Jamil Akhtar (

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

: ) was a Pakistani

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 an inside left forward. Considered as one of the earliest pioneering footballers in Pakistan history, he was the fifth

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the history of the

Pakistan national football team The Pakistan national football team () represents Pakistan in men's international Association football, football in FIFA-authorized events and is controlled by the Pakistan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Pakistan. Paki ...

after Osman Jan,

Abdul Wahid Durrani Abdul Wahid Khan Durrani (Urdu, Pashto: ; 30 June 1917 – 24 February 2008) was a Pakistani international footballer and manager. He was the second captain of the Pakistan national football team after the goalkeeper Osman Jan. Playing career ...

, Muhammad Sharif and

Moideen Kutty Flt/Sgt. Moideen Kutty PP (born 2 January 1926), or Mohiuddin Kutty, was a Pakistani footballer who played as a striker. Considered as one of the earliest pioneering footballers in Pakistan history, he was the fourth captain of the Pakistan nat ...

. Akhtar also played for

East Bengal East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...

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 ...

Club career

Akhtar played for

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

club Rangers FC throughout his career. He represented Punjab University football team from 1948 to 1951. In 1950, he played for Rangers FC at the

Rovers Cup The Rovers Cup was an annual football tournament held in India, organized by the Western India Football Association. Incorporated in 1890, it was the third oldest tournament in India after Trades Cup. History Rovers Cup was incorporated by s ...

in 1951 in

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

. He won the Lahore District Soccer Championship with the club in June 1951. He also represented Punjab in the National Football Championship from 1950 to 1953, captaining the team in the last year. He also played for

Pakistan Railways Pakistan Railways is the state-owned railway operator in Pakistan. Founded in 1861 as the North Western State Railway and headquartered in Lahore, it owns of operational track across Pakistan, stretching from Peshawar to Karachi, offering bot ...

at the National Football Championship. In 1954, he played in

for the

Calcutta Football League The Calcutta Football League (CFL) is a ladder-based football competition in the Indian state of West Bengal, organised by the Indian Football Association (WB) as part of the state leagues. It is the oldest football league in Asia. The CFL ...

club

. In 1958, Akhtar played for Lahore club Zamindars FC.

International career

Akhtar first represented

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# ...

in the 1952 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament in

Ceylon 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, ...

. He also played for Pakistan at the

1953 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament The 1953 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament was the second edition of the Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament held in Rangoon, Burma. India won the cup for a second time by winning all thee matches. It was India's first outright win in an ...

. He also represented Pakistan at the

1954 Asian Games The 1954 Asian Games (), officially known as the Second Asian Games – Manila 1954, were a multi-sport event held in Manila, Philippines, from May 1 to 9, 1954. A total of 970 athletes from 19 Asian National Olympic Committees (NOCs) competed in ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. In a preparation match, he scored against a Singapore combined Colony XI in a 4–1 victory on 24 April 1954. He scored a brace in a 6–2 win against

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

in a group match, where

Masood Fakhri Masood Fakhri (; 16 November 1932 – 6 September 2016) was a Pakistani professional association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Winger, left winger. A former Pakistan national football team, Pakistani intern ...

had notably scored a hat-trick, and

also scored a goal.

Akhtar subsequently became the fifth captain in the history of the Pakistan national football team at the

1954 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament 1954 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament was the third edition of the Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament held in Calcutta, India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries ...

, scoring a goal against

in a 2–1 victory. He also scored in a 4–2 victory against

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

at the next

1955 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament The 1955 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament was the last edition of the Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament to take place. It was held in Dhaka, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and won by India for a record 4th time. Points Table Matche ...

. At the exhibition matches at the beginning of the tournament, he scored a hat trick against an East Pakistan XI on 14 December in a 3–1 victory.

Honours

Pakistan * Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament:

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

Career statistics

International goals

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

References