Reza Ghoochannejhad Nournia (; born 20 September 1987) is a former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is also known as Gucci in Belgium and Netherlands. Having played for the Netherlands at youth level, he switched to the Iran national team at senior level. He scored 17 goals in 44 appearances for Iran and participated in the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups and the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.
Early life
Ghoochannejhad was born in Mashhad, Iran, and emigrated to the Netherlands at the age of four.
Club career
Heerenveen
Ghoochannejhad spent twelve years in the Eredivisie side Heerenveen's academy, rising through the ranks at Leeuwarden clubs LAC Frisia 1883 and Cambuur, before making his senior Heerenveen debut against AZ Alkmaar in 2006.
In the summer of 2009, Ghoochannejhad folded his contract with Heerenveen due to his focus on his academic studies at the Vrije University of Amsterdam, studying jurisprudence and political theory. After meeting Marc Overmars, Ghoochannejhad was convinced to sign for the Go Ahead Eagles.
Cambuur
In his first game for Cambuur, on 22 January 2010 against BV Veendam, he scored his first goal after nine seconds for his new team, tying Johan Cruyff's record for the fastest goal in the Netherlands. During his time at Cambuur, he also played as a winger. On 14 February 2011, Ghoochannejhad scored a hat trick against FC Emmen.
Sint-Truiden
In June 2011, Ghoochannejhad transferred to Sint-Truiden, scoring his first goal in the Belgian Pro League against Club Brugge.
Standard Liège
On 31 August 2012, Sint-Truiden came to an agreement with Standard Liège. Ghoochannejhad joined Standard Liège in January 2013 after signing a three-and-a-half-year deal, while scoring 10 goals in 12 matches in the half-season he remained with Sint-Truiden. The following season, he represented Liège in the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League.
Charlton Athletic
On 30 January 2014, Ghoochannejhad joined Championship side Charlton Athletic on a two-and-a-half-year deal, becoming the second Iranian after Karim Bagheri to play for the Addicks. On 1 February, he made his first appearance for Charlton in a 2–1 defeat away to Wigan Athletic, where he played the full 90 minutes and hit the bar with a shot on goal in the first half. He made his FA Cup debut in a 2–1 fifth round win at Sheffield Wednesday on 24 February. He scored his first goal on 1 April in a 1–0 league win at Leeds United.
Al-Kuwait (loan) On 6 August 2014, Ghoochannejhad joined Al-Kuwait on a season-long loan deal. On 15 August, he made his debut as a substitute against Qadsia SC in the Kuwait Super Cup. On 26 August, he scored his first goal in the 2014 AFC Cup against Persipura Jayapura. He scored his first league goal for the club on 30 August in a 1–1 draw against Al Jahra. On 12 September, he scored 4 goals in an 8–1 win over Al-Sahel. He then scored a hat trick in 14 minutes in another game for Al-Kuwait. Ghoochannejhad scored 11 goals in 10 league matches with the club.
Al-Wakrah (loan) In February 2015, Ghoochannejhad signed a four-month loan deal with Qatar Stars League club Al-Wakrah. He scored his first goal on 27 February 2015 against Umm Salal. Al-Wakrah escaped relegation on the last day and Ghoochannejhad's loan deal expired at the end of the season.
Return to Charlton
In the summer of 2015, Ghoochannejhad announced he would be returning to Charlton Athletic for the 2015–16 season. He scored his first goal of the season in a 4–1 League Cup victory against League Two side Dagenham & Redbridge. He scored his first league goal of the season on 7 November 2015 in a 3–1 win against Sheffield Wednesday. He was released by the south London club on Thursday 19 May 2016 following the end of the 2015–16 season. In total, Ghoochannejhad made 42 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals. He left the club after they got relegated.