Dropped Sardar Azmoun asserts his love for Iran, backs World Cup squad
Key takeaways
- Forward wishes ‘success and pride’ to the Iranian team after being excluded from the squad for the 2026 tournament.
- “I want to speak from the bottom of my heart about some things that many people may not know, or about certain misunderstandings that may have led some to judge me too quickly,” the 31-year-old wrote.
- Azmoun, who is his country’s second-leading scorer of all time, was left out of coach Amir Ghalenoei’s preliminary squad for the tournament, released on Saturday.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Forward wishes ‘success and pride’ to the Iranian team after being excluded from the squad for the 2026 tournament.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Azmoun has scored 57 goals in his 91 appearances for his country and was part of Iran’s squad in its last two appearances at the World Cup [File: Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters]By Reuters Published On 21 May 202621 May 2026Dropped Iran striker Sardar Azmoun has posted a heartfelt message on social media proclaiming his love for his country and wishing the World Cup squad well at the tournament without him.
“I want to speak from the bottom of my heart about some things that many people may not know, or about certain misunderstandings that may have led some to judge me too quickly,” the 31-year-old wrote.