, he scored the third goal in the stoppage time in a 3–0 victory.
On 10 October 2019, he scored four goals in a historic 14–0 victory over Cambodia during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification second round. In November 2022, he was named in the 25-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
In January 2024, he was included in the 26-man squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. In the first group stage match against Palestine, he scored the opening goal in a 4–1 victory, which also marked his 100th match with the national team.
In August 2018, Ansarifard married Greek businesswoman Alexandra Sofia Kalouli at a ceremony held in Vouliagmeni. Kalouli is the managing director of the Innovative Maritime Emotional Intelligence Center (IMEQ Center), a mental health research center with offices in Cyprus and Greece.
| + Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | |||
| Saipa | 2007–08 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 2 |
| 2008–09 | 1 | ||
| 2009–10 | 13 | ||
| 2010–11 | 19 | ||
| 2011–12 | 21 | ||
| Persepolis | 2012–13 | Iran Pro League | 12 |
| Tractor | 2013–14 | Iran Pro League | 17 |
| CA Osasuna | 2014–15 | Segunda División | 0 |
| Panionios | 2015–16 | Super League Greece | 10 |
| 2016–17 | 5 | ||
| Olympiacos | 2016–17 | Super League Greece | 4 |
| 2017–18 | 18 | ||
| 2018–19 | 0 | ||
| Nottingham Forest | 2018–19 | EFL Championship | 2 |
| Al-Sailiya SC | 2019–20 | Qatar Stars League | 6 |
| AEK Athens | 2020–21 | Super League Greece | 14 |
| 2021–22 | 6 | ||
| AC Omonia | 2022–23 | Cypriot First Division | 8 |
| 2023–24 | 2 | ||
| Aris | 2023–24 | Super League Greece | 1 |
| + Appearances and goals by national team and year !National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals | |
| Iran | 2 |
| 0 | |
| 5 | |
| 1 | |
| 0 | |
| 2 | |
| 1 | |
| 4 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 6 | |
| 0 | |
| 3 | |
| 0 | |
| 0 | |
| 1 | |
Olympiacos
Omonia
Individual
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