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Tehran Times – PAMPLONA, Javad Nekounam, the captain of the Iranian national football team, will be rejoining the Spanish side Osasuna after a two-year spell in the Middle East.

Nekounam’s first experience at Osasuna started in 2006, when he moved to Pamplona from Al Sharjah. He spent six seasons there, scoring 26 goals in 157 appearances for Los Rojillos.

Nekounam is still popular in Pamplona and every Osasuna fan remembers his headed goal against Bordeaux that resulted in the team’s qualification for the knockout stages of the UEFA Cup in 2007.

The 33-year-old midfielder left Osasuna in the summer of 2012 when the club’s board adopted a new policy of not renewing the contracts of players over 30. Then Neko ended up at Esteghlal and spent one and a half seasons there.

Nekounam’s good performance in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil was one of the reasons that the club’s officials decided to bring the Iranian star back.

Despite his departure, Nekounam never broke his links with Osasuna. The midfielder maintains continuous contact with several members of the club, both players and staff.

Nekounam had a lot of lucrative offers from Iranian clubs, but he wanted to return to Pamplona and agreed to take a significant pay cut to play there.