Imran Hussain (; born on March 10, 1981) is a Pakistani former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a striker. He played for Pakistan Army F.C. throughout his career, and made his international debut in 2005 against

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Hussain won the golden boot in 2005–06 Pakistan Premier League season, scoring 21 goals in 22 games.

Club career

Hussain played for

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

throughout his career, starting his career in 2002. He scored 4 goals in a match in his first season at the 2002

PFF National Challenge Cup The PFF National Challenge Cup is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Pakistani football within the Pakistan football league system. It is organized by and named after the Pakistan Football Federation. Initially named as ...

. In 2004, Hussain featured in the National Youth Football Championship. In the inaugural

2004–05 Pakistan Premier League The 2004–05 Pakistan Premier League season was the inaugural season of Pakistan Premier League, the top tier of Football in Pakistan, Pakistani football. The season started on 28 May 2004 and concluded on 13 October 2004. Formation The league ...

, Hussain finished as second top-scorer behind Arif Mehmood with 19 goals, as Army finished runner-up of the league. He is a two-time

Pakistan Premier League The Pakistan Premier League (PPL; ) is a Pakistani semi-professional league for men's football clubs. The top tier of the Pakistan football league system, the PPL operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the PFFL B Division. The ...

winner, winning the title first in 2005–06 and again in 2006–07. Hussain won the golden boot in the 2005–06 season, scoring 21 goals in 22 games. In the next season he finished as the second highest scorer, behind Arif Mehmood, with 8 goals. He also participated in the

AFC President's Cup The AFC Challenge League (previously known as the AFC President's Cup, abbreviated as ACGL) is an annual third-tier continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation. The competition is played among clubs from n ...

with the club.

Controversy

In the

2011–12 Pakistan Premier League The 2011–12 Pakistan Premier League was the 57th season of Pakistan domestic football and the 8th season of the Pakistan Premier League, the top tier of the Pakistani football league system, Pakistan football league system. The season started on ...

, a match between Pakistan Army and Afghan FC Chaman on 26 July 2011 at Sadiq Shaheed Stadium in

Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...

was marred by violence started by Hussain towards the match official. Afghan Chaman was leading 2–1 by the 75th minute when Hussain disputed a referee decision on a freekick, leading to his dismissal after a heated argument. Imran's attack on the referee sparked further chaos, with another Army player, Shakeel Ahmed, also getting physical and subsequently sent off. The match ended 2–1 in favor of Afghan Chaman, with Pakistan Army playing the final 15 minutes with only 9 men due to the dismissals.

International career

Hussain made his debut with

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

on 12 June 2005 which was the first game in a series of three games against

, the game finished 1–1 draw to Pakistan. He was subsequently called for the 2005 SAFF Championship, where he scored his first goal against

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

in a 1–0 victory for Pakistan.

Career statistics

International

:''Scores and results list Pakistan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Hussain goal.''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hussain, Imran 1981 births Living people Pakistani men's footballers Pakistan men's international footballers Footballers from Faisalabad Men's association football forwards Pakistan Army F.C. players 21st-century Pakistani sportsmen