Iran’s Azmoun Concentrates on Improving Skills

"I will try to be a great striker like Ali Daei," he told FIFA.com in an exclusive interview. "But honestly speaking, I don't want to be occupied with goals like this. What I want is to help Iran and I am proud of scoring goals for my team. I am still young and I should concentrate on improving my skills."

"Carlos Queiroz gave me the call-up to the last Asian Cup team," he recalled. "He placed plenty of trust in me. But for me, it was no surprise. I had anticipated that he would call me up and he did."

Azmoun emerged as one of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup’s biggest stars, alongside the likes of Massimo Luongo and Omar Abdulrahman.

"I was enormously happy to play for the national team in such an important tournament," he continued, reflecting on his first major competition representing Iran. "For me, it was just like a dream come true. It provided me with confidence as well as motivation."

His fine displays have seen him among the most sought-after Asian youth stars, with rumors that he has attracted interest by the likes of Everton, Stoke City and even Barcelona. His growing popularity is such that he has been dubbed as "Iranian Messi" by fans and media alike.

The Rostov striker, though, thinks differently. "Zlatan Ibrahimovic is my idol player," he stated. “And Real Madrid is my favorite club.”

With so many promises to live up to, Azmoun is all too aware what tasks are facing him. “Every player wants to show his best with the national team and I am no exception,” he said. “My chief goal is to help Iran (to the World Cup) and make our supporters happy. In order to achieve this, I must keep in mind that I have a lot of hard work ahead of me.”