• Name: Carlos Shiralipour
  • Age: 21 (06-05-1992)
  • Position: Right/Left back or Central Midfield
  • Club: Viborg FF
  • International Caps: 
    • Denmark U18
      • 3 Matches
      • 0 Goals
  • Value: £25.000 (transfermarkt.co.uk)
A knee injury threatens to end the career, even before it has even started, but this talent keeps fighting. This week we keep an eye on Viborgs Carlos Shiralipour.

While Viborg is celebrating the promotion to the best Danish league, Superligaen, Carlos Shiralipour is hoping to be able to join them in the new season. The talented defender has been struggling with knee injuries since 2011 and seems to be some distance away from a comeback.

“When I sleep I dream about playing in the Superliga, but I wake up to the reality and the injury. It is only if everything works out right that I will be playing in the best league, in Denmark,” Shiralipour says.

The talent has been a part of Viborg's youth department, where he came on a contract as 15-year old, before being promoted to the senior squad in 2009. Here, he got his debut against Hvidovre when he was sent on after 77 minutes in the 3-0 victory.

Assistant Manager in Viborg, Søren Frederiksen, calls Shiralipour a great talent who has not been allowed to show his full potential yet, and at the same time thanks Viborgs youth department for developing one talent after the other:

“It is always great to that the work that is done in the youth department is successful, and Carlos is one of the players that have taken the chance and gotten a contract. It is great work from our youth coaches from U13 to U19; they make a tremendous work and they deserve all the tribute they can get.”

During his youth years, Shiralipour got three matches for the Danish U18 national team and could probably have gotten more. However, the player was in the shadow of other players at the time and acknowledged that he probably did not take the chance when he got it. However, as his mother is from Thailand, Carlos actually has the opportunity to play for the nation.

"It is a possibility, but it is not something I have thought about. However, you can never say never,” he says.

The injury that put the talents career on a break came in 2011, during a training match against Kjellerup IF. Shiralipour was was covering a ball when a player rambled into his knee. An ACL knee injury and 12 months away from the pitch.

“I went through surgery 3 months later and had a long recovery time, but had the motivation for a comeback," Shiralipour says.

Despite, the long injury time, Viborg decided to extend the talents contract with a year in 2012. Søren Frederiksen had no doubts when the leaders of the club were discussing the new contract:

“We wanted to give him support as we still believed in him and felt sorry for the lad. He didn’t get any great contract, but enough to make a living while he was recovering and hopefully would return and we wanted to help him. He never had the chance to show what he could, so we wanted to give him a chance.”

During autumn 2012, the talent returned to the training ground and felt the grass and the ball again. However, during a training session he sustained a new knee injury, and had to go through surgery in December. When the news about the injury spread in Viborg, fans made a TIFO wishing him well, and children made drawings and send them to their injured soldier. Today, Shiralipour is grateful for the support:

“It means everything for me as I have had all these injuries. Viborg is my hometown, and to have that kind of support is amazing and gives me believe that I one day can pull the Viborg shirt back on.”

The contract ends this summer, and while the player is still hoping for a comeback, he has prepared a plan B. Applications to different Danish Universities has been sent, and Shiralipour is hoping to study either psychology or medicine. However, returning to the pitch is still the main target:

"I still hope to come back, and sees it as a bonus if I can reach the same level as I had earlier. However, it is important to have other plans to fall back on if I can’t return to football," Shiralipour says.

Assistant Manager Søren Frederiksen shares his players hope:

“It is hard to say, but I know that Carlos has the will to come back, and he has always said that he will return and show what he is capable of. I respect him for that and hope he will return and play for us.”

Whether or not Carlos Shiralipour will return to the training ground and play for Viborg, or his future lies outside football is unknown. One thing is for sure; the player will fight to comeback, and the fans love him for it.