Sardar Azmoun Returns to Iran Squad Four Months After World Cup Snub

Four months after being left off the World Cup roster amid a controversy that went well beyond soccer, Sardar Azmoun is back in the Iran national team fold. The 31 year old, Dubai based forward was named Monday to the 26 player squad put together by coach Amir Ghalenoei for friendlies against Uzbekistan on Thursday and Russia five days later.

To understand the weight of this news, it helps to remember how Azmoun's exit unfolded in the first place. Back in May, Ghalenoei left him off the World Cup squad, and according to reports at the time, the decision was tied to a social media post that angered Iranian authorities, all of it against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel. It was a thorny situation that spilled far outside the realm of sports and ended up keeping Iran's all time top scorer away from the sport's biggest stage.

And this wasn't just any forward left at home: we're talking about a player with 57 goals in 91 appearances for the national team. Without him, Iran drew with New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt at the World Cup and once again fell short of something it has never managed to do: reach the round of 16 in any of its seven World Cup appearances.

"I never felt separated from the team"

Azmoun made no attempt to hide his emotions when he learned of the call up. On social media, he wrote a message that captures well what has been, at times, an on again off again relationship with the national team:

Honestly, I don't know how to put my feelings into words. From 2014 until today, I've lived so much with this jersey. I came, I left, I was left out, I came back. But never, not even when I was out, did I feel like I had been separated from the national team.Sardar Azmoun

The forward was also photographed on Sunday meeting with Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation, a meeting that appears to have been part of the process that led to his return to the squad. Speaking about that reunion with the national team, Azmoun was just as candid:

I missed the national team more than I ever showed. Today, when I found out I'd been called up again, my happiness felt just like the first time. I'm not angry with anyone, and I have nothing to prove. I'm just glad to have another chance to fight with all my heart for the country I love.Sardar Azmoun

Beyond these two friendlies, the call up comes at a key moment for Iran, which already has one eye on the Asian Cup, set to kick off on January 7 in Saudi Arabia. Getting their all time leading scorer back, with all the experience he's built up since 2014, is undoubtedly welcome news for Ghalenoei heading into that tournament.