Muhammad Umer

Muhammad Umer Baloch TI FIFAOM (; 1935 – 21 March 2004), popularly known as Captain Umer, was a Pakistani professional footballer who played as a striker. Renowned for his goal-scoring abilities, prolific finishing, and hat-tricks, he is widely considered as one of the greatest Pakistani footballers of all time. Since 1965, Umer is the all-time top goalscorer of the Pakistan national team with 18 goals.

Starting his sport career in clubs in Karachi, Umer later represented Kolkata Mohammedan in the late 1950s. In his first year, he became the Calcutta League's top scorer, while also guiding Mohammedan to the title, also captaining the side to win the 1960 Aga Khan Gold Cup. He continued his professional career in various clubs in East Pakistan, winning various titles across his spells. Despite the fact that most of his goals are unregistered, Umer has reportedly scored around 1,000 goals in domestic football.

Umer represented the Pakistan national football team from 1956 to 1965, and was the country's 13th international captain. He also represented Pakistan at the 1958 Tokyo Asian Games. Under his captaincy, he helped the side finish runner-ups at the 1962 Merdeka Tournament.

In recognition of his contributions to the sport of football, Umer was honored with the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in 1989. In 2004, a few months after his death he was awarded the FIFA Order of Merit, the highest honour awarded by FIFA.

Early life Umer was born in Gul Muhammad Lane, in the Lyari locality of Karachi in 1935. He belonged to the Makrani Baloch community (also known as Sheedi) of African descent. Initially rising through the ranks from school football, Umer began his career in 1948, aged 13, as a goalkeeper for Karachi-based Qadri Sports. However, his attacking ability soon saw him convert into a centre-forward, eventually earning the nickname "Black Horse".

Club career

Early career In 1950, Umer debuted for Haroon Sons in Karachi's Abu Bakr Tournament against Quetta. In 1953, he joined the Karachi Municipal Corporation football team for which he remained for the ensuing years. In 1954, he toured southern India with Friends Union as a guest player under the captaicy of Taj Mohammad Jr.. At the 1954 Rovers Cup in India, Umer went on another Indian tour with Keamari Union as guest player, finishing runners-up to Hyderabad Police. During the tournament, he also scored eight goals in a single game in a 9–0 victory over an Indian team.

Umer earned a spot on Karachi team for the National Football Championship in 1955 held in Bahawalpur. He made another tour with Karachi Kickers in India in 1955 under the captaincy of Dad Muhammad, earning acclaim for scoring six goals in a game in Ernakulam and achieving a hat-trick in Mysore.

Kolkata Mohammedan

In 1956, Umer was recruited by Calcutta League club Kolkata Mohammedan. The following year, he became the league's top goal-scorer, while also guiding Mohammedan to the title. The same year, he helped the team win the Rovers Cup, notably scoring a hat-trick in the quarter-finals against Burmah-Shell Sports Club, along with a goal in the final against Mohun Bagan.

In 1958, Umer played a key role in securing the DCM Trophy for the club, even scoring in the final. He also contributed to the team's runners-up position at the 1959 Durand Cup, as well as finding the net in the replayed final.

In 1960, Mohammedan captained by Umer, won the 1960 Aga Khan Gold Cup held in Dhaka, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), where they defeated Indonesian club PSM Makassar 4–1 in the final, with Umer scoring a brace.

Umer enjoyed star status during his stay in India, and featured in several magazine headlines and advertisements of companies in the country media. He was admired by then Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar, who reportedly insisted Umer to stay in India, although in the end he left Mohammedan in the early 1960s and returned to Pakistan.

Victoria SC In 1961, Umer returned to Pakistan joining East Pakistan-based Victoria Sporting Club. During his stay in the Dhaka League, he also represented Dacca Division at the National Football Championship.

Umer led Victoria to both the Dhaka First Division League and the 1962 Aga Khan Gold Cup as coach-cum-captain, scoring 27 goals in the league. He also scored twice as Victoria triumphed 5–1 over Young Taegeuk FA in the Aga Khan Gold Cup final. Umer also won the National Championship with Dacca Division in both the 1961–62 and 1962 seasons, notably scoring in both finals respectively, and captaining the team in the latter. On 1 July 1964, Umer set up a scoring record, after netting 10 of the 13 goals against Wari Club Dhaka in the First Division in a 13–0 victory.

In 1963, Dhaka Wanderers formed a strong team to participate in the Aga Khan Gold Cup, acquiring Umer along with national teammates Ghulam Abbas Baloch, Abdul Ghafoor, Abdullah Rahi, Yousuf Jr., and Yousuf Sr. from defending champions Victoria, who had withdrawn from the tournament. After defeating Police AC, Nepal XI, Pakistan Eastern Railway and Indonesia XI in the semi-final, the club eventually lost 1–2 to Pakistan Western Railways, with Umer being the only scorer in the final.

On August 14, he represented the team in the Independence Day Football Tournament final against Dhaka Mohammedan, receiving a red card after deliberately stomping on Mohammedan goalkeeper Balai Dey as both teams shared the trophy.

Dhaka Wanderers In 1966, he joined Dhaka Wanderers on permanent basis and was given the club's captaincy.

Later years In the 1960s, Umer was still playing with his departmental team KMC while subsequently playing for clubs in India and East Pakistan. In 1967, he won the All-Pakistan Mohammad Ali Bogra Tournament with the team after defeating Dhaka Mohammedan in the final. Umer also represented the Karachi Division selection at the National Football Championship. In the 1969 edition, Umer helped the team secure a runners-up position, scoring in all three group stage matches. He also scored against Quetta Division and Pakistan Army in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, and scored his teams lone goal in the final.

In 1969, he also played for Dilkusha, helping them secure a runners-up position in the league. He played for KMC until his eventual retirement as player in the 1970s.

International career

Early years (1956–1960)

Umer first toured with the Pakistan national team to Sri Lanka, Singapore, and China in 1956. He later represented Pakistan at the 1958 Tokyo Asian Games. In 1959, he participated in the tour to Burma and the 1960 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, where he scored a hat-trick against Iran in a 4–1 victory. He also managed to score during a 2–2 draw with Israel. The qualifying tournament held in Ernakulam, India, also saw Pakistan earn a notable victory over India, nonetheless, failed to qualify for the main stage, finishing third out of four teams. At the 1960 Merdeka Tournament, he scored twice in a record 7–0 win against Thailand and helped the team reach the semifinal where Pakistan lost to hosts Malaysia.

Captaincy (1962–1965)

In the 1962 Merdeka Tournament, Pakistan reached the final under Umer's captaincy, ultimately losing to Indonesia. Umer also captained Pakistan during China's football tour in Pakistan in 1963. The first test in Dhaka in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) ended in a 0–0 tie. The second match in Peshawar ended in a 3–2 victory for Umer's side, with the third fixture in Lahore ending in another 1–1 draw. The final fourth match in Karachi ended in a 2–0 defeat for Pakistan. In 1965, Umer captained the national team in a tour to Ceylon, scoring a goal in a 1–3 defeat against the Ceylon national team. He lastly captained the team at his last tour at the 1965 RCD Cup, where he scored in a 1–4 defeat against Iran in his last official match. After featuring in test matches against FC Alga from the Soviet Union in 1966, Umer was dropped in March 1967 due to his declining form attributed to age, ahead of a series of matches against a touring Saudi Arabia.

Post-playing career Following his retirement from playing, Umer continued his involvement in football as a coach. From 1971 to 1974, he served on Sindh's football selection committee while also coaching the Karachi Municipal Corporation from 1971 to 1985, and later the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board team. In recognition of his contributions to the sport, Umer was honored with the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in 1989.

Personal life and death Umer's sons Farooq Umer and Tariq Umer were also footballers. Umer, who spent most his final decades in abject poverty, died on 21 March 2004. He was buried at the Mewa Shah graveyard in Karachi. A few months later, FIFA reportedly decided to award Umer with the FIFA Order of Merit in recognition of his contributions to football. The award was to be presented to his family by Pakistan Football Federation president Faisal Saleh Hayat.

Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season, and competition. Only official games are included in this table.ClubSeasonLeagueCupAga Khan Gold CupTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsVictoria1961????????????????196220271361427441963142034001724196414324112120441965111600001116Dacca Wanderers1963001058681966172022202122Dilkusha196914934001713Total9012114241523119171

International goals Scores and results list Pakistan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Umer goal. +List of international goals scored by Muhammad UmerNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition126 August 1956Government Service Ground, Colombo, Ceylon5–35–3Friendly21 September 1956Government Service Ground, Colombo, Ceylon2–22–2Friendly 314 May 1958Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, Federation of Malaya1–22–4Friendly 417 May 1958Jalan Besar Stadium, Kallang, Singapore 1–04–4Friendly 53–3 64–3 727 May 1958Korakuen Velodrome, Tokyo, Japan1–01–31958 Asian Games824 April 1959Aung San Stadium, Rangoon, Burma1–03–2Friendly93–2109 December 1959Maharaja's College Stadium, Ernakulam, India1–14–11960 AFC Asian Cup qualification113–1124–11317 December 1959Maharaja's College Stadium, Ernakulam, India1–02–21960 AFC Asian Cup qualification145 August 1960Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, Federation of Malaya2–07–01960 Merdeka Tournament153–01630 January 1963Peshawar, Pakistan3–2Friendly1728 February 1965Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo, Ceylon1–01–3Friendly1823 July 1965Amjadieh Stadium, Tehran, Iran1–41–41965 RCD Cup

Honours

Pakistan Merdeka Tournament Runners-up (1): 1962

Karachi Kickers Sait Nagjee Football Tournament: Winners (1): 1955 Kolkata Mohammedan Calcutta League: Winners (1): 1957 Runners-up (1): 1960 IFA Shield: Winners (1): 1957 Aga Khan Gold Cup: Winners (1): 1960 Durand Cup: Runners-up (1): 1959 Rovers Cup: Winners (2): 1956, 1959 Runners-up: 1957, 1958 DCM Trophy: Winners (1): 1958 Runners-up (1): 1960

Victoria SC Dhaka First Division League: Winners (2): 1962, 1964 Runners-up (1): 1961 Aga Khan Gold Cup: Winners (1): 1962 Independence Day Football Tournament: Winners (2): 1962, 1964 Runners-up (1): 1965

Dhaka Wanderers Independence Day Tournament: Winners (1): 1963 Aga Khan Gold Cup: runners-up: 1963

Dacca Division National Football Championship: Winners (2): 1961–62, 1962

Individual 1957 − Calcutta Football League top goal-scorer 1964 − Dhaka First Division League top goal-scorer: 32 (with Victoria SC) 1989 − Tamgha-e-Imtiaz 2004 − FIFA Order of Merit

Muhammad Umer

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