Teddy Sheringham vs Ali Daei: Stats Compared
Striker, England (born 1966, retired 2008) · Striker, Iran (born 1969, retired 2007)
Line up Teddy Sheringham next to Ali Daei and the contrasts come quickly. Goals are the coldest, hardest metric in football, and both players stockedpile them. By the end Teddy Sheringham had 320 goals from 900 caps and club outings; Ali Daei had 200 from 400. Modern assist data only covers part of their careers, so creativity is hard to compare cleanly — Teddy Sheringham is listed at 130 and Ali Daei at 0 where figures survive. Trophy counts give Teddy Sheringham 4 and Ali Daei 4, with 1× UEFA Champions League (1999) and 3× Iranian Football League (1990, 1991, 1993) the standout honours respectively. Teddy Sheringham scored with a predatory that defined his era, while Ali Daei's finishing carried a predatory all of its own. Club journeys add another layer, with Teddy Sheringham reaching his representative peak around 1999 across Millwall, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth, West Ham United, Colchester United and Ali Daei doing so around 1999 with Persepolis, Arminia Bielefeld, Bayern Munich, Hertha BSC, Al-Sadd, Saba Qom. Each, in his own way, set a standard the other is measured against.
187 words · comparison angle: goalscoring
Player profiles
A cerebral, late-developing striker, Sheringham scored the injury-time equaliser in Manchester United's 1999 Champions League final and remains the Premier League's oldest ever goalscorer.
“An intelligent, deep-dropping forward whose clever hold-up play and vision created space for quicker strike partners.”
The all-time leading international goalscorer for over a decade with 109 goals, Daei was Asia's most feared centre-forward through the 1990s and 2000s.
“A physically imposing, clinical target man dominant in the air and lethal in front of goal.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 1× UEFA Champions League (1999)
- 2× Premier League (1999, 2000)
- 1× FA Cup (1999)
- 3× Iranian Football League (1990, 1991, 1993)
- 1× Hazfi Cup (1993)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1984 Professional debut for Millwall
- 1999 Won UEFA Champions League with Manchester United
- 1999 Won FA Cup with Manchester United
- 1999 Reached the peak of his powers at Manchester United
- 2008 Retired after a final spell at Colchester United
- Finished his career with 320 goals in 900 appearances and 4 major honours. Finished his career with 320 goals in 900 appearances and 4 major honours.
- 1988 Professional debut for Persepolis
- 1990 Won Iranian Football League with Persepolis
- 1993 Won Hazfi Cup with Persepolis
- 1999 Reached the peak of his powers at Bayern Munich
- 2007 Retired after a final spell at Saba Qom
- Finished his career with 200 goals in 400 appearances and 4 major honours. Finished his career with 200 goals in 400 appearances and 4 major honours.
The verdict
Taking goals, assists, silverware and overall profile together, Teddy Sheringham takes it by a narrow margin.
Teddy Sheringham edges it (a narrow margin)
