INTERVIEW: Nima Andarz (English Transcript)

The episode of our exclusive interview with CD Leganés defender Nima Andarz was released 11 April in Farsi. It was hosted by Erfan Hoseiny and Arya Nourizadeh. This is the English translation: 

Erfan: Hello and greetings to all dear watchers and listeners. I am Erfan Hoseiny, welcome to Gol Bezan podcast. Today I have Arya here with me, how are you Arya? 

Arya: Yes, I’m very good. I am very happy to be here with both of you. 

Erfan: And we also have a very special guest. Nima Andarz, player of Iran U20 as well as Leganes. How are you Nima? 

Nima: Hello everyone, I am very happy to be here with you guys. I am at your service. 

Erfan: Let’s get straight to the questions. First of all, I want to ask about KIA Academy. You were part of that academy. Can you speak to us about the academy’s project? 

Nima: KIA Academy did really well in its first few years. They took their teams to play in many countries, something Iranian teams didn’t do. I think it was one of the best academies in the country. It gave a lot of players to our football. A lot of players are now playing in the PGPL or Azadegan. I think it’s amazing. I played there for 1 year. There were great coaches, facilities, money, everything really. It was very good for me. I was able to gain some valuable experience. 

Arya: Let’s go to 2023, the U17 Asian Cup in Thailand. Iran was in Group B with South Korea, Afghanistan, and Qatar. How was the experience in that tournament, for not only you, but the entire team. 

Nima: That was the first Asian tournament for me and my teammates. We were very excited; they were our first games. We were a bit nervous at the start but when we went into the games, it became a lot better. We weren’t able to get the result that we wanted, which was to win the U17 Asian Cup. Unfortunately this didn’t happen. But overall, everything was good. I was satisfied. I looked at the situation and I had great experiences, which I could use when I played my next games. 

Arya: Because I remember it was a hard group, even South Korea was there. 

Nima: Yes, yes. 

Arya: We won 2-0 and you even scored if I remember correctly. Then you played against Yemen, which finished 0-0 and went to penalties. Iran then won there, advancing to the U17 World Cup in Indonesia. Tell me a bit about that World Cup. I mean what a tournament, you beat Brazil. How was that tournament?

Nima: It was a great feeling, which I don’t think I will feel ever again. In that Brazil game we all said, “Okay they are Brazil (strong),” but it wasn’t like that at all. The truth is that if we come to our senses, we are better than them. 

Arya: And one last thing I wanted to say. Some of U17 Brazilian and English players are playing in top European teams. Vitor Reis plays for Manchester City. In that England team as well there was Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly who plays for Arsenal. 

Nima: Exactly. 

Arya: And that England game was very good, you and Joel Ndala were clashing the whole game. 

Nima: Yes, it was very good. When I looked at the statistics after the game, we had 23 duels together. That’s how much the ball came to our side. He is a fantastic player. And I even saw his Instagram posts, he played for Manchester City. And it was a great feeling. When a strong and hardworking player like him plays against you, it multiplies your motivation. Thankfully I had a good game, and I was able to participate in the team plays well. It was good, fantastic. 

Arya: Now let’s move on to the U20 Asian Cup this year, which took place in China. You were in Group C with Indonesia, Yemen, and Uzbekistan in which you won all. How was the experience? 

Nima: We won our first three games. It was a very strong and dominant team. But then that (Japan) game went to penalties, and penalties are 50/50. Our team’s situation was fantastic. This was the only U17 to U20 age group in which most the players now play in the PGPL. Now most of our players play in the PGPL, they are top scorers, they are big talents. Some of the guys are also legionnaires now and play in the best teams. When we looked at the tournament, our goal was to be champions. Our first goal was to reach the World Cup but our main goal was to be champions because we knew we had the potential to do it. But unfortunately, we faced Japan and then penalties… 

Arya: I wanted to say, you had no luck. You win your group games then you suddenly play Japan. And even that it really went down to the last moment. I think the game was at 3:00 in the morning for me, I didn’t sleep at all. The players by the end were extremely tired, they couldn't go on for longer. Could you tell me more about that Japan game? 

Nima: In the Japan game, we were controlling the game for the first ten minutes. We gave it our all and scored the first goal. Then after that goal I don’t know what happened. When you score, it’s natural that the team that’s behind controls the game. We defended really well, had some goal line clearances. We had chances as well, but we unfortunately conceded. It took 120 minutes. Some of our penalty takers also got injured and substituted. So when it went to penalties, and we couldn’t advance further. 

Erfan: But you defended with your hearts and lives in that game. 

Nima: Exactly. We really gave everything we had. I thank the players, they did everything they could but it didn’t happen. 

Arya: Shakouri also had a fantastic game. 

Nima: Arsha (Shakouri) is fantastic. In the U17 Asian Cup, World Cup, and even in the U20 Asian Cup. 

Erfan: Even in the PGPL he is playing very well now. 

Nima: Yes. It’s not only Arsha. All of our guys are playing great in my opinion. 

Erfan: I wanted to ask you about Hossein Abdi. He has been working with you guys for a few years now. He was with you in the U17, then after the World Cup he came to U20. He is a good and experienced manager. He was at Persepolis for a few years. I think he got a coaching license in England as well. Tell me a bit about working with him. 

Nima: Mr. Abdi is one of the best coaches I have seen. When he was forming that U17 squad, there were several players that played in different positions including myself. If we played in our original positions, maybe we wouldn’t get the same results. But Mr. Abdi saw that we have the potential to play in a different position. He shifted us there and gave us training so we can get the best results. He is amazing. He is a pure, good man. He has always had our back. I learned a lot of things from him, and I will always be thankful to him. 

Arya: Let’s go back to Leganes in Spain. It’s very big in Iranian football for a player your age to go to a big team like Leganes. How is the experience in Leganes? I know you couldn’t play much yet due to some obstacles. How has your experience been?

Nima: Before I came here [to Spain], I attended a Leganes scouting camp in Dubai that specialized in scouting players from Africa. They invite various scouted players from all over the African continent to trial them at this camp in Dubai. I was there for around six months, and it was a bit hard for me to be away from my family. I had never experienced something like that, but it helped me get into the right mental state and it made my move to Spain much easier. When I eventually got to Spain, I was faced with an injury. I’ve been here for about 7-8 months now, but I had been dealing with that leg injury for about 6 of those months, so I wasn’t able to train with the team much or get playing time. Then it came time to participate in the Asian Games, and I had to leave for international duty, so the circumstances were in a way that I didn’t get to play much yet. Thankfully, things are a lot better now. I’m practicing with the team now. I also played my first game for Leganes U19 yesterday. I’m hopeful I can prove myself and continue to advance. 

Erfan: Yes, you worked very hard to get where you are at this age. It’s not easy to go abroad and live by yourself in two different countries at your age. It’s not easy at all. Now, I want to ask you about your future goals in your career. What heights do you hope to reach?

Nima: Well, I would like to keep advancing and reach the highest peaks possible. I have multiple goals. Each time I reach one of my goals, I want to advance to the next goal. I never want to stop advancing. I’m always analyzing myself and looking for new ways to improve and better myself as a footballer. Now that I’m playing in Europe, I hope to be able to play in La Liga in the next 1-2 years. I want to play in the UEFA Champions League, as well as play for the Iranian national team.

Erfan: We have a question from some of our viewers. Why do you think there are less Iranian players moving to play in Europe lately? Especially younger players such as yourself.  

Nima: I think Iran has a lot of talents, but some players make wrong choices and end up ruining their careers. In my opinion, if our players receive proper counseling and advice, and someone to set them on the right path, then they have all the capabilities to play in Europe. I think Iran has an abundance of raw footballing talent. Now that I am in Spain, I can say with confidence that some of our players have a much higher level than some of the ones I’ve seen here. I’m speaking from experience since I’ve played both in Spain and in Iran. I think if they have someone to guide them and give them proper advice, they can definitely make it in Europe. 

Erfan: Perhaps you can be a driving force in that sense, give them the advice you got and convince them to move to Europe. 

Nima: Coming to Europe has its difficulties as well though. It’s not just about getting here; it’s also about being able to adapt the conditions here. It’s not easy. The language barrier doesn’t really make it much easier either. I know a little bit of English, and I’m just starting to learn Spanish here, but it definitely makes thing much more difficult. If someone comes here and isn’t able to overcome some of these difficulties, then they have to go back. But I think that, if they can overcome these obstacles, then the end result will be truly worth it. 

Arya: I want to ask you a question that I think everyone wants to know the answer to. What’s your opinion on the current Iranian national team?

Nima: I think the current Iranian national team could give some more chances to younger players. It shouldn’t just be based on a player’s past merits. We need to start thinking for the future as well. We need to start preparing the next generation of players for the next World Cup. They need to get experience so they can perform well in the World Cup. This is how it is in most parts of the world; the youth are afforded a lot of opportunities. I think young Iranian players are more than capable of being able to compete for a spot on the senior national team. I think it’s good for them to gain experience with the senior national team. It all depends on the head coach and their staff though, to see if that sort of thing fits in with their plans for the team. 

Erfan: Do you think you have a chance of playing for the Iranian national team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

Nima: I definitely aspire to. This is one of my goals and I will try my hardest to achieve it.

Erfan: Hopefully we’ll see you in the USA. 

Nima: Yes hopefully, God willing. 

Erfan: I think that’s all our questions. Arya do you have any more questions? 

Arya: No, that’s all from me. Thank you Nima for your time. I hope everyone enjoys listening to this interview. 

Erfan: Thank you once again Nima for coming onto our podcast. 

Nima: Thank you for inviting me, it was an honor. I’m very happy to be on the podcast. 

Erfan: Thank you once again to everyone listening. Please follow us on whatever your platform you’re listening to us from, whether its Spotify, Apple, or YouTube. Subscribe to us, like us, and we hope to see you in the next one!