Osman Jan

Osman Jan was a Pakistani footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He was the first footballer to win the Santosh Trophy for two different states,[1] and the first captain ever in the history of the Pakistan national football team.[2][3]

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
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1930s Mohammedan Sporting
1930s Aryan FC
1941–1942 West Bengal
1944–1945 Delhi
International career
1950–?? Pakistan ?? (??)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

In the 1930s, Osman guarded Kolkata's Mohammedan Sporting as a goalkeeper.[1]

He won the inaugural edition of the Santosh Trophy with West Bengal in 1941.[1]

In the second edition under his captaincy, Delhi underwent an unexpected triumph in the 1944 Santosh Trophy, defeating all time champions Bengal by 2–0 in the final. 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.[1] This victory remains Delhi's sole triumph in the National Football Championship.

International career

Osman went over to Pakistan, where he was appointed captain of the Pakistan national team in their international debut in a trip to Iran and Iraq in October 1950.[4]

Osman made his debut in Pakistan's first ever international match on 27 October 1950 against Iran in the Amjadiyeh Stadium in Teheran.[5] Reportedly the Pakistan national team played the match barefoot, which was the norm back in South Asia.[3] Pakistan also engaged in unofficial friendly matches during the tour, defeating Tehran's Taj FC (now Esteghlal FC) with a 6–1 scoreline and drew 2–2 against a team from Isfahan.[3]

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.[3]

Personal life

After his death, a tournament was held in his memory in Karachi.[1]

Honours

West Bengal

Delhi

  • Santosh Trophy: 1944

References
  1. ANI (2022-12-26). "Osman Jan, Delhi's Santosh trophy hero who also captained Pakistan". ThePrint. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  2. Editorial Staff (2011-09-08). "Ex-Captain Pakistan, M.D. Kutty passes away aged 83". FootballPakistan.com (FPDC). Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  3. Ahsan, Ali (2010-12-23). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part I". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  4. "Pakistan Tour of Iran and Iraq 1950". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  5. "Statistics: Iran [ Team Melli]". www.teammelli.com. Retrieved 2023-07-21.


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