Mohammad Reza Khalatbari (born 1983)


Mohammad Reza Khalatbari is an Iranian international football player who currently plays for Shahr Khodro He can play as attacking midfielder, winger and forward.

Club career

Early years

Khalatbari began his career with Shamoushak's youth teams and joined Aboumoslem in the summer of 2004. He helped Aboumoslem reach the Hazfi Cup final where they lost to Saba Qom on penalties.

Zob Ahan

After two years with Aboumoslem, in July 2006, he signed for Zob Ahan, where he played important matches and led his team to win the Hazfi Cup in June 2009.
During the Summer of 2009, Khalatbari had a trial at FC Köln, however the manager stated that Khalatbari was "lacking physical strength" and that "he might be a problem in Germany",. He returned after his failed trial to become one of the most influential players in league and ACL in the 2009–10 season, where Zob Ahan reached the Champions League final for the first time in club history.

Al Gharrafa

He left Zob Ahan in June 2011 and signed a contract with Al Gharrafa Qatar. After an unsuccessful half-season at Al-Gharrafa, Khalatbari left the club in the winter transfer window.

Al Wasl

In early 2012, he was moved to UAE Pro-League side Al Wasl during the winter transfer window which was under Diego Maradona's management. He was one of the key players in Al Wasl's run to the GCC Champions League final where Al Wasl lost to Bahraini club Al-Muharraq on penalties.

Sepahan and Ajman

On 10 July 2012, he joined Iranian champion Sepahan. He won the Hazfi Cup with Sepahan and became the league's top assistant player with 13 assists. He was also one of the league's top scorers with 14 league goals. Khalatbari had one of the best years in hs career with 17 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions. At the end of 2012–13 season, he moved to Ajman but the transfer was canceled after the renaming of UAE Pro League to UAE Arabian Gulf League.

Persepolis

On 1 September 2013, Persepolis and Ajman reached an agreement with a fee around $800,000 and he joined Persepolis with a two-year contract. He made his debut in the Tehran derby match against Esteghlal. His first goal came when he scored a penalty kick in a match against Gostaresh Foolad. His six league goals helped Persepolis to a second-place league finish and a berth in the Asian Champions League. At the end of season, while he had financial problems with Persepolis, he paid one third of Ajman's debt and skip his debts. on 15 July 2014, Persepolis released him.

Return to Sepahan

On 15 July 2014, Khalatbari returned to Sepahan, signing a two-year contract.

Club career statistics

SeasonTeamAssists
05–06Aboumoslem1
06–07Zob Ahan2
07–08Zob Ahan4
08–09Zob Ahan14
09–10Zob Ahan5
10–11Zob Ahan11
11–12Al Gharrafa4
11–12Al Wasl5
12–13Sepahan13
13–14Persepolis5
14–15Sepahan3

International career

Khalatbari plays as both winger and attacking midfielder for Iran. He's played in the WAFF Championships, 2010 World Cup qualifiers and 2011 Asian Cup qualifiers. He played an important role in securing Iran's spot in the 2014 FIFA World Cup under manager Carlos Queiroz. He was selected in Iran's 30-man provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup by Carlos Queiroz. However, Khalatbari did not make in the final 23-man squad.

International goals

#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.9 February 2011Al Dhafra Stadium, Madinat Zayed, United Arab Emirates1–01–0Friendly
2.28 July 2011Galolhu National Stadium, Malé, Maldives1–01–02014 FIFA World Cup qualification
3.3 June 2012JAR Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan1–01–02014 FIFA World Cup qualification
4.15 August 2012Széktói Stadion, Kecskemét, Hungary2–22–2Friendly
5.11 June 2013Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran1–04–02014 FIFA World Cup qualification

Attributes

Khalatbari is best known for his technical skill and fast pace on the ball, his vision, and his shooting capabilities.

Honours

Club

;Abomooslem
;Zob Ahan
;Al-Wasl
;Sepahan
;Persepolis