England's opponents Iran have goalkeeper who has the longest throw in football

England's World Cup opponents Iran have a secret weapon and it comes from their goalkeeper, Alireza Beiranvand.

The 30-year-old, who saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo in the last showpiece, holds a Guinness World Record for the longest throw in football.

He achieved the feat back in October 2016 when he launched an insane throw up the pitch in a World Cup qualifier against South Korea.

The ridiculous hurl started the swiftest of counter-attacks as the ball landed right at the feet over Vahid Amiri, who denied the shotstopper one of the greatest assists in football.

Still, six years later and Beiranvand's throw was recognised as the longest in a competitive game, coming in at 61 metres and 26 millimeters, which equates to around 66.7 yards.

His incredible achievement saw him presented with a plaque, which read: "The further distance throw of a football (soccer ball) in a competitive match is 61m 26mm, (200 ft, 1.57in) and was achieved by Alireza Beiranvand (Iran) playing for Iran against South Korea at the Aradi Stadium, Tehran, Iran on 11 October 2016. Officially amazing."

The former Boavista and Royal Antwerp man regularly flings the ball into the opposition half and conjured up notable throws against Syria and Iraq.

We've seen the likes of Alisson Becker and Ederson register assists with their impressive kicks but Beiranvand has set up goals with his throw and so England's backline will have to be well positioned.

Beiranvand's throwing ability stems from when he would play a game called Dal Paran as a youngster. It involved tossing stones and seeing who could throw it the furthest.

These days there's surely no way that anyone could possibly beat him.

Beiranvand's journey to get to this point is unbelievably inspirational. He ran away from home to achieve his dreams and was left homeless.

He then worked in a dress factory, car wash and served as a street cleaner.

"I slept by the club's door and when I got up in the morning I noticed the coins that people had dropped for me," he said, as per The Guardian.

"They had thought I was a beggar! Well, I had a delicious breakfast for the first time in a long while."

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Topics: England, Football World Cup

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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