In 1978, Andranik Eskandarian's life changed forever. Up until then, the dogged defender was little known in the global game as an amateur in the Iranian league and part of the national team that won the 1976 Asian Cup and reached the quarter-finals of the Montreal Men's Olympic Football Tournament.
Working primarily as a mechanical draftsman, 'Eske' soon thrust his name on the international stage by helping the Iranians reach their first following a 1-0 victory over Australia in front of a packed crowd in Tehran in an intercontinental play-off for Argentina 1978.
Although the Iranians went out in the group stage with just one point, they showed that they could compete at the highest level. Despite scoring an unfortunate own goal in a 1-1 draw with Scotland, Eskandarian shut down Kenny Dalglish so effectively that the Liverpool striker ended up being substituted in frustration.
"I played as an amateur, I never made any money from soccer [until then]," Eskandarian told FIFA. "And then after that I had people calling me to see if I wanted to play for them. I had calls from Spain and a couple of other clubs so I needed to make a decision."
So impressive was Eskandarian's performances that he was invited to play in an all-star game against the New York Cosmos in New Jersey that August. The North American Soccer League (NASL) club signed up Eskandarian on the spot and he soon joined up with new team-mates Carlos Alberto and Franz Beckenbauer on a South American tour, even visiting Pele's house in Brazil.
"I played one half against the Cosmos and then went back to the hotel and I had a phone call asking me to play for the club. My answer was, 'Of course."
Eskandarian remained with the Cosmos up until the NASL's demise in 1984, winning two league titles, and playing alongside other legends of the game including Johan Neeskens and Giorgio Chinaglia.
"I was not a popular player so the way they treated me was unbelievable. It was amazing for me. The fans treated us like superstars - we had 15,000 people watching us at open practice. All my seven years I had at the Cosmos was an excellent time. Every day was a good memory."
As well as playing with numerous football icons at the Cosmos, Eskandarian also competed against many of the greats of the game in the NASL, including the likes of George Best. "When we played the San Jose Earthquakes, our coach Eddie Firmani asked me if I had heard of Best. I told him I had and he said he wanted me to mark him. Best was an amazing player and I was one of the fastest in the team as a defender. He tried to do everything and I kept stealing the ball from him and he was not happy," Eskandarian recounted.
"Then he moved to midfield and my coach told me to follow him and then suddenly he went to full-back. But I said to my coach, 'I'm not going to go there'. None of the players liked playing against me. As my wife said, 'You play like an animal!'"
Now 74, he runs a sporting goods store in New Jersey, where football fans often come in for conversation about the old days of the NASL and an autograph. He is now looking forward to seeing the world's best teams coming to the States for the FIFA World Cup 2026™. "Every World Cup is beautiful," he says.
Sources: FIFA Official
