TEHRAN, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The captain of Iran's Persepolis soccer club, Hadi Norouzi, died of heart attack in sleep on Thursday, local media reported.

Persepolis manager Branko Ivankovic described the news as a big shock for him and his team.

The 30-year-old Norouzi joined Persepolis in 2009 and made 150 appearances for the club, in the Iranian Pro League, scoring 26 goals.

He joined Naft Tehran on a season-long loan as November 2013 and made 12 appearances for Naft and scored three goals.

He had played nine games for the national side from 2009 to 2011.