Al-Rayyan announced on the last day of the summer transfer window the signing of Khalilzadeh on a two-year contract a worth $700,000. It was his first career stop outside of his home country and became the second Iranian to play for Al-Rayyan since 1980s, after his former coach Ghasempour. Under the coach Aguirre, he played a central defender, and Mercado moved to the right-back in the following games. He scored his first goal with a side volley shot in a 2–1 victory against Qatar SC on 12 January 2021. The following week, Khalilzadeh scored his second goal with a counter-attack in a 3–0 win against Al-Wakrah. As a defender and deep-lying playmaker behind the midfield, he played 26 games and scored three goals. Al-Rayyan finished third in the league. In late October 2021, Khalilzadeh extended his contract with the club until 2023. International career Khalilzadeh was invited to Iran national team in 2012 by Carlos Queiroz. He made his debut for the Team Melli in a 6–1 victory against Tajikistan national team. After seven years of notable absence from the international side, during the time of Queiroz and Marc Wilmots, Khalilzadeh was call-up by new coach Dragan Skočić in 2020 for a friendlies against Uzbekistan and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to help in a difficult situation, after the failure in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and two consecutive defeats from Bahrain and Iraq in the second round of qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Team Melli finished top of the group stage, where won all of his remaining four matches to qualify to 2023 AFC Asian Cup and the final round of the World Cup. Style of play Regarded as one of the most reliable a defenders in the AFC Champions League in high-pressure situations. He is known for his awareness, carrying the ball forward and also showed some impressive offensive ability. He is highly regarded by the fans and coaches for his on-the-pitch bravery. Khalilzadeh is the preferred defender for most coaches, especially the Croats Miroslav Blažević, Zlatko Kranjčar, Branko Ivanković and Dragan Skočić. Personal life Khalilzadeh was born in the small village of Gālesh Kolā in Bahnemir District, Babolsar County, Mazandaran Province, to a family working in agriculture and fish farming on the Caspian Sea. Career statistics Club International Scores and results list Iran's goal tally first. Honours Sepahan Persian Gulf Pro League: 2014–15 Persepolis Persian