Syed Abdus Samad (footballer)

Syed Abdus Samad (c. 1895 – 2 Feburyar 1964) was a football player from Bengal.[1] Dubbed Football Jadukor (Football Magician), he played for India national football team in 1924 and captained it in 1926.[2] He played as a forward. Samad's football career lasted from 1915-38.[2] Government of Bangladesh launched a postage stamp series in his memory.[3]

Syed Abdus Samad
Samad
Personal information
Date of birth c. 1895
Place of birth Purnia, Bihar, Bengal, British India
Date of death 2 February 1964(1964-02-02) (aged 68–69)
Place of death Parbatipur, Dinajpur, East Pakistan
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
– Purnia Junior Football Club
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1912–1915 Calcutta Main Town Club
1915–1920 Tajhat Football Club
1918–1918 Calcutta Orients Club
1921–1930 East Bengal Railway Team
1933–1938 Mohammedan Sporting Club
National team
– India
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early life

Samad was born in 1895 in Purnia of Bihar in British India. He left school during his studies in the eighth grade.[2] Samad displayed his talents in football from his early boyhood.[2]

Career

Samad first drew attention of the football club managers of Calcutta when he played for the Purnia Junior Football Club. He joined the Calcutta Main Town Club in 1912. During 1915-1920, he played for Tajhat Football Club of Rangpur.

In 1916, Samad played in a match against Somerset Football Team of England. He played for Calcutta Orients Club in 1918 and for the East Bengal Railway Team during 1921-1930. Samad scored the most memorable trophy-winning goal of his career in 1927 against the Sherwood Forestry Team patronised by the Chief of the Indian Army Lieutenant General Sherwood Mall.[2]

As a member of Indian National Team, he toured Burma, Ceylon, Hong Kong, China, Java, Sumatra, Malay, Borneo, Singapore and Britain. In a match played against China in Peking, he played as a substitute player in the second half and scored four goals in a row to give his side a 4-3 victory after trailing 0-3 in the first half.[4]

At the age of 38, he joined the Mohammedan Sporting Club and played in during 1933–1938.[5][2] The club became Kolkata Senior Division League champion five years in a row.[4]

After the partition of India in 1947, Samad settled in Parbatipur Upazila of Dinajpur in East Pakistan. He was employed at the Pakistan Eastern Railway. In 1957, he became a coach of National Sports Council Board. He was the recipient of the President's Award in 1962.[2]

Personal life and legacy

Samad had a son Golam Hossain. Together they played for Railway Team in 1944.[2] He died on 2 February 1964 in Parbatipur. East Pakistan (later Bangladesh) Government released a postal stamp commemorating him in 1969.[6] Bangladesh Football Federation organizes the annual Jadukar Samad Smriti Football Tournament.[2]

References
  1. Illustrated Weekly of Pakistan. Pakistan Herald Publications. 1968.
  2. Islam, Sirajul (2012). "Samad, Syed Abdus". In Islam, Sirajul; Haider, Mohammad (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  3. Md Shahnawaz Khan Chandan (2014-07-18). "The Unsung Hero". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  4. Rajib Haider (2014-06-10). "আমাদেরও ছিল এক ফুটবল জাদুকর" [We also had a football wizard]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  5. "Football and nationalisms in Bengal". The Daily Star. 2018-07-23. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  6. "Syed Abdus Samad – The Forgotten Legend of Indian Football". thif-live.com. 2014-06-30. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
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