Shahab Zahedi

Shahab Zahedi joined Persepolis Youth Academy in 2013 from Paykan[1] before joining Moghavemat Tehran F.C. Academy on loan.[1] He played for Persepolis in the AFC Vision Asia U-21 Tehran Premier League.

Following good performances with the U21 side, Zahedi was promoted to the Persepolis first team in October 2014 by Hamid Derakhshan. He made his debut for Persepolis in a Hazfi Cup match against Kargar Boneh Gaz Bushehr as a substitute for Mehdi Taremi.[2] He made his professional debut for the club in 1–0 loss against Saipa on 21 October 2004.[3] He made five appearances in total for Persepolis in the 2014-2015 season. In 2015, while playing for the Persepolis youth team, Zahedi received a two-year suspension after failing a doping test.[4]

On 5 January 2017, Zahedi joined Iranian football club Machine Sazi on loan[5] for the duration of the 2016-2017 Iranian football season. His debut came three days later, coming off the bench in a 3-3 draw at home against Saipa FC on 8 January 2017. His first start came on 18 January 2017 in an away game against Gostaresh FC. In total he made 12 appearances for Machine Sazi who were relegated to the Azadegan league.

On 16 July 2017, Zahedi joined Icelandic club ÍBV Vestmannaeyjar on a one-year deal,[6] becoming the first Iranian player to play football in Iceland. He won the 2017 Icelandic Cup on 12 August 2017.[7] On 30 November 2017, Zahedi extended his contract with ÍBV by three years following strong performances.[8] ÍBV also announced the signing of Persepolis academy players Parsa Zarmian and Ehsan Sarbazi. In an interview with Fotboli.net in March 2018, ÍBV coach Kristján Guðmundsson[9] disclosed an agreement made between ÍBV and Persepolis to develop specific youth players, citing Shahab Zahedi as an example.[10] Zahedi made his UEFA debut on 12 July 2018 in the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League.[11]

On January 16, 2019, Zahedi joined South Korean club Suwon Samsung Bluewings [12] on undisclosed terms. Zahedi's doping history was quickly publicized in Korean sports media, leading the Suwon Bluewings and Zahedi to agree to a mutual termination of the contract only one day following the deal's announcement.[13][14] The fiasco created some controversy in Korea, prompting criticism of the Suwon Bluewings leadership[15][16][17][18] and leaving Shahab Zahedi without a club until August.

Zahedi signed for Ukrainian club FC Olimpik Donetsk on 4 August 2019 as a free agent,[19] following an extended period without any professional football. Zahedi established himself as a key player in his first season in Ukraine, playing 24 games and scoring 6 goals for Olimpik Donetsk across the Ukrainian Premier League and the Ukrainian Cup. Zahedi finished as Olimpik's top scorer in all competitions for the 2019-2020 season and was voted as Olimpik's player of the season by fans.[20] In his second season with Olimpik Donetsk, Zahedi exceeded his first season's total goal tally on 6 December 2020, following a brace against Rukh Lviv,[21] topping the Ukrainian Premier League's goalscorer charts in the process and generating speculation of a transfer to Ukrainian heavyweight Dynamo Kyiv.[22]

ÍBV[23]

• Icelandic Cup: 2017