Ghulam Rabbani

Sheikh Ghulam Rabbani, was a Pakistani professional footballer who played as a right winger. Rabbani represented the Pakistan national football team from 1954 until the 1960s, captaining the team in 1961.

Early life

Rabbani was born on 31 December 1936 in Delhi in British India. He moved to Karachi in the newly formed Pakistan following the partition.

Club career

National Football Championship

Rabbani started his career with Pakistan Mughal Football Club in 1953, and won the National [Football Championship (Pakistan)|National Football Championship] with Punjab [football team (Pakistan)|Punjab] four times. He represented East Pakistan at the 1960 edition of the Championship helping the side win their maiden title, and latter won two titles with Dacca Division in 1961 and 1962. He also won the national title with the Karachi Division in 1963 and 1965. He later played briefly for Pakistan Airlines joining the departmental side on 4 April 1963 before his eventual retirement.

Dhaka League

In 1960, Rabbani joined Dhaka Wanderers Club in the Dhaka First Division Football League, where he spent three years. During his time in Dhaka, Rabbani represented Victoria SC as a guest player at the 1962 Aga Khan Gold Cup.

International career

Rabbani was first selected for the Pakistan national team at the 1954 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament in Calcutta featuring against India, his performances playing for the Dhaka Wanderers Club selected him once again for the national team for the Football at [the 1958 Asian Games|1958 Asian Games]. He featured in the 1960 and 1962 Merdeka Tournament. In the later edition under the leadership of Muhammad Umer, he played a key role in Pakistan finishing as runner-ups of the tournament. After the 1960 Merdeka Tournament concluded, Rabbani was selected for the Eastern/Western Zones Combined football team for the proposed Asian All-Stars tour of Europe, which ultimately never materialised. Other Pakistan players selected for the combined team included Abid Hussain Ghazi, Qayyum Changezi, Hussain Killer and Moosa Ghazi.
In 1961, he captained the national team, during Burma national team tour to East Pakistan with matches played in Dhaka and Chittagong.

Post–playing career

After his eventual retirement as player, Rabbani became member of the coaching staff of Pakistan Airlines. He is one of the key figures responsible to launch the Pakistan Airlines football team in the late 1960s, which eventually became the most successful team in the National Football Championship.
Rabbani also served the Pakistan Football Federation Selection Committee as a member.

Playing style

A right winger, Rabbani was praised for his speed and dribbling skills, and was often regarded as one of the fastest runners in Pakistani football. He was also praised for his ability to create space, bring the ball into the danger zone and send pin-point crosses.

Death

Rabbani died on Friday of 10 December 2010.

Career statistics

International goals

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	19 August 1960	Singapore		1–1	1–4	Friendly

Honours

Pakistan

Merdeka Tournament runner-up: 1962