In July 2014 Ghafouri signed a two-year contract with Sepahan. Ghafouri was named "Persian Gulf Pro League Defender of the year" by F.F.I.R.I. at the end of 2014–15 season.
Esteghlal
On 5 June 2016, he signed with Esteghlal on a two-year contract, reuniting him with his former manager at Naft Tehran, Alireza Mansourian. He announced on his Instagram account that he will wear number 21, the same number he used to wear in his previous teams. in 2018. He made his debut for the club in a 1–1 draw against his former team, Naft Tehran. His first season with Esteghlal was a frustrating one for Ghafouri as he missed 13 matches in total due to various injuries which limited him to making just 17 appearances for the season in the league. Ghafouri scored his first goal for Esteghlal in a 3–0 win against Esteghlal Khuzestan on 28 December 2017. On 1 March 2018, he scored Esteghlal's winning goal against Persepolis in the Tehran derby. His performance elected him as Man of the match. He was also named as the best right back in Football Tribe's Asia best eleven of the month for his display in March. On 2 April, Ghafouri scored his first AFC Champions League goal from the penalty spot in a 2–0 win against Al-Rayyan, securing qualification for the Round of 16 as Group D winners. He scored another goal in the following match against Al-Hilal and was named Man of the match for his performance. He finished his second season with 6 goals in 34 appearances in all competition as Esteghlal finished the season in third in the league, won the Hazfi Cup and qualified for the quarter-finals of Champions League. In June 2018, Ghafouri signed a new contract keeping him at Esteghlal for another season. From the start of the 2018–19 season, Esteghlal's manager Winfried Schäfer, led to him being deployed in right-wing positions, a place where he'd occasionally played in his previous teams. On 2 August, he scored the first brace of his career in a 2–2 draw with Zob Ahan in Isfahan. On 26 November, he captained his side for the first time in a 0–1 defeat against his former team Sepahan. On 2 June 2019, Ghafouri signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2021. At the beginning of the 2019–20 campaign, following the departure of Esteghlal's captain Mehdi Rahmati, Andrea Stramaccioni made him the blues captain.
International career
He was called up to Iran national football team in October 2014 by Carlos Queiroz. He made his debut in a 1–0 win against South Korea on 18 November 2014 entering as a substitute for Khosro Heydari. Ghafouri was selected for the Iranian 2015 AFC Asian Cup squad on 30 December 2014 by Carlos Queiroz. Despite a successful group phase, where Iran won all their games with him featuring in all matches, Ghafouri did not achieve international glory as the team were beaten by Iraq in penalties which he successfully converted his turn in the first knockout stage of the tournament. Due to his performance in the tournament, he was voted as the surprise player of the tournament by the fans. In May 2018 he was named in Iran's preliminary squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. however he did not make the final 23. Ghafouri was named in the Iranian squad for 2019 AFC Asian Cup. After sitting out the first game against Yemen, he made his first appearance in the competition on 12 January and played the entire 2–0 win over Vietnam.
Personal life
Born in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, Ghafouri is of Kurdish descent. Ghafouri and his wife Mona Ardalan have two children: son Radin and daughter Barin. He cites Dani Alves and Frank Lampard as his favourite football players. On 6 July 2020, Esteghlal announced Ghafouri and other 8 players has tested positive for COVID-19.
Activism
Ghafouri regularly criticizes the general problems of society in Iran on his social media. In February 2019, after Mohammad Javad Zarif the Foreign Minister of Iran stated: "We are proud of being under pressure defending the people of Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen and Syria", Ghafouri posted a story on his Instagram account, criticizing him by saying: "You are not under pressure. As a matter of fact, it is the ordinary people who are under pressure." On 18 February, Iranian Supreme LeaderAyatollah Ali Khamenei stated: "Some people, who benefit from the country's peace and security enjoying their jobs and their favourite sports, bite the hand that feeds them” which was claimed to be referring to Ghafouri and fellow footballer Ali Karimi. A few hours after Khamenei's speech, he was summoned by the Ministry of Sport and Youth to give an explanation about his comments on Zarif. After being summoned, many fellow footballers supported him on their social media. During Esteghlal's next home game against Pars Jonoubi Jam, fans chanted his name at the 21 minute mark to show their support to him.
