Ashkan Dejagah

Ashkan Dejagah

Dejagah playing for VfL Wolfsburg; 24 August 2008
Personal information
Full name	Seyyed Ashkan Dejagah[1]
Date of birth	5 July 1986 (1986-07-05) (age 25)
Place of birth	Tehran, Iran
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Winger / Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current club	VfL Wolfsburg
Number	24
Youth career
	Reinickendorfer Füchse
1999–2000	Tennis Borussia Berlin
2000–2004	Hertha BSC
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2004–2007	Hertha BSC II	56	(21)
2004–2007	Hertha BSC	26	(1)
2007–	VfL Wolfsburg	113	(17)
National team‡
2001–2003	Germany U-17	10	(4)
2003–2004	Germany U-18	4	(2)
2004	Germany U-19	11	(3)
2004–2005	Germany U-20	5	(2)
2005–2009	Germany U-21	20	(4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:29, 5 November 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 00:47, 22 September 2011 (UTC)

Ashkan Dejagah (Persian: اشكان دژآگه, born 5 July 1986 in Tehran) is an Iranian-German footballer who Currently plays for VfL Wolfsburg, usually as a striker or a winger. He has recently been invited to Iran national team. He has represented Germany at youth levels.

Club career

Dejagah made his pro debut against VfL Bochum in the opening match of 2004–05, playing the last five minutes in a 2–2 home draw, in his only first team appearance that year, thus becoming the youngest player to ever play for the club since it was founded in 1892. In his three years at Hertha, he also played in the regional league, being the team's top scorer in 2005–06, with twelve goals in 23 appearances. Hertha's manager Falko Götz showed continuous faith in him by gradually giving the youngster playing time in the Bundesliga, as well as three UEFA Cup showdowns in 2005–06, playing the following season in the Intertoto Cup against FC Moscow. In 2007 he joined Wolfsburg. In his first season at Wolfsburg he showed himself as a talent with scoring eight goals and in second season he was a regular part of the Bundesliga winner team. In the 2009–10 season, after selection of Armin Veh as club manager he missed his place in starting line up and he could not return to starting team under Steve McClaren. With the return of Felix Magath he found his form and in the 2011–12 season, he showed himself as a key player with scoring two and assisting three goals in seven matches.^[2]

International career

In 2004, upon being called up to the German U-19 team, Dejagah managed to score seven goals in 15 international games, including two against the Netherlands after his team was down 2–0. In 2005, he was invited to play for Germany's U-21, and was given the coveted number 10 shirt.

It had been suggested that Dejagah might play for Iran at international level rather than Germany, but he claimed to have never really considered it an option.^[3] Having played for Germany at the age of 21, he was originally no longer eligible to play for Iran,^[4] however, FIFA rule changes in July 2009 mean that he can now play for Iran.^[5] In late December, Iran's coach Afshin Ghotbi approached Dejagah in regards to playing for Iran at the upcoming 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, but his playing for Iran is on hold as he wanted to pursue first team with his club Wolfsburg instead.^[6] On 21 September 2011, he was invited to the Iran national team by Carlos Queiroz.^[7] A minor injury as well as unclear military status kept him out of the 23 man squad for the World Cup qualifier against Bahrain.

Controversy

In October 2007, Dejagah refused to play an under-21 international match of Germany against Israel, citing “very personal reasons” and saying “everybody knows I am half Iranian”. Charlotte Knobloch, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and Ronald Pofalla, General Secretary of the Christian Democratic Union, demanded that Dejagah be excluded from Germany's national team.^[8] Dejagah confirmed in a Stern interview, that he only made that choice because of his family and not because of political, antisemitic or racist reasons.^[9] After a personal meeting with Theo Zwanziger, the president of the German Football Association, and national technical director Matthias Sammer, he convinced both of his personal reasons and was not excluded from Germany's national team.^[10]

Club career statistics

As of 5 November 2011

Club performance			League		Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Germany			League		DFB-Pokal		Europe		Total
2004–05	Hertha BSC	Bundesliga	1	0	0	0	—	—	1	0
2005–06			3	0	0	0	3	0	6	0
2006–07			22	1	2	0	1	0	25	1
2007–08	VfL Wolfsburg		31	8	5	1	—	—	36	9
2008–09			27	3	4	1	7	0	38	4
2009–10			24	1	1	0	8	0	33	1
2010–11			23	3	0	0	—	—	23	3
2011–12			8	2	1	0	—	—	9	2
Total	Germany		139	18	13	2	19	0	171[11]	20

Honours

Club

VfL Wolfsburg

• Bundesliga: 2008–09

International

Germany under-21

• UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship: 2009

Trivia

• Dejagah has two tattoos on his right wrist one saying Ashkan in Persian and another saying Tehran in English, where he was born. He also has on his left wrist Berlin, where he was raised.

References

1. ^ Lamprecht, Roberto (21 February 2007). "Hertha-Star eine Nacht in der Zelle" (in German). bild.de. http://www.bild.de/BTO/sport/bundesliga/2007/02/21/hertha-unfall/dejagah-knast-auto.html. Retrieved 25 April 2011. 
2. ^ "Dejagah, Ashkan" (in German). kicker.de. http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/bundesliga/vereine/1-bundesliga/2011-12/vfl-wolfsburg-24/31104/spieler_ashkan-dejagah.html. Retrieved 29 October 2011. 
3. ^ "Interview mit Ashkan Dejagah 'Das habe ich für meine Familie getan'" (in German). Stern. 24 October 2007. http://www.stern.de/sport-motor/fussball/:Interview-Ashkan-Dejagah-Das/600121.html. Retrieved 24 October 2007. 
4. ^ "FIFA statutes". FIFA. 2006. http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/federation/statutes_08_2006_en_pdf_52.pdf. Retrieved 24 October 2007. 
5. ^ "FIFA removes age limit on players switching nations". Reuters. 3 June 2009. http://football.uk.reuters.com/world/news/L3177353.php. Retrieved 3 September 2009. ^{[dead link]}
6. ^ "FIFA approves Dejagah switch from Germany to Iran". footballindia.com. 16 December 2010. http://www.footballindia.com/news/FIFA_approves_Dejagah_switch_from_Germany_to_Iran/news-2010-december-news_20101216_596/news_article.aspx. Retrieved 21 September 2011. 
7. ^ "اعلام لیست اولیه کی روش برای بازی با بحرین / اشکان دژاگه به تیم ملی دعوت شد !" (in Persian). goal.com. 21 September 2011. http://www.goal.com/iran/news/1825/%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86/2011/09/21/2676096/%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%84%DB%8C%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%87-%DA%A9%DB%8C-%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B4-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D8%AD%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%B4%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AF%DA%98%D8%A7%DA%AF%D9%87-%D8%A8%D9%87. Retrieved 21 September 2011. 
8. ^ "Der Fall Ashkan Dejagah wird zu einem Politikum" (in German). Welt. 9 October 2007. http://www.welt.de/sport/article1247193/Zentralrat_der_Juden_fordert_Dejagah-Ausschluss.html. Retrieved 9 October 2007. 
9. ^ "Das habe ich für meine Familie getan" (in German). Stern. 14 October 2007. http://www.stern.de/sport-motor/fussball/:Interview-Ashkan-Dejagah-Das/600121.html. Retrieved 29 October 2007. 
10. ^ "Ashkan Dejagah weiterhin U 21-Nationalspieler" (in German). German Football Association. 16 October 2007. http://www.dfb.de/index.php?id=500014&no_cache=1&tx_dfbnews_pi1%5B&showUid%5D=12483&cHash=a1d35b0166. Retrieved 29 October 2007. 
11. ^ "Ashkan Dejagah". worldfootball.net. http://www.worldfootball.net/spieler_profil/ashkan-dejagah/2/. Retrieved 25 April 2011. 

External links

• Ashkan Dejagah at fussballdaten.de (German)

Persondata
Name	Dejagah, Ashkan
Alternative names
Short description	Footballer
Date of birth	5 July 1986
Place of birth	Tehran, Iran
Date of death
Place of death