Dropped Sardar Azmoun asserts his love for Iran, backs World Cup squad

Dropped 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.

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.

State news agency IRNA said Azmoun was injured, but media reports in March said he had been expelled from the national team after posting a picture on social media of a ⁠meeting with Dubai ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

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.

Accusations of disloyalty in the Iranian media in March clearly rankled ‌Azmoun, and he addressed them in Wednesday’s post.

“I have always played for my national team with pride. When we won, I was proud of myself and my teammates. When we didn’t, I was more upset than anyone else in the world, just like them.

“I love ⁠football, and I love the good and deserving people of my country, ⁠Iran. People whose kindness and unwavering support have always given me energy.”

Azmoun, who is part of Iran’s Turkmen ethnic minority, said as a teenager he had received a “very large financial offer” to represent another country.

“My answer was this: ‘I am a son of ⁠Iran, and I want to play for my people and make them happy,'” he wrote.

“I promised myself that every time I played for Iran, ⁠I would give everything I had to bring joy to the ⁠people who follow football with love – especially the children in the most remote towns and villages who celebrate our victories.

“No matter where I play football, my identity, my heart and my pride are Iran.”

Azmoun concluded by wishing the World Cup squad success ‌at the tournament.

“I wish success and pride for the players, coaching staff and especially Amir Khan, at the World Cup,” he wrote.

“Go out there and smash it, my friends. Make the hearts of the ‌people ‌of Iran happy.”

The Iran squad are currently at a training camp in Turkiye. They will fly from there to Arizona, their tournament base in the United States, in the first week of June.

Team Melli will take ‌on ‌New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 in Los Angeles before rounding out their group fixtures against Egypt five days later in Seattle.

Iran’s forward line at the World Cup will be led by Mehdi Taremi, who has played in major European football leagues and is currently plying his trade at Olympiacos FC in the top tier of Greek football.