The ball bobbled loose near the edge of the box, chaos unfolding as defenders scrambled to react. But Saeid Ezatolahi didn’t panic. He stepped forward, intercepted it cleanly, and immediately lifted his head.

“One touch, turn, release,” he murmured to himself—his rhythm, his tempo.

The pass cut through two lines of pressure, landing perfectly at the feet of his winger. From the sideline, his coach clapped slowly. “Ezatolahi reads the game like a chess master,” he said. “By the time others see the move, he’s already three steps ahead.”

In a sport fueled by adrenaline, Saeid brought the mind of a strategist—and it made all the difference.