Alireza Beiranvand is the Iranian goalkeeper and has been awarded a Guinness World Record. This record was for the longest throw ever made in an official football match.
The 29 year-old shot-stopper currently plays for the Portuguese Primeira Liga in Boavista. He is on a long-term loan from Royal Antwerp.
He did it again in 2016 against South Korea, where he stunned the footballing world playing for his country.
Beiranvand took matters into himself and launched a massive throw that covered three-quarters on the pitch, before launching an Iranian counter-attack.
His javelin-like speed at which he threw it saw it bounce off the opposition defense and into Vahid Amiri’s path. He anticlimactically grabbed his effort just short of the far post.
But five years on and Beiranvand’s 61.26m throw has finally been recognised as the official longest ever.
The plaque that was given to the goalkeeper Thursday read: “The further distance throw of a football (soccer ball) in a competitive match is 61m 26mm, (200 ft, 1.57in) and was achieved by Alireza Beiranvand (Iran) playing for Iran against South Korea at the Aradi Stadium, Tehran, Iran on 11 October 2016.
“Officially amazing.”
Beiranvand is known for his mind-bendingly long throws. He even hit an 80 yarder against Syria in September.
But he also reached hero-status in Iran for his more conventional goalkeeping skills, having saved Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty at the 2018 World Cup to secure Iran a point.
Get the most recent football news right at your fingertips.
Sign up now for the Silver Screen Beat email newsletter!
Get the most recent transfer news and agenda-setting stories in your inbox.
How do you sign-up?
It takes only seconds.
Simply enter your email address in the box at top of the article and click’subscribe.
That’s all. Every morning, you’ll get an email with the latest news stories.
More information about our email newsletter can be found at this link.
Beiranvand was only two times able to concede in a group that also included Portugal, Spain, and Morocco.
The goalkeeper’s story remarkably started with him sleeping rough in his home country and taking on various jobs which covered anything from pizza delivery driver to dress-maker.
As his side breezes through Asian qualification, he now holds 49 caps for Iran.
