Jalal Talebi

Talebi had a very short playing career in which he played for Daraei, Taj (Esteghlal) and the Iran national football team, for which he played three matches at the 1964 Summer Olympics, and won the 1968 AFC Asian Cup. He was known for his heads up plays, his jumping abilities and his skills with the ball. A meniscus injury ended his playing career aged 27.

International goals

Talebi attended Chelsea coaching school in England for several months between 1971 and 1973. He coached the Iran national under-20 football team from 1976 to 1978. Talebi had coached soccer at De Anza Community College. He was the head coach of the Iranian national team during the 1998 FIFA World Cup, during which he had a deeply emotional encounter against the United States due to his role as an Iranian-American exile in the United States. Prior to the tournament, he was appointed to replace Tomislav Ivic. He had held the position of technical director before he was named as head coach. He stepped down as head coach after the 1998 FIFA World Cup on 20 August 1998, but returned to lead the team again during 2000 Asian Cup in Lebanon. He resigned after Iran's elimination in the tournament. Talebi has also managed Geylang United of S.League in 1996, Indonesian Olympic Team from 1996 to 1997, Syria national football team from 2001 to 2002, and Al Taliya from 2005 to 2006.

Coaching career statistics

Talebi lives in Palo Alto, California, with his wife and three sons. He moved to the United States in 1983, where he was naturalised as an American citizen.

Player

Daraei Tehran Championship (1): 1961 Taj Iranian League (1): 1970–71 Tehran Championship (1): 1970, 1971 Asian Club Championship (1): 1970 Iran Winner of AFC Asian Cup1968

Manager

Geylang United S.League (1): 1996 Singapore FA Cup (1): 1996 Iran West Asian Football Federation Championship (1): 2000