Tall, rangy midfielder who is one of a growing number of Iran internationals to play his club football in Germany. Navidkia came through the ranks with Sepahan in his homeland before moving on to the Bundesliga with Bochum. On the international stage the talented playmaker made his mark in the side that won a gold medal at the 2002 Asian Games just months after making his debut for the senior team as a 20-year-old at the West Asian Championships in Syria. Captained the Olympics under-23 side in Athens but is likely to remain a squad player in the World Cup finals.