In the national team, Ghalenoei believes there should be player leadership.
The head coach of Iran’s national football team said we should strengthen and empower player leadership, but we should not have player centrism.
In response to journalists’ question about his plan to create unity among players for winning the Asian Cup, Ghalenoei said sometimes a word is used that suggests fighting against player leadership. I do not agree with this. What is the definition of leadership? We should have player leadership; the player should be a leader so that you, as the head coach, can sit comfortably on the bench. However, you must fight against player centrism. No matter how skilled you are, you are only on the sidelines. One day, Mehdi Mahdavikia missed his first penalty, and if it had gone in, perhaps the situation would have changed. Fortunately, in every team I’ve been with, I’ve defined the framework with my behavior and honesty. We all must become one team for the sake of the people and dear Iran. Certainly, we must strive to move forward with one goal. We should strengthen and empower player leadership, but we should not have player centrism.