Alessandro Feridun Hojabrpour (Persian: آلساندرو فریدون هژبرپور; born January 10, 2000) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a central midfielder for Canadian Premier League side Forge FC.
 Hojabrpour with Pacific FC in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alessandro Feridun Hojabrpour | ||
| Date of birth | January 10, 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Forge FC | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Italian Canadian SF | |||
| Vancouver Whitecaps FC | |||
| Coquitlam Metro-Ford SC | |||
| 2012–2017 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | ||
| 2017–2018 | Lokomotiv Plovdiv | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2021 | Pacific FC | 56 | (1) |
| 2022– | Forge FC | 48 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017 | Canada U17 | 3 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 7, 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of May 12, 2019 | |||
Early life
Hojabrpour began playing soccer at age three with the Italian Canadian Sports Federation.[1] In 2007-08, he participated in the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Prospects program, before joining Coquitlam Metro-Ford SC.[2][3] In 2012, he joined the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy Residency.[4] In 2017, after playing in a youth tournament in Bulgaria, he was recruited and joined Lokomotiv Plovdiv's U19 team.[4]
Club career
Pacific FC
Hojabrpour signed with a professional contract with Pacific FC of the Canadian Premier League on January 15, 2019;[5] making his club debut on May 12, 2019 against FC Edmonton.[6] He was given his first start for the club in the next game during a Canadian Championship match against Cavalry FC on May 15, 2019.[7][better source needed] Hojabrpour re-signed with Pacific in December 2019 for the 2020 season[8] and in December 2020 for the 2021 season.[9][10]
During the 2021 Canadian Premier League season, Hojabrpour earned his first assist for the club on July 17 on a goal by Josh Heard against Forge FC.[11][better source needed] He scored his first goal for Pacific on October 6 against FC Edmonton at Clarke Stadium.[12] Hojabrpour helped Pacific reach their first CPL final on November 20, 2021, after a 2–1 extra time win over Cavalry FC at ATCO Field.[13] On December 5, 2021, Hojabrpour scored the winning goal to win Pacific the 2021 Canadian Premier League Final against two-time defending champions Forge FC at Tim Hortons Field.[14][15][16] At the end of the season, he was given the 2021 under-21 player of the year award.[17][18] After the season, he departed the club,[19] having made 63 appearances for the club across all competitions over his three seasons, scoring two goals and adding two assists.[20][21]
Forge FC
In January 2022, Hojabrpour signed with fellow Canadian Premier League side Forge FC ahead of the 2022 Canadian Premier League season.[22][23][24] Hojabrpour made his club debut on February 16, 2022, in a CONCACAF Champions League match against Liga MX side Cruz Azul.[25] He scored his first goal for Forge on April 16, 2022, in their 2022 home opener against Cavalry FC.[26] On October 23, 2022, Hojabrpour provided an assist in the semifinal to help Forge reach the 2022 Canadian Premier League Final.[27][better source needed] On October 30, 2022, Hojabrpour scored in the final for his second consecutive championship-winning goal of the Canadian Premier League Finals, helping Forge win the 2022 championship over Atlético Ottawa.[28][29]
On April 22, 2023, Hojabrpour made his 100th professional appearance in a 1–1 league draw against HFX Wanderers: in the process, he became the third player (behind Dominick Zator and Terran Campbell) to ever hit the 100-game milestone in all competitions for multiple CPL clubs.[30] On October 14, 2023, Hojabrpour scored a goal in the semifinal to help lead Forge to the 2023 Canadian Premier League final.[31] At the end of the season, he helped Forge win their fourth league title, which was his third consecutive title (Pacific in 2022 and Forge in 2023 and 2024).[32]
International career
Hojabrpour was born in Burnaby, Canada to an Italian mother and Iranian father, and also holds an Italian passport.[4][33]
In October 2014, he made his debut in the Canadian national program, attending a camp with the Canada U15 team.[1] He represented the Canada men's national under-17 soccer team in the 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship, scoring a goal against Cuba on April 25, 2017.[34][35]
Style of play
Hojabrpour can operate as a central midfielder or defensive midfielder.[6] He has been praised for his defensive abilities and reliability in midfield.[36]
Career statistics
- As of October 128, 2023[37]
| Club | Division | Season | League | Playoffs | Domestic Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Pacific FC | Canadian Premier League | 2019 | 22 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 24 | 0 | ||
| 2020 | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||||
| 2021 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 29 | 2 | |||
| Total | 56 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 2 | ||
| Forge FC | Canadian Premier League | 2022 | 26 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3[a] | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 34 | 3 |
| 2023 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | ||
| Total | 48 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 61 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 104 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 124 | 6 | ||
Honours
Club
Pacific FC
Forge FC
Individual
References
External links
- Alessandro Hojabrpour at the Canadian Soccer Association
- Alessandro Hojabrpour at Soccerway