Osman Jan
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | Unknown | ||
| Place of birth | Delhi, British India | ||
| Date of death | Unknown | ||
| Place of death | Karachi, Pakistan | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Delhi Crescent Club | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1930s | Kolkata Mohammedan | ||
| 1930s | Aryan | ||
| 1941–1942 | Bengal | ||
| 1944–1945 | Delhi | ||
| International career | |||
| 1950–?? | Pakistan | ?? | (??) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Osman Jan was a footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in British India, he played for Bengal and Delhi in the Santosh Trophy and was the first footballer to win the Santosh Trophy for two different states.[1] He then went on to represent the Pakistan national football team and became the first ever captain in their history.[2]
Club career
[edit]In the 1930s, Osman played for Kolkata's Mohammedan Sporting.[1][3][4][5] He was recruited from Delhi Crescent Club. According to Indian defender Sailen Manna, Jan was the greatest goalkeeper he ever came across. With a short height measuring 5'6", Jan was renowned for his long-range leap.[6]
He won the inaugural edition of the Santosh Trophy with Bengal in 1941.[1]
Osman's return to his hometown in Delhi after successful stints at Mohammedan Sporting and Aryans FC in Kolkata helped build a strong Delhi team. Under his captaincy, Delhi achieved an unexpected triumph in the 1944 Santosh Trophy, defeating all time champions Bengal 2–0 in the final.[1] This victory remains Delhi's sole triumph in the National Football Championship.
International career
[edit]After the partition of India, Osman went over to Pakistan where he was appointed captain of the national team in their international debut during a trip to Iran and Iraq in October 1950.[7]
Osman made his debut in Pakistan's first ever international match on 27 October 1950 against Iran in the Amjadiyeh Stadium in Teheran.[8] Reportedly the Pakistan national team played the match barefoot, which was the norm in South Asia at the time.[2] Pakistan also engaged in unofficial friendly matches during the tour, defeating Tehran's Taj FC (now Esteghlal FC) with a 6–1 scoreline and drawing 2–2 against a team from Isfahan.[2]
In Iraq, due to the Iraqi FA's inability to gather a full national team, Pakistan played an unofficial friendly against the club Haris al-Maliki resulting in a 1–1 draw at Baghdad in front of a 10,000 crowd, playing once again barefoot, with the heroics of Osman keeping Pakistan from losing in the dying minutes of the game.[2]
Personal life
[edit]After his death, a tournament was started in his memory in Karachi.[1][9]
Honours
[edit]Bengal
Delhi
- Santosh Trophy: 1944
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Osman Jan, Delhi's Santosh trophy hero who also captained Pakistan". ThePrint. New Delhi. ANI. 26 December 2022. Archived from the original on 26 December 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d Ahsan, Ali (2010-12-23). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part I". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 2022-09-04. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
- ^ Santhosh, Aswathy (2024-04-06). "A journey through time: Mohammedan Sporting's storied history in Indian football". thebridge.in. Archived from the original on 2024-05-22. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
- ^ "How Mohammedan Sporting's glorious past is linked to its uncertain future". Quartz. 2014-10-24. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
- ^ "Five best 'international' wins by Indian clubs". ESPN.com. 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
- ^ "Indian football: The tale of the unbeatable Mohammedan Sporting side of 1930s | Goal.com". www.goal.com. 2020-03-30. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
- ^ "Pakistan Tour of Iran and Iraq 1950". www.rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 2023-07-21. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
- ^ "Statistics: Iran [ Team Melli]". www.teammelli.com. Archived from the original on 2023-07-21. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
- ^ Kapadia, Novy (2012-11-17). "Delhi Football - A trip down memory lane". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
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