Carlos Queiroz is the coach of Iran who led them to their third-ever World Cup win, against Wales on Friday. Following the thrilling 2-0 win over the Gareth Bale-led side, Queiroz was lifted up by the players as they celebrated what at first seemed an unlikely happening. 

Both of Iran’s goals came in injury time when Wales were down to 10 men after Wayne Hennessey was shown a red card for lunging into an attacker while defending his goal. Iran’s Rouzbeh Cheshmi and Ramin Rezaeian scored in the 98th and 101st minute respectively to turn the goalless tie around in the final minutes.

Also read: FIFA World Cup 2022: Welsh fans applaud Iranian players after Wales’s 2-0 defeat to Iran

“We did it for them, that’s the only reason we are here, to play for the fans,” Queiroz said after the match. “It is just the beginning. We need to finish the job. I don’t have words how to say thank you to our players. They deserve all the respect.”

“The players deserve to be supported. We did it for them. We did it for the fans,” he added. 

Who is Carlos Queiroz?

Carlos Queiroz was born in Nampula, Mozambique, on March 1, 1953, when it was under Portuguese control. He is a football manager who is currently the longest-serving manager of the Iranian national football team and led them in three World Cup campaigns in 2014, 2018 and 2022. 

Also read: Who is Wayne Hennessey?

He has also previously managed Portugal, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Iran, Colombia and Egypt, and South Africa in FIFA World Cups. At the club level, he has managed Sporting CP, Real Madrid and Major League Soccer team the New York Metrostars.

He is best remembered for his two stints as the assistant to Sir Alex Fergusson at Manchester United. He started in 2002 and continued for a year before leaving to take the Real Madrid job in 2003. A year later, he came back to Manchester United and stayed with Sir Alex till 2008.