Former Portugal boss Carlos Queiroz has called time on his eight-year reign as coach of the Iran national team, after bowing out of the Asian Cup at the semi-final stage.
Queiroz’s Iran were beaten 3-0 by Japan on Monday, leading the former Real Madrid manager and Manchester United assistant to announce his departure after a highly successful spell in charge of the Asian outfit.
The defeat to Japan was the 100th match of Queiroz’s tenure with Iran, during which time the Portuguese has taken the country to two World Cups and reached the quarter finals (2015) and semi finals (2019) of the Asian Cup.
"I think the simplest thing I can do is copy that old song: I'm happy and proud to say that I did things my way," Queiroz said, quoting Frank Sinatra.
It had been expected that Queiroz would be on the lookout for a new challenge after the Asian Cup. The 65-year-old has been linked with a host of international jobs, including Republic of Ireland, South Africa, Colombia and USA in recent months.
By Sean Gillen
