Ghulam Rabbani

Ghulam Rabbani
Personal information
Full name Sheikh Ghulam Rabbani
Date of birth (1936-12-31)31 December 1936
Place of birth Delhi, British India
Date of death 10 December 2010(2010-12-10) (aged 73)
Place of death Karachi, Pakistan
Position Right winger
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1953–1959 Pakistan Moghal FC
1960–1962 Dacca Wanderers (17+)
1963–?? Pakistan Airlines
International career
1954–1963 Pakistan
Managerial career
1970s Pakistan Airlines
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Sheikh Ghulam Rabbani (31 December 1936 – 10 December 2010), was a Pakistani professional footballer who played as a right winger. Rabbani represented the Pakistan national football team from 1954 until the 1960s, captaining the team in 1961.[1][2][3][4]

Early life

Rabbani was born on 31 December 1936 in Delhi in British India.[1] He moved to Karachi in the newly formed Pakistan following the partition.[1]

Club career

Rabbani started his career with Pakistan Mughal Football Club in 1953, he represented the Punjab selection at the National Football Championship, and played a crucial role in helping the competition four times.[1][5]

Rabbani standing fourth from left to right with Dhaka Wanderers Club at the 1960 Aga Khan Gold Cup

In 1960, Rabbani joined Dhaka Wanderers Club in the Dhaka First Division Football League, where he spent two years, being the second highest top goal-scorer of the league in 1960 with 12 goals and one hat-trick to his name.[1][6] During his time in Dhaka, Rabbani represented Victoria as a guest player at the 1962 Aga Khan Gold Cup.[7][8] He also represented the East Pakistan selection at the 1960 National Football Championship, helping the side win their maiden title, and later won two titles with Dacca Division in 1961–62 and 1962, notably scoring in both finals respectively.[9][10]

He later played for Pakistan Airlines joining the Karachi based departmental side on 4 April 1963 before his eventual retirement.[1] He also won the national title with the Karachi Division in 1963 and 1965.

International career

Rabbani was first selected for the Pakistan national team at the 1954 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament in Calcutta featuring against India, his performances playing for the Dhaka Wanderers Club selected him once again for the national team for the 1958 Asian Games.[1] He featured in the 1960 and 1962 Merdeka Tournament.[11][12] In the later edition under the leadership of Muhammad Umer, he played a key role in Pakistan finishing as runner-ups of the tournament.[1]

After the 1960 Merdeka Tournament concluded, Rabbani was selected for the Eastern/Western Zones Combined football team for the proposed Asian All-Stars tour of Europe, which ultimately never materialised. Other Pakistan players selected for the combined team included Abid Hussain Ghazi, Qayyum Changezi, Hussain Killer and Moosa Ghazi.[13]

In 1961, he captained the national team, during Burma national team tour to East Pakistan with matches played in Dhaka and Chittagong.[14][15][16][17] The following year, Rabbani played a crucial role in Pakistan's participation in the 1962 Merdeka Tournament, also being included in the starting line-up for the final.[18]

Rabbani would mark his final appearances for the national team in a friendly series against China in 1963.[19][20][21]

Post–playing career

Rabbani (fourth from left to right) with Pakistan Airlines at the 1970 Aga Khan Gold Cup

After his eventual retirement as player, Rabbani became member of the coaching staff of Pakistan Airlines.[1] He is one of the key figures responsible to launch the Pakistan Airlines football team in the late 1960s, which eventually became the most successful team in the National Football Championship.[1][5]

Rabbani also served the Pakistan Football Federation Selection Committee as a member.[1]

Playing style

A right winger, Rabbani was praised for his speed and dribbling skills, and was often regarded as one of the fastest runners in Pakistani football. He was also praised for his ability to create space, bring the ball into the danger zone and send pin-point crosses.[1]

Death

Rabbani died on Friday of 10 December 2010.[1]

Career statistics

International goals

Scores and results list Pakistan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Rabbani goal.
List of international goals scored by Ghulam Rabbani
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 19 August 1960 Singapore  Singapore 1–1 1–4 Friendly [22][23]

Honours

Pakistan Pakistan

Punjab

East Pakistan

Dhaka Wanderers

Dacca Division

Karachi Division

Victoria SC

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 m.wasim (11 December 2010). "Comment: An unheralded sport loses yet another supporter". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  2. ↑ Ahsan, Ali (23 December 2010). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part I". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  3. ↑ "Remembering Moideen Kutty, the 'iron man' from Kerala who captained Pakistan football team". The Indian Express. 20 June 2023. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  4. ↑ "PFF chief's efforts for Asian Games football hailed". Brecorder. 5 September 2010. Archived from the original on 7 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Footballer dead". DAWN.COM. 12 December 2010. Archived from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  6. ↑ "YAKUB, TOP SCORER". The Pakistan Observer. 19 July 1960. p. 6.
  7. ↑ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Sunday 21 October 1962". p. 12. Retrieved 23 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ↑ "Pakistan Observer 1962.10.21 — South Asian Newspapers". gpa.eastview.com. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Pakistan Observer 1962.01.13 — South Asian Newspapers". gpa.eastview.com. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "Pakistan Observer 1962.12.24 — South Asian Newspapers". gpa.eastview.com. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Former skippers hail PFF chief over biggest win". Brecorder. 9 April 2008. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  12. ↑ "Former skippers praise PFF for Australia, Korea support". The Nation. 2 December 2010. Archived from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  13. ↑ "The Straits Times, 11 August 1960, Page 13". eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  14. ↑ "PFF president praised for giving boost to football". Brecorder. 21 September 2007. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  15. ↑ "SPORTS WORLD: End to gloomy era of Pakistan football in sight". Brecorder. 18 November 2006. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  16. ↑ "Ex-skippers hail football team". The Nation. 9 December 2009. Archived from the original on 17 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  17. ↑ "Ex-skippers felicitate PFF chief". The Nation. 10 July 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  18. ↑ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Thursday 20 September 1962" – via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. ↑ "China-Pakistan First Test Today FOOTBALL TEAMS ANNOUNCED". britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk. 26 January 1963.
  20. ↑ "THE TEAMS". britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk. 31 January 1963.
  21. ↑ "SECOND HALF". britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk. 4 February 1963.
  22. ↑ "Pakistanis lose, and squabble with ref. The Singapore Free Press, 20 August 1960, Page 12". eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  23. ↑ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Sunday 21 August 1960" – via British Newspaper Archive.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.