From Streets To Spotlight: Alireza Beiranvand, Belgium’s Unlikely Nemesis

Last Updated:June 22, 2026, 08:39 IST

Alireza Beiranvand, from nomadic roots to record breaking goalkeeper, inspires Iran with heroic saves against Belgium.

Star Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand on Sunday, June 21, was the hero for his team, as he stood like a wall against Belgium, helping his team salvage a 0-0 draw against the European biggies. So much so that Belgium’s forwards would have gone to bed haunted by the sight of Beiranvand’s giant gloved fists.

The tenacity and the will to fight probably came from the upbringing. As a child, life wasn’t the easiest for Beiranvand.

Born in Sarabias in Iran’s Lorestan province, Beiranvand grew up in a nomadic family that moved across the countryside in search of grazing land, with shepherding as his early responsibility.

Whenever Beiranvand found a spare moment, he would play football or Dal Paran, a traditional local game, with his friends.

Dal Paran involves hurling stones over long distances, a pastime that seems to have little connection with football. Yet, years later, the game would play a role in shaping one of Beiranvand’s greatest strengths.

When Beiranvand was 12, his family settled in Sarabias and he joined a local football team. He played as a striker, but when the team’s goalkeeper suffered an injury, he stepped between the posts.

One outstanding save was enough to convince everyone that Beiranvand belonged there. He soon decided that goalkeeping was his future, although his father opposed the idea.

“My father did not like football at all and he asked me to work. He even tore my clothes and gloves and I played with bare hands several times," Beiranvand had told The Guardian back in 2018.

Beiranvand debuted for Iran in 2015, four years after leaving home to pursue football. Three years later, he made history at the 2018 FIFA World Cup by saving a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

In the years between those milestones, Beiranvand also returned home and reconciled with his father.

Beiranvand borrowed money from a relative and boarded a bus to Tehran. Fortune smiled on him almost immediately. During the journey, he met football coach Hossein Feiz, who managed a local team.

Feiz offered him an opportunity to train with the team in exchange for 200,000 toman (Rs 2). But the young goalkeeper had neither the money nor a place to stay.

Beiranvand spent his nights around Azadi Tower, where many poor migrants gathered. One evening, a young salesman offered him a place to stay at his home and the goalkeeper accepted.

But on his way there, Beiranvand changed his mind and turned back, choosing instead to return to the club where he continued training on trial every day.

“I slept by the club’s door and when I got up in the morning I noticed the coins that people had dropped for me. They had thought I was a beggar! Well, I had a delicious breakfast for the first time in a long while," Beiranvand said.

Feiz gave Beiranvand a chance without payment and asked the skipper to support him. He stayed with a teammate for two weeks before working at a dressmaking factory, where he was permitted to sleep at night.

Beiranvand worked at a car wash, where his height made him good at cleaning SUVs. One day, Iranian legend Ali Daei visited and his colleagues requested him to approach the former Bayern Munich striker for help with his football career.

After this, Beiranvand came into contact with a Naft-e-Tehran coach and joined the club. He was permitted to stay in a prayer room at the ground, but after some time he was told he could no longer sleep there.

Finding another job just to bag a place to sleep proved tough and Beiranvand took up work as a street cleaner. At times, he was assigned to sweep large parks alone, making it hard for him to maintain fitness for games.

“Maybe it was fate that the Homa manager did not want to sign me. If I had remained in that team, maybe I would never have reached the level that I am at today," Beiranvand said.

His career soon started to flourish. He earned selection for Iran’s Under-23 team and established himself as Naft’s first-choice goalkeeper. But it was his childhood game of Dal Paran that brought him international attention in 2014.

“I suffered many difficulties to make my dreams come true, but I have no intention of forgetting them because they made me the person I am now," Beiranvand had said.

He holds two Guinness World Records for his distribution and upper-body strength, including the longest football throw of 61.0026 metres (200.14 feet) against South Korea in a 2016 World Cup qualifier.

Beiranvand set the record for the longest football drop kick at 78.014 metres (255.95 feet) as well, achieved during a competitive game on April 17, 2019.

On Sunday, Beiranvand played a crucial role in keeping Iran in the game, producing a series of important saves. With the match finishing 0-0, Iran still retained their chances of progressing to the next round of the tournament.

News sports football From Streets To Spotlight: Alireza Beiranvand, Belgium’s Unlikely Nemesis

Read More