The former star of the Iranian national team, Ali Karimi, continues to attack leaders in his birth country in light of Israel's attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. Karimi, who left Iran and has been living in Germany for the past few years, chose this time to confront none other than Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who claimed on social media that "Hezbollah is winning" the war against Israel.
"SHUT UP," Karimi tweeted on his popular X account. The comment received tens of thousands of likes and shares, which might even increase the tension on the platform.
Recently, the former captain of the Iranian national soccer team praised the exploding pager operation, which also harmed members of the Revolutionary Guards and even the Iranian ambassador in Lebanon.
“On the day we remember the Iranians who fell in the war (referring to the Iran-Iraq war), hit them as hard as you can, Bibi,” Karimi wrote on his X account (formerly Twitter). “This will be the remedy for the heartache of Iran and the Iranians.” He added the hashtags “At your command, Netanyahu” and “Bibi goal.”
This was not the first time Karimi has spoken out against the Iranian regime. In April, he posted, “We are Iran, not the Islamic Republic.”
In 2022, following the unrest sparked by the killing of Mahsa Amini by the morality police, he called for a revolution against the regime.
“Iranians are more united today than ever, even if they shut down our internet. Iran’s military, your homeland is waiting for you. Don’t let the blood of innocent civilians spill in the streets. Like my people, I am not seeking a position or status, just peace and a good life with prosperity in all parts of my country,” he wrote then.
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Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran
(Photo: West Asia News Agency/Handout via REUTERS )
In response, Iranian authorities confiscated Karimi’s home in the Lavassan neighborhood of Tehran, reportedly on the orders of the local prosecutor. The Revolutionary Guard Corps also called for his arrest, accusing him of inciting rebellion among his 11 million Instagram followers.
The 45-year-old Karimi, known as the “Asian Maradona,” scored 127 goals during his 18-year career. He played 127 matches for Iran’s national team, scoring 38 times, and had a successful club career in Germany with Bayern Munich, where he won two league titles and two cups in 2005 and 2006, as well as with Schalke.