Iran - Ali Daei

Sportinglife - The only player in the history of the game to have scored more than 100 international goals, Daei is far and away the most famous Iranian footballer of all time.

Of course, cynics will point to the relative weakness of the teams Iran face regularly - 10 of Daei's goals came in double-headers against Sri Lanka and Nepal - yet his achievement is one that will perhaps never be repeated.

Having made his debut for his country in June 1993 after the obligatory national service, a then 24-year-old Daei took six games to break his duck at international level.

Indeed it took him three years to really make an impact with Iran, with nine goals in two games in mid-1996 helping them claim third place in the Asian Cup and bringing an ambitious Daei to worldwide attention.

At that stage he was still playing his football in the Iranian league for Pirouzi but he made a move to Europe the following summer when Arminia Bielefeld signed him up along with international colleague Karim Bagheri.

So impressive was he for the Bundesliga newcomers that the legendary Franz Beckenbauer signed him for Bayern Munich, yet his spell at the Olympic Stadion was laced with frustration and he joined Hertha Berlin just a season later.

While at Hertha he would be linked with a plethora of 'bigger' clubs, including several in England, but nothing materialised and in 2003 he returned to his home continent by joining first Al-Shabab, and then Saba Battery in his homeland.

Feted to such an extent in Iran that teams there compete for an 'Ali Daei Cup', the veteran will relish what will surely be the last chance to add to his incredible goal tally with a first World Cup finals strike in the country he used to call home.