Alireza Beiranvand: the shot-stopper who grew up throwing rocks

Every time the world shrinks into a ball to celebrate the beautiful game with eyes on superstars, stalwarts, and legends at their last dance, amid the tricks, passes and stunning shots rise new heroes who stand defiant in front of the goalpost against wave after wave of attacks. Guillermo Ochoa’s heroics to hold mighty Brazil at bay for Mexico and Tim Howard with his record 16 saves to help the U.S. hold on against Belgium till extra time in Brazil 2014, Danijel Subasic’s run including four penalty saves in two consecutive shootouts to push Croatia into the final in Russia 2018, and Yassine Bounou’s incredible shot-stopping skills that helped Morocco become the first African and Arab nation to play in a World Cup semi-final in Qatar 2022 were all performances that stunned the world. And as the ball got rolling in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada in an extended tournament with teams previously unheard for many fans, the underdogs rose to the occasion and their goalkeepers immediately started doing what they do best: stay defiant.

Also read | FIFA World Cup | Beiranvand heroics help Iran hold 10-man Belgium to goalless draw

With the tournament only at the second round of group stage, there is more footballing action left than what has been witnessed. Yet, Vozhina of Cabo Verde and Eloy Room of Curacao had already carved their names in the mantelpiece of history when Iran played Belgium at the Los Angeles stadium on Sunday (June 21, 2026) night: and Alireza Beiranvand reminded the world who he is. While Belgium, with its golden generation that failed to deliver now in its last lap, is playing for every bit of glory available and was prepared to be ruthless against Iran, a team bogged by the war against co-hosts U.S. back home and the logistical hurdles with the U.S. allowing the team to enter the country only for games with no base camp or other facilities. Yet Iran stood strong, and every Belgian attack was met by the long, outstretched hands of Beiranvand, hands which here hardened by the rocks of the rough Iranian terrain, teenage days of washing cars and waiting tables, nights of cleaning streets, and a scar of a torn glove.

Born to a nomadic Kurdish family in Lorestan province perched along the Zagros mountains in Western Iran, Beiranvand spent most of his childhood rearing sheep with his family and remembers not having a permanent dwelling, moving from village to village. He would play dalparan, a local game of involving throwing heavy rocks across the ground, as a kid and growing up throwing rocks for fun, Beiranvand made long throws from the box his identity, making record with a 61-metre throw against South Korea in 2016.

The eldest child in the sheep-herding family, Beiranvand was expected to follow his father’s footsteps and take up his lineage, but at around 12 he started playing football for local clubs, as a striker at first and then moving back between the sticks. Furious over his son for spending his time playing a game, his father tore up his gloves and Bieranvand revolted and caught a bus to Tehran at the age of 14 with nothing but a meagre amount of money borrowed from friends. It was not easy for a 14-year-old in hist first visit to the capital to make it alone. While he managed to use the borrowed money to pay the fees for a coaching academy, he had no place to stay. He slept on mosques or the street, afraid of being frozen to death, and remembers being thrown coins at by pedestrians who mistook him for a beggar. Hussein Faiz, who coached the local club Beiranvand was training in, recognised the talent he had at hand and helped the young one out with stipends and opened up the club facilities for him to use.

Beiranvand joined the professional club Naft Tehran at the age of 18 in 2010, and made his professional debut in 2011. Having played for Iranian under-20 and under-23 teams, Beiranvand got called up for the senior national team in 2015, making his debut in a friendly against Iraq where he held a cleansheet in a 1-0 victory. His resilience, determinations, and a strong upper body from years of throwing rocks that helped ball delivery propelled his trajectory, and he found himself in the World Cup squad for Iran in Russia, three years after his debut. For a boy who left everything he knew behind to chase the dream of the ball, Beiranvand is not one to let opportunities go by. He announced himself at the bigstage with the poise and presence of a seasoned veteran, conceding just one against the onslaught from a mighty Spain side in a defeat and the cherry on top with a 1-1 draw against Portugal where he saved a penalty from the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo.

The world took note of the boy who denied Ronaldo a penalty for a brief moment before letting him slip past the collective footballing memory and Qatar 2022 went by unceremoniously.

Iran came to the U.S. with a lot of political tension on their back. They were met with boos and cheers alike, some wanting them to leave the country while others cheering them for their perseverance against an imperialist country. And the gallery was never silent with Iran on the field. Standing against the towering Romelu Lukaku and other Belgians amid the deafening gallery in Los Angeles, Beiranvand would not have thought of dalparan. He would not have heard a sheep cry in the Zagros and nor would he have felt a tear in his gloves while he was on the ground reacting to a Kevin De Bruyne effort before lunging to his left to stop the shot from Maxim de Cuyper metres away from the goalmouth. But in the moment the crown fell silent to comprehend the save they just saw before erupting in cheers for the defiant act that football fans never fail to appreciate, Beiranvand must have remembered his Zagros, the sheep, and the stones.