Muhammad Umer

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Muhammad Umer
TI FIFAOM
File:Former Pakistan national football captain Muhammad Umer.jpg
Umer during his playing days
Personal information
Full name Muhammad Umer Baloch
Date of birth 1935
Place of birth Lyari, Karachi, British India
Date of death (aged 69)
Place of death Karachi, Pakistan
Position Striker
Youth career
1948 Qadri Sports
1950 Haroon Sons
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1955–1960 Karachi
1956–1960 Kolkata Mohammedan
1961–1970 Dacca Division
1961–1965 Victoria SC 52 (81)
1966 Dhaka Wanderers 17 (20)
1967–1968 KMC
1969 Dilkusha SC
International career
1956–1965 Pakistan
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Muhammad Umer Baloch TI FIFAOM (Urdu: محمد عمر بلوچ; 1935 – 21 March 2004), alternatively spelled Mohammad Omer and popularly known as Captain Umer,[1][2][3][4] 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.[5][6][7] Since 1965, Umer is the all-time top goalscorer of the Pakistan national team.

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.[6]

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.[8][5] In 2004, a few months after his death he was awarded the FIFA Order of Merit, the highest honour awarded by FIFA.[9]

Early life

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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.[10] Initially rising through the ranks from school football,[11][12] Umer began his career in 1948, aged 13, as a goalkeeper for Karachi-based Qadri Sports.[13] However, his attacking ability soon saw him convert into a centre-forward, eventually earning the nickname "Black Horse".[5]

Club career

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Early career

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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. In 1954, he toured southern India with Friends Union under the captaicy of Taj Mohammad Jr..[13] At the 1954 Rovers Cup in India, Umer went on another Indian tour with Kemari Union, 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.[14]

Karachi

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Umer earned a spot on Karachi team for the National Football Championship in 1955 held in Bahawalpur.[5] He also played for Karachi Kickers, during a tour to India, earning acclaim for scoring six goals in a game in Ernakulam and achieving a hat-trick in Mysore, as reported by local Indian newspapers.

Calcutta League

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File:Nikhil Nandy tackling Muhammad Umer during a 1956 Calcutta League match between Mohammedan SC & Eastern Railway FC.jpg
Nikhil Nandy (L) tackling Umer during a 1956 Calcutta League match between Mohammedan SC & Eastern Railway

In 1956, Umer joined Calcutta League club Kolkata Mohammedan in India.[13][15] The following year, he became the league's top scorer, while also guiding Mohammedan to the title.

File:Rajendra Prasad meeting with Kolkata Mohammedan.jpg
Umer meeting with Rajendra Prasad

In 1960, Mohammedan captained by Umer, won the 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.[16]

Umer enjoyed star status during his stay in India, and featured in several magazine headlines and advertisements of companies in the country media.[17] 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.[18][19][20][1]

Dacca Division

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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.[21] He scored twice as Victoria triumphed 5–1 over Young Taegeuk FA in the Aga Khan Gold Cup final.[22] Umer also won the National Championship with Dacca Division in both the 1961/62 and 1962 seasons, captaining the team in the latter.[23][24] 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.[25]

File:1963 Aga Khan Gold Cup runners-up Dhaka Wanderers Club.png
Umer standing third from right with 1963 Aga Khan Gold Cup runners-up Dhaka Wanderers

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.[26] He eventually joined the club on a permanent deal in 1966.[27]

In 1967, Umer would go on play for KMC.[28][29] He would then join Dilkusha SC where he would retire.

International career

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Early years (1956–1960)

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File:Pakistan National Football Team at the 1960 Merdeka Tournament.jpg
Pakistan national team at the 1960 Merdeka Tournament. Umer sitting in the middle

Umer first toured with the Pakistan national team to Sri Lanka, Singapore, and China in 1956.[13] 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.[30] The qualifying tournament held in Kochi, India, also saw Pakistan earn a notable victory over India, nonetheless, failed to qualify for the main stage, finishing third out of four teams.[31] 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.[13]

Captaincy (1962–1965)

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File:1962 Merdeka Tournament, Pakistan vs Burma. Muhammad Umer with Suk Bahadur.jpg
Umer with Burma national team captain Suk Bahadur (left) during the 1962 Merdeka Tournament

In the 1962 Merdeka Tournament, Pakistan reached the final under Umer's captaincy, ultimately losing to Indonesia.[5] Umer also captained Pakistan during China's football tour in Pakistan in 1963.[31] 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.[32] The final fourth match in Karachi ended in a 2–0 defeat for Pakistan.[32][31] 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.[7] 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.[33][34] 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.[35]

Post-playing career

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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.[13] In recognition of his contributions to the sport, Umer was honored with the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in 1989.[8][5]

Death

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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.[5] 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.[9]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season, and competition. Only official games are included in this table.[36]
Club Season League Cup Aga Khan Gold Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Victoria SC 1961 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1962 14 19 1 3 6 14 21 36
1963 13 17 3 4 0 0 16 21
1964 14 32 4 11 2 1 20 41
1965 11 16 0 0 0 0 12 16
Dhaka Wanderers 1963 0 0 1 0 5 8 6 8
1966 17 20 2 2 2 0 21 22
Total 69 101 10 20 15 23 94 144

International goals

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Scores and results list Pakistan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Umer goal.
List of international goals scored by Muhammad Umer
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 14 May 1958 Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lampur, Federation of Malaya File:Flag of Malaya (1950–1963).svg Malaya 1–2 2–4 Friendly [37][38]
2 17 May 1958 Jalan Besar Stadium, Kallang, Singapore File:Flag of Singapore in the Straits Settlements.svg Singapore 1–0 4–4 Friendly [39][40]
3 3–3 [39][40]
4 4–3 [39][40]
5 27 May 1958 Korakuen Velodrome, Tokyo, Japan File:Flag of the Republic of China.svg Republic of China 1–0 1–3 1958 Asian Games [41]
6 9 December 1959 Maharaja's College Stadium, Kochi, India File:State Flag of Iran (1925).svg Iran 1–1 4–1 1960 AFC Asian Cup qualification [42]
7 3–1 [42]
8 4–1 [42]
9 17 December 1959 Maharaja's College Stadium, Kochi, India File:Flag of Israel.svg Israel 1–0 2–2 1960 AFC Asian Cup qualification [30]
10 5 August 1960 Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lampur, Federation of Malaya File:Flag of Thailand.svg Thailand 2–0 7–0 1960 Merdeka Tournament [43][44]
11 3–0 [43][44]
12 30 January 1963 Peshawar, Pakistan File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China 3–2 Friendly [45]
13 28 February 1965 Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo, Ceylon File:Flag of Ceylon 1951-1972.svg Ceylon 1–0 1–3 Friendly [7]
14 23 July 1965 Amjadieh Stadium, Tehran, Iran File:State Flag of Iran (1964).svg Iran 1–4 1–4 1965 RCD Cup [33][34]

Honours

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Pakistan Pakistan

Karachi Kickers

Kolkata Mohammedan

Victoria SC

Dhaka Wanderers

Dacca Division

Individual

See also

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References

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