Abdul Ghafoor (footballer)

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Abdul Ghafoor Majna
Personal information
Full name Abdul Ghafoor
Date of birth (1938-08-03)3 August 1938
Place of birth British India
Date of death 7 September 2012(2012-09-07) (aged 74)
Place of death Karachi, Pakistan
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1958–1959 Karachi Kickers (West Pakistan) ?? (?)
1960 Mohammedan Sporting Club (Kolkata) ?? (?)
1961 Mohammedan Sporting Club (Dhaka) ?? (?)
1962–1964 Victoria SC (East Pakistan) ?? (?)
1965–1969 Mohammedan Sporting Club (Dhaka) ?? (?)
National team
1959–1967 Pakistan ?? (?)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Abdul Ghafoor Majna (3 August 1938 – 7 September 2012) was a Pakistani professional footballer, who played as a midfielder. Ghafoor was also the former captain of Pakistan national football team.[1]

Career overview[]

Ghafoor was nicknamed the "Pakistani Pele" and "Black Pearl of Pakistan". Ghafoor was part of Pakistan national football team setup when it was in the top 10 teams of Asia. According to The Express Tribune, he was "the last man alive from the days when the Pakistan football team was good enough to beat USSR, UAE and China – a far cry from the state of affairs right now".[2]

Club career[]

Ghafoor played in Dhaka in the 1960s and before that, he represented Mohammedan Sporting Club (MSC) in the Calcutta Football League in India,[3][4] and Karachi League, Pakistan.

Personal life[]

Ghafoor was born in British India. When playing for Mohammedan Sporting Club (MSC) in Dhaka, Ghafoor met his wife Sabiha and then later they married. His wife Sabiha also has a predilection for football. Ghafoor and his wife Sabiha then later lived their life in Lyari, Karachi. Ghafoor sons' are Footballers too. His son Abdul Ghani has played football for different domestic teams. And his other son Abdul Waheed has also played for Pakistan Army FC.

Death[]

Ghafoor died in Lyari, Karachi after a prolonged battle with paralysis and disease as a poor broken man. Ghafoor left behind two sons and three daughters.[5][6]

Honours[]

Club

Karachi Kickers (West Pakistan)
Champion: 1958
Mohammedan SC (Calcutta)
Champion: 1960[7][8]
Mohammedan SC (Dhaka)
Runner up: 1961
Champion: 1961, 1965, 1966, 1969
  • Pakistan championship :
Champion: 1961/62
Victoria SC (East Pakistan)
Champion: 1962
Champion: 1962, 1964[9]

International

Pakistan National Team
  • Merdeka Cup :
Runners up: 1962

References[]

  1. ^ Abdul Ghaffor Majna national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  2. ^ Pakistani Pele was a ‘football encyclopaedia’. Tribune.com. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  3. ^ Majumdar, B. and Bandyopadhyay, K. A Social History Of Indian Football: Striving To Score Archived 29 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Routledge, 2006, p. 69.
  4. ^ qz.com, Novy Kapadia. "Mohammedan Sporting's glorious past is linked to its uncertain future". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 25 February 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  5. ^ "Abdul Ghafoor Majna (1938-2012) by Riaz Ahmed". footballpakistan.com. Football Pakistan. 7 September 2012.
  6. ^ ‘Pakistani Pele’ fights paralysis tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  7. ^ Aga Khan Gold Cup. RSSSF.com. Archived 25 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Abdul Ghafoor Majna (1938-2012) by Riaz Ahmed". Football Pakistan. Archived from the original on 31 January 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  9. ^ Bangladesh - List of Champions: Dhaka League. rsssf.com. RSSSF. Retrieved 12 August 2021.

External links[]

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