| Clubname: | Zob Ahan |
| Current: | 2019–20 Zob Ahan Esfahan F.C. season |
| Upright: | 0.7 |
| Fullname: | Zob Ahan Esfahan Football Club |
| Nickname: | |
| Short Name: | Zob Ahan |
| Ground: | Foolad Shahr Stadium |
| Capacity: | 15,000[1] |
| Owner: | Isfahan Steel Company |
| Chairman: | Nima Nakisa[2] |
| Mgrtitle: | Head Coach |
| Manager: | Mohammad Rabiei |
| League: | Persian Gulf Pro League |
| Season: | 2023–24 |
| Position: | Persian Gulf Pro League, 5th |
| Pattern La1: | _whiteborder |
| Pattern B1: | _Zob 1415h |
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| Body1: | FFFFFF |
| Rightarm1: | FFFFFF |
| Shorts1: | FFFFFF |
| Socks1: | FFFFFF |
| Pattern La2: | _Zob 1415a |
| Pattern B2: | _Zob 1415a |
| Pattern Ra2: | _Zob 1415a |
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| Website: | http://zobahanclub.com/ |
Zob Ahan Esfahan Football Club (Persian: باشگاه فرهنگى ورزشى ذوبآهن اصفهان, Bâšgâhé Futbâlé Zobâhané Esfahân) is an Iranian football club based in Fuladshahr, Iran. It competes in the Persian Gulf Pro League.The team is sponsored by the Isfahan Steel Company, which also goes by the name Zob Ahan. The club's main rival is fellow Isfahani team Sepahan, which is sponsored by the rival steel mill Mobarakeh Steel Company.
Zob Ahan club also has a basketball team, sponsored by the same Isfahan Steel Company, which is one of the teams in the Iranian Super League.
In the 2010 AFC Champions League. Zob Ahan finished as runners-up losing 3–1 to South Korean club Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in the final.
Zob Ahan has won the Hazfi Cup on four occasions (2002–03, 2008–09, 2014–15 and 2015–16) and have finished as runners-up one time (2000–01). The club has also finished as League runners-up three times (2004–05, 2008–09 and 2009–10) and has won the Iranian Super Cup once (2016).
Mohammad Ali Taghizadeh Farahmand established the club in 1969. They entered the Takht Jamshid Cup in 1973 and end season in the 10th place. They promoted to the quarterfinals of the Hazfi Cup in 1976. Their best results in Takht Jamshid Cup was earned in 1977–78 in the 8th place.
The team has participated in the highest division of the Iranian league system since 1973, except for the 1995 season when they played in the 2nd division. After Iranian Revolution in 1979, Takht Jamshid Cup was suspended due to Iran–Iraq War. After the end of the war, league began again in the title of Azadegan League. They were once again promoted to the 1st division the year after.
Zob Ahan currently play in the IPL starting from 2001. The club's first honor, remains the winning of the Hazfi Cup in 2003, after defeating the Shiraz-based team Moghavemat Sepasi in the finals.[3] This feat was repeated in the 2008–09 Hazfi Cup, when the club beat Rah Ahan to re-claim the title after 6 years.[3] The club made its first appearance in the AFC Champions League in 2004, as the winners of the 2003 Hazfi Cup, but were eliminated in the group stages.
Having missed out on winning their first-ever domestic league title in the 2008–09 season, Zobahan were one of the title contenders once again in the 2009–10 season. However, at the end, they had to settle for second place once againafter finishing six points behind their city rivals Sepahan. They also lost their grip on the Hazfi Cup after a shock 0–2 loss to a second-division side Gostaresh Foulad in the semi-finals.[4]
In the 2010 AFC Champions League Zob Ahan finished first on the group stage that included FC Bunyodkor, Al-Wahda and Al-Ittihad. By finishing first they qualified for the first time for the Knockout stages. On the Round of 16 they draw country neighbours Mes Kerman winning 1–0. The club then qualified to the quarter-finals and were drawn with title holders Pohang Steelers, Zob Ahan won 2–1 at home and draw 1–1 on Korea, knocking-out the title holders. Zob Ahan played against Saudi powerhouse Al Hilal which they won 1–0 at home, and won 1–0 on Saudi Arabia leading the club to an Asian Champions League final where they face Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma. On 13 November, in the final Zob Ahan lost 1–3 to Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma. Zob Ahan couldn't be the champions on their 2nd Asian Champions League participation always being under-dogs. The following year the club made it to the quarter-finals but lost to Korean club Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
After the 2011 Champions League, a 6th place league finish in 2012 meant that the club failed to retain its spot in the Champions League. The following year, the club finished 14th in the league, narrowly avoiding relegation through a play-off. Fan attendance started to dip and Zob Ahan had another sub par year in the 2013–14 Iran Pro League season, finishing 13th, changing three managers during the course of the season and again narrowly avoiding relegation.
In summer of 2014 Zob Ahan announced Yahya Golmohammadi as the club's new manager. After a poor start to the season, Zob Ahan when on a six match unbeaten run which placed them 6th in week 23. On 5 December 2015 Zob Ahan defeated Persepolis 2–1 in the Hazfi Cup semi-final to advance to the final for the fourth time in club history. On 15 May 2015 after a 0–0 draw against Padideh, Zob Ahan finished fourth and returned to the AFC Champions League after five years. Zob Ahan also won their third Hazfi Cup title after defeating Naft Tehran 3–1 in the final.
On 23 February 2016 Zob Ahan won its first match AFC Champions League since 2011, defeating Lekhwiya of Qatar 1–0. Zob Ahan qualified for the Round of 16 of the AFC Champions League on 20 April 2016 after defeating Saudi club Al Nassr 3–0 in match day 5. However, Zob Ahan were defeated 3–1 on aggregate by Emirati club Al Ain in the Round of 16. Zob Ahan once again qualified for the final of the 2016 Hazfi Cup to defend their crown against Esteghlal. Zob Ahan defeated Esteghlal in penalties and won the Hazfi Cup for the fourth time in the club's history. Zob Ahan won the Iranian Super Cup after beating Esteghlal Khuzestan 4–2 in extra time. This was the first trophy that Zob Ahan won in Foolad Shahr Stadium.
In the beginning of the 2016–17, after poor results, Golmohammadi was fired as manager of the team and was replaced by Assistant coach Mojtaba Hosseini. Hosseini led Zob Ahan to the semi-finals of the Hazfi Cup, where they lost to Tractor.
One of Zob Ahan's nicknames is Sabzpoushan ("The Greens", Persian: سبز پوشان), stemming from their traditional kit, which is predominantly green. From the foundation of the club, the common home kit includes a green shirt, black or white shorts, and white or yellow socks. White and black colours are also seen in the kit. The away kit of the club is commonly with a white background.
See main article: Foolad Shahr Stadium.
The home stadium of the club is Foolad Shahr Stadium located in Fooladshahr, Isfahan. The stadium had 20,000 capacity but was renovated to hold about 30,000 people in 2011. The stadium was built in 1998.
See main article: Esfahan derby. Zob Ahan is part of the Esfahan derby or Naghsh-e-Jahan derby. The Esfahan derby goes back to the 1970s, when Zob Ahan and Sepahan faced each other in Takht Jamshid Cup seasons (1974/75, 1975/76, 1976/77, 1977/78). Their rivalry resumed in the 1990s when they faced each other in Azadegan League seasons (1993/94, 1996/97, 1997/98) and from then on the two met each other twice a year.
For recent transfers, see List of Iranian football transfers summer 2022.
See also: Retired numbers in association football.
On 18 June 2018, the club decided to retire the squad number 30 in memory of Mehdi Rajabzadeh.This list of former players includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals while playing for the team, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is clearly not yet complete and all inclusive, and additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.
For notable players see List of Zob Ahan F.C. players.
For details on former players see .
| Name | Nat | Career in Zob Ahan | Captaincy | Shirt Num | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasoul Korbekandi | 1969–80 | 1970–80 | |||
| Mahmood Ebrahimzadeh |  | 1976–86 | 1980–86 | ||
| Rahman Rezaei | 1996–01 | 1997–00 | |||
| Ali Akbar Ostad-Asadi | 1995–03 | 2000–03 | |||
| Sepehr Heidari | 2000–07 2012–14 | 2003–07 | |||
| Mohammad Salsali | | 2004–14 | 2007–14 | ||
| Mehdi Rajabzadeh | | 2003–07 2010–11 2012–18 | 2014–18 | ||
| Ghasem Haddadifar | | 2003–2021 | 2018–2021 | ||
| Masoud Ebrahimzadeh | | 2018–2023 | 2021–2023 | ||
See main article: List of Zob Ahan F.C. managers. Only IPL matches are counted.
Last updated 10 August 2021.
| Name | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | Final Position | |||||
| Nasser Hejazi | | Jul 2001 | Dec 2001 | 20 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 40% | 3rd (until week 20) | |
| Bahram Atef | | Dec 2001 | Jul 2002 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 33.4% | (01–02) 6th | |
| Samvel Darbinyan |  | Jul 2002 | May 2003 | 52 | 21 | 11 | 20 | 40% | (02-03) 8th (03-04) 4th | |
| Rasoul Korbekandi | | May 2003 | Jun 2007 | 90 | 39 | 26 | 25 | 43.4% | (04-05) 2nd, (05-06) 6th, (06-07) 8th | |
| Zoran Đorđević |  | Jun 2007 | Oct 2007 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 30% | 17th (until week 10) | |
| Bijan Zolfagharnasab | | Oct 2007 | May 2008 | 24 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 33.4% | (07-08) 6th | |
| Mansour Ebrahimzadeh | | Jul 2008 | Jun 2012 | 134 | 62 | 48 | 24 | 46.3% | (08-09) 2nd, (09-10) 2nd,(10–11) 3rd, (11-12) 6th | |
| Rasoul Korbekandi | | Jun 2012 | Oct 2012 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 27.3% | 15th (until week 11) | |
| Farhad Kazemi | | Oct 2012 | Jul 2013 | 23 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 26% | (12–13) 14th | |
| Mahmoud Yavari | | Jun 2013 | Jul 2013 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50% | Win in the Relegation play-offs | |
| Luka Bonačić | Jul 2013 | Jan 2014 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 15% | 14th (until week 20) | ||
| Mojtaba Taghavi | | Jan 2014 | Feb 2014 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 14.3% | 15th (until week 27) | |
| Firouz Karimi | | Feb 2014 | Jun 2014 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 75% | (13–14) 13th | |
| Yahya Golmohammadi | | Jun 2014 | Sep 2016 | 67 | 26 | 26 | 15 | 38.8% | (14–15) 4th (15–16) 6th (16–17) 14th (until week 7) | |
| Mojtaba Hosseini | | Sep 2016 | Jun 2017 | 23 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 47.8% | (16–17) 4th | |
| Amir Ghalenoei | | Jun 2017 | Jun 2018 | 30 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 50.0% | (17-18) 2nd | |
| Omid Namazi |  | Jun 2018 | Nov 2018 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 18.1% | (18–19) 11th (until week 11) | |
| Alireza Mansourian | | Nov 2018 | Dec 2019 | 35 | 10 | 14 | 11 | 36.8% | (18-19) 6th (19–20) 11th (until week 16) | |
| Miodrag Radulović |  | Jan 2020 | Jun 2020 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 40% | (19–20) 11th (until week 21) | |
| Luka Bonačić | Jun 2020 | Aug 2020 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 22.2% | (19–20) 12th | ||
| Rahman Rezaei | | Sep 2020 | Feb 2021 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 6.6% | (20–21) 14th (until week 15) | |
| Mojtaba Hosseini | | Mar 2021 | Aug 2021 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 25% | (20–21) 14th | |
| Mehdi Tartar | | Aug 2021 | Present | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 30% | (21–22) 7th | |
Source:[6]
| Position | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Mehdi Tartar | |
| Assistant coaches | ||
| Goalkeeping coach | Hossein Inanlou | |
| Fitness coach | Amir Jamali | |
| Analyst | Kianoush Forouzesh | |
| Physiotherapist | Abbas Moradi Behzad Moradi | |
| Doctor | Amir Hossein Sharifianpour | |
| Logistics | Mahmoud Mehruyan | |
| Team Manager | Mahmoud Yazdkhasti | |
| B team Head Coach | Mehdi Rajabzadeh | |
| Media Officer | Ehsan Baeedi |
| Chairperson | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Mehdi Taghizadeh | July 1969 – July 1977 | |
| Mostafa Ghanei | July 1977 – February 1979 | |
| Asghar Nilchian | May 1979 – May 1984 | |
| Fazollah Omranian | May 1984 – May 1988 | |
| Heydar Taheri | May 1988 – May 1992 | |
| Nematollah Zargar | May 1992 – June 1996 | |
| Alireza Shogi | June 1996 – June 2004 | |
| Saeed Azari | June 2004 – June 2009 | |
| Asghar Dalili | June 2009 – August 2011 | |
| Khosro Ebrahimi | August 2011 – September 2013 | |
| Saeed Azari | September 2013 – August 2019 | |
| Javad Mohammadi | August 2019 – January 2020 | |
| Ahmad Jamshidi | January 2020 – September 2020 | |
| Javad Mohammadi | September 2020 – January 2021 | |
| Mojtaba Fereydouni | January 2021 – July 2023 | |
| Nima Nakisa | July 2023 – present |
For details on seasons, see List of Zob Ahan F.C. seasons
The table below chronicles the achievements of Zob Ahan since 1973.
| Season | League | Position | Hazfi Cup | ACL | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973–74 | Takht Jamshid Cup | 10th | align=center rowspan=2 | Not held | did not qualify | |
| 1974–75 | 11th | |||||
| 1975–76 | 9th | 1/8 Final | ||||
| 1976–77 | 15th | 1/16 Final | ||||
| 1977–78 | 8th | align=center rowspan=5 | Not held | |||
| 1978–79 | N/A | did not finish | ||||
| 1981–82 | Isfahan's 2nd Division | 1st | Promoted | |||
| 1983–84 | Isfahan League | 3rd | ||||
| 1984–85 | 2nd | |||||
| 1991–92 | 5th | |||||
| 1993–94 | Azadegan League | 4th | 1/8 Final | |||
| 1994–95 | 8th | 1/16 Final | Relegated | |||
| 1995–96 | 2nd Division | 2nd | 1/8 Final | Promoted | ||
| 1996–97 | Azadegan League | 10th | 1/8 Final | |||
| 1997–98 | align=center bgcolor=bronze | 3rd | Not held | |||
| 1998–99 | 12th | Third Round | ||||
| 1999–00 | 5th | First Round | ||||
| 2000–01 | 4th | align=center bgcolor=silver | Final | |||
| 2001–02 | Iran Pro League | 6th | Quarterfinal | |||
| 2002–03 | 8th | align=center bgcolor=gold | Cup | |||
| 2003–04 | 4th | Semi-Final | First Round | |||
| 2004–05 | align=center bgcolor=silver | 2nd | 1/8 Final | did not qualify | ||
| 2005–06 | 6th | 1/8 Final | ||||
| 2006–07 | 8th | 1/16 Final | ||||
| 2007–08 | 6th | 1/8 Final | ||||
| 2008–09 | align=center bgcolor=silver | 2nd | align=center bgcolor=gold | Cup | ||
| 2009–10 | align=center bgcolor=silver | 2nd | Semi-Final | align=center bgcolor=silver | Runner-up | |
| 2010–11 | align=center bgcolor=bronze | 3rd | 1/16 Final | 1/4 Final | ||
| 2011–12 | 6th | 1/8 Final | Play-off | |||
| 2012–13 | 14th | 1/4 Final | did not qualify | |||
| 2013–14 | 13th | 1/4 Final | ||||
| 2014–15 | 4th | align=center bgcolor=gold | Cup | |||
| 2015–16 | 6th | align=center bgcolor=gold | Cup | 1/8 Final | align=center bgcolor=gold | Super Cup |
| 2016–17 | 4th | Semi-Final | First Round | |||
| 2017–18 | align=center bgcolor=silver | 2nd | 1/16 Final | 1/8 Final | ||
| 2018–19 | 6th | 1/16 Final | 1/8 Final | |||
| 2019–20 | 12th | 1/16 Final | did not qualify | |||
| 2020–21 | 14th | 1/16 Final | did not qualify | |||
| 2021–22 | 7th | 1/16 Final | did not qualify | |||
Lists of the players with the most caps and top goalscorers for the club, (players in bold signifies current Zob Ahan player). This list includes goals from Iran Premier League.
| 1 | Ghasem Haddadifar | Midfielder | 410 | |
| 2 | Mehdi Rajabzadeh | Forward | 348 | |
| 3 | Rasoul Korbekandi | Goalkeeper | 308 | |
| 4 | Esmaeil Farhadi | Forward | 303 | |
| 5 | Mohammad Salsali | Defender | 235 | |
| 6 | Sepehr Heidari | Defender | 183 | |
| 7 | Morteza Tabrizi | Forward | 178 | |
| 8 | Rashid Mazaheri | Goalkeeper | 175 | |
| 9 | Mohammad Mansouri | Midfielder | 163 | |
| Sina Ashouri | Midfielder | 163 | ||
| + As of 6 May 2019 | |||
| Player | Appearances | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mehdi Rajabzadeh | 348 | 106 |
| 2 | Morteza Tabrizi | 178 | 54 |
| 3 | Reza Sahebi | 147 | 49 |
| 4 | Esmaeil Farhadi | 303 | 47 |
| 5 | Mohammad Reza Khalatbari | 160 | 44 |
| 6 |  Igor Castro | 153 | 42 |
| 7 | Mohammad Ghazi | 111 | 28 |
| 8 | Mohammad Hosseini | 111 | 25 |
| 9 | Ghasem Haddadifar | 410 | 22 |
| 10 | Mohsen Mosalman | 157 | 21 |
| Season | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | Reza Sahebi | 7 |
| 2002–03 | Reza Sahebi | 6 |
| 2003–04 | Mehdi Rajabzadeh | 9 |
| 2004–05 | Mehdi Rajabzadeh | 8 |
| 2005–06 | Mehdi Rajabzadeh | 14 |
| 2006–07 | Mehdi Rajabzadeh | 17 |
| 2007–08 | Esmaeil Farhadi | 9 |
| 2008–09 | Igor Castro | 16 |
| 2009–10 | Mohammad Reza Khalatbari | 11 |
| 2010–11 | Seyed Mohammad Hosseini | 12 |
| 2011–12 | Mohammad Ghazi | 7 |
| 2012–13 | Mehdi Rajabzadeh | 8 |
| 2013–14 | Mehdi Rajabzadeh | 9 |
| 2014–15 | Masoud Hassanzadeh | 9 |
| 2015–16 | Morteza Tabrizi | 7 |
| 2016–17 | Morteza Tabrizi | 11 |
| 2017–18 | Morteza Tabrizi | 13 |
| 2018–19 | Amir Arsalan Motahari | 6 |
| Season | Round | Rival | Home | Away | Rank/Agg. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Group stage (Group A) |  Pakhtakor | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2 | |
 Qatar SC | 3–3 | 0–0 | ||||
 Riffa | – | – | ||||
| 2010 | Group stage (Group B) | Al-Wahda | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1 | Runners-up |
| Al-Ittihad | 1–0 | 2–2 | ||||
| Bunyodkor | 3–0 | 0–1 | ||||
| Round of 16 | Mes Kerman | 1–0 | – | 1–0 | ||
| Quarter-finals |  Pohang Steelers | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | ||
| Semi-finals | Al-Hilal | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | ||
| Final | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | – | – | 1–3 | ||
| 2011 | Group stage (Group D) | Emirates | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1 | |
| Al-Shabab | 0–1 | 0–0 | ||||
| Al-Rayyan | 1–0 | 1–3 | ||||
| Round of 16 | Al-Nassr | 4–1 | – | 4–1 | ||
| Quarter-finals | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–3 | ||
| 2012 | Qualifying play-off | Esteghlal | – | 2–0 | 2–0 | Not Qualify |
| 2016 | Group stage (Group B) | Lekhwiya | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1 | |
| Bunyodkor | 5–2 | 0–0 | ||||
| Al-Nassr | 3–0 | 0–3 | ||||
| Round of 16 | Al-Ain | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | ||
| 2017 | Group stage (Group C) | Al-Ain | 0–3 | 1–1 | 3 | |
| 1–2 | 2–0 | |||||
| Bunyodkor | 2–1 | 0–2 | ||||
| 2018 | Qualifying play-off |  Aizawl | 3–1 | – | 3–1 | Qualify |
| Group stage (Group B) | Al Wahda | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2 | ||
| Lokomotiv | 2–0 | 1–1 | ||||
| Al-Duhail | 0–1 | 3–1 | ||||
| Round of 16 | Esteghlal | 1–0 | 3–1 | 3–2 | ||
| 2019 | Preliminary round 2 | Al-Kuwait | 1–0 | – | 1–0 | Qualify |
| Qualifying play-off | Al-Gharafa | – | 2–3 | 3–2 | ||
| Group stage (Group A) |  Al-Zawraa | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1 | ||
| Al-Wasl | 2–0 | 1–3 | ||||
| Al-Nassr | 0–0 | 2–3 | ||||
| Round of 16 | Al-Ittihad | 3–4 | 2–1 | 4–6 |
The owner of the Zob Ahan FC is Isfahan Steel Company. Company is the first Iranian steel maker opened in late 1960, based close to the cities of Fooladshahr and Zarrinshahr, Isfahan Province.
Zob Ahan-e Esfahan and Iran's first car manufacturer, Iran National (renamed Iran Khodro after the Iranian revolution) were parts of a move from mainly agriculture-based economy toward industrialization by the pre-revolutionary government of Amir Abbas Hoveida.