- The moment of the World Cup
In the third round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Iran and Angola met. In the starting lineup of the Iranian team, Andranek Taimurian, wearing the number 14 shirt and Armenian, and Ali Dei, wearing the number 10 shirt and Azerbaijani, started at the same time.
Taimurian and Ali Dei started at the same time
- The story behind the moment
The Armenians and Azerbaijanis, who have become feuds because of territorial disputes and religious contradictions, have always heard each other on the football field, and they have not interacted with each other. But as Iranian internationals, Taimurian and Ali-Dei, for the benefit of the Iranian national team, chose to put aside national contradictions and also dedicated this heart-warming moment to the world.
Taimurian and Ali Dei rarely interact on and off the field, and the two are clearly not friends (most likely because of ethnic conflicts, but also to avoid suspicion). But in the World Cup, two tough guys who wear the same Iranian team's jersey and fight for the honor of Iranian football are brothers in the real sense of a trench. This may be the charm of football, even if it is only for a moment.
Taimurian wearing the Iranian flag
Ali Dei wearing the Iranian flag
Iran's legendary Ali Dei