| In Asia, Iran are widely regarded as a ‘European’ team because of their playing style. If this is the case then one of their most ‘European’ players is Vahid Hashemian, the Bundesliga-based striker who goes by the nickname Der Hubschrauber, or ‘The Helicopter’. Hashemian left Iran for Europe in 1999, joining Hamburg from Pas Club. He had limited opportunities to impress in his two years there and so, ahead of the 2001/02 campaign, moved on to Bochum. After a solid first season, he became something of a super-sub in 2002/03 as he scored ten goals in 34 appearances to help his team survive in Germany’s top flight. Entrusted with a starting role the next season, he did even better by recording an impressive 16-goal total. Those sparkling performances convinced Bayern Munich to take him to Bavaria for the start of the 2004/05 season and he became the second Iranian player behind Ali Daei to play for the Bundesliga giants. However, after just nine appearances (six of them as a substitute), he joined Hanover 96, where he has rediscovered his form. While his success in Germany appeared to come easy, his time with the national side has been less straightforward. Hashemian burst onto international scene with Iran in a friendly against Kazakhstan in December 1998 and was part of the team that beat Kuwait in the final of 1998 Asian Games later that month. When Iran’s qualifying campaign for Korea/Japan 2002 began, he held a regular starting place in Miroslav Blazevic’s squad. However, Iran stumbled on the road to the Far East and the striker was relegated to the substitutes’ bench. In fact, he dropped out of the squad completely following a scoreless draw against Thailand in September 2001, which contributed to the team's failure to win their qualifying group. Hashemian left for Germany soon afterwards and refused to return to the national set-up. His self-imposed exile ended when the new coach, Branko Ivankovic, persuaded him to come back to the fold. The game after his return, Hashemian netted a vital goal to help Iran defeat Qatar 3-2 in October 2004. As if determined to make up for lost time, Hashemian then struck two magnificent goals to secure a 2-1 qualifying win over Japan in Tehran in March 2005. A key player for his country once again, ‘The Helicopter’ is now aiming to fly high in Germany in June.
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