The Iranian goalscorer Mehdi Taremi, who arrived in Portugal with the help of mediocre Rio Ave in 2019 and was signed by Porto in 2020 for four seasons, will end his Portuguese cycle in June and go on a free to Inter Milan, where, at 31 years old, he wants close his career as a great battering ram.
The player, a reference in his country, also stands out for his social participation: he has 5 million followers on Instagram, he was critical of the regime during the protests after the death of Mahsa Amini and created a training center for young footballers in his native Bushehr.
Today, Mehdi Taremi went to the San Siro as one of the first signings of an Inter Milan team which, after easily winning Serie A, is looking for experienced forwards to guide it towards its fourth European champion crown in its history.
Goalscorer and assistant
The Milanese club have long followed the Porto striker, who made a name for himself in Portugal with his powerful right foot, his speed on clearances and his aerial game.
This campaign is the most irregular for Porto, even if his future is sure, because, even if his contract ends in June, he knows that he has a market, because he can go to one of the great in Europe for free.
Last season was his European assignment, with 5 goals in the Champions League and 22 in the Primeira Liga, in addition to 8 goal assists in the Portuguese championship.
His first two campaigns at Porto were also successful in the Primeira Liga: 16 goals and 15 assists in 2020-21 and 20 goals and 13 assists in 2021-2022.
This led him to be in the spotlight of the big teams in Europe.
The center forward’s zenith came when he dazzled in the Champions League with a bicycle kick against Chelsea in the 2021 quarterfinals, considered the tournament’s best goal of the season.
Queiroz, his mentor
Taremi’s arrival in Portugal was possible due to the advice of his former coach in the Persian team, the Portuguese Carlos Queiroz.
The former coach of Real Madrid told him that Portugal “is the best scenario to improve and grow in football,” as Taremi revealed in an interview with EFE in 2020.
Although at 28 years old he was considered too late to make the jump to European football, the former Persepolis player did not offer millions of dollars from the Middle East to fulfill his dream of one day playing on the Old Continent .
On his debut at Rio Ave, it took him just six minutes to score and he finished the season as the team’s top scorer with 21 goals, sparking Porto’s interest.
“It was a good decision to choose Portugal and Rio Ave and I am grateful for Carlos Queiroz’s advice,” he said in that interview.
Taremi raised his voice against the regime
Star of the Iranian national team (47 goals in 84 games), Taremi used his Instagram account to raise his voice against the abuses committed by his country’s Government.
“The leaders have a duty to offer well-being and comfort to the honorable citizens of Iran. Violence and the use of force against the people does not solve any problem and is in no way acceptable, ” wrote the Iranian to denounce the regime’s repression during the popular protests after the girl’s death Mahsa Amini by the end of 2022.
Furthermore, he did not forget his native Bushehr, where he built a training center for young footballers.
During the pandemic, it even funded 80,000 masks for the residents of Bushehr and created a support space for those infected.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
