Afshin Ghotbi is a name that will, or at least should, be familiar to football fans across Asia after stints in Korea, Japan, Iran, Thailand and now China.

The 56-year-old has had a life of experiences like few other, from being born in Tehran to moving to the US as a teenager, and finding himself and his passion for football in a country that at the time hardly embraced the world game.

He’s also a man making an incredible personal sacrifice this year in order for the football to continue as normal.

We had the great pleasure of sitting down for an in-depth interview with him this week as we looked back over his life and career in the game.