All 32 countries at the 2014 World Cup will be represented on Twitter after Iran defender Hossein Mahini had his page verified by the social networking site.
Mahini, 27, a defender who plays his club football with Persepolis, is the first Iranian player to defy his country's ban on Twitter which has been in force since 2009.
"I want to create an atmosphere for people to know more about what we do for them," he told Mashable.com. "It will help me get closer to my fans. And people who like to know about our work can do it easier through Twitter."
Twitter's co-founder Jack Dorsey also reached out to welcome the defender, who has also managed to sign up two of his teammates Sardar Azmou and Mohammad Reza Khalatbari.
Welcome to Twitter @HosseinMahini!
- Jack Dorsey (@jack) May 15, 2014