Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh (; born 11 September 1973) is an Iranian football coach and former player who manages Persian Gulf Pro League club Esteghlal. As a player, he played as a centre-back and represented several clubs in Iran, including Esteghlal, Foolad and Saba Qom. He also represented the Iran national team and was part of the squad at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. After retiring from professional football, Bakhtiarizadeh moved into coaching and has worked with several clubs in Iranian football.
Club career He started his professional career with playing for Khuzestani clubs, before moving to Esteghlal FC. After a couple of seasons, he elected to play professionally in Turkish league. The move was far from successful and Sohrab left this club in controversial circumstances.
He returned to Esteghlal soon after. His lack of playing time caused him to be transferred to Foolad. After a season there he moved to Saba Battery. Along with the likes of Ali Daei and Mohammad Navazi, Sohrab won the Hazfi Cup in 2004/05 season and hence qualified for the Asian Champions League.
In August 2007, Bakhtiarzadeh was transferred to the newly formed club Pas Hamedan. He only played one match and had many differences with the club where he left the club and moved to Foolad for the season after and did not play in many matches. He moved to Saba for the season after.
Bakhtiarizadeh endured a major injury, and was out for many games during 2010–11 season.
Personal life On 7 January 2026, Bakhtiarizadeh publicly supported the 2025–2026 Iranian protests on his Instagram, stating: "This is the anger of a nation that saw before its eyes that your aghazadeh devoured the people's wealth. They took billions of their rights with a lot of force." On 9 February 2026, he publicly objected to being included on a list of supporters of the 1979 Islamic Revolution by the Ministry of Sport and Youth, ahead of the Revolution's anniversary.
Club career statistics
Club performance League Cup Continental Total Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Turkey League Turkish Cup Europe Total2000–01 Erzurumspor Süper Lig 20100––201 Iran League Hazfi Cup Asia Total1999–00EsteghlalAzadegan League15000––1502001–02Pro League151 0 0–– 1542002–0319000 301902003–04 Foolad 24410––2542004–05 Saba Battery 25320––2732005–0626800 613292006–0723450––2842007–08 Pas1000––102008–09 Foolad 17111––1822009–10 Saba 27020––2902010–11 8100––812011–12 16020––1802012–13 9000101002013–14 Esteghlal Khuzestan 16100––161 Total Turkey20100––201 Total Iran2492313110127225 Career total2692413110129226
Assist Goals SeasonTeamAssists06–07Saba Battery310–11Saba011–12Saba Qom0
International career He made his debut for Iran in October 1997 in a World Cup 1998 qualification game against Qatar in Tehran. He was not included in Iran's final squad for the 1998 Fifa World Cup, but he was an on-and-off starter for the national team until 2003, when he lost his spot. He scored the last goal in the final of WAFF 2000 where Team Melli won the competition. His brilliant performance in the IPL 2005/06 season was rewarded by a recall to duty after a three-year absence from Team Melli. He appeared in two of Iran's games in the 2006 World Cup, starting against Angola and scoring Iran's only goal in the game. He was called up to the national team again after the World Cup, by new manager Amir Ghalenoei, but did not participate. He has since retired from international football and only participates in club play.
International goals # Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 2 June 2000 King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan 1–0 1–0 2000 WAFF Championship 2. 24 November 2000 Takhti Stadium, Tabriz, Iran 8–0 19–0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification 3. 14–0 4. 21 June 2006 Zentralstadion, Leipzig, Germany 1–1 1–1 2006 FIFA World CupCorrect as of 13 December 2017Profile: Sohrab BAKHTIYARIZADEH – teammelli.com
Managerial statistics
+ Managerial record by team and tenureTeamFromToRecordNaft Masjed Soleyman12 June 201622 December 2016Esteghlal Khuzestan15 October 20192 February 2020Shahr Khodro8 July 202029 August 2020Khooshe Talaee14 September 202016 December 2020Esteghlal Khuzestan15 September 20212 February 2022Sanat Naft3 February 20242 March 2024Esteghlal (caretaker)1 October 202423 October 2024Esteghlal (caretaker)28 January 202520 February 2025Esteghlal23 February 2026Total
Honours
Club Esteghlal Hazfi Cup: 1999–2000, 2001–02
Saba Hazfi Cup: 2004–05 Super Cup: 2005
National Iran WAFF Championship: 2000
References
External links
Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh at TeamMelli.com