Moosa Ghazi (; 1937 – 12 May 2003) 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 a

left winger In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

. Ghazi represented 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 ...

in the 1950s to 1960s, and was member of the national squad which finished finalists at the 1962 Merdeka Tournament. Considered as one of the earliest legends in Pakistan football history, he was renowned for his performances at the wing and goalscoring abilities.

Early life

Ghazi hailed from the locality of

Lyari Lyari (Urdu: ; ; Balochi: لێاری) is a historic locality in Karachi, Pakistan. It is the most densely populated part of Karachi, and is one of its earliest settled areas. History Lyari is said to be one of the oldest inhabited parts of Kar ...

in Karachi in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. He belonged to the ''Makrani Baloch'' community (also known as Sheedi) of

Sudanese The demographics of Sudan include the Sudanese people () and their characteristics, Sudan, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population. In Sudan' ...

descent.

Club career

Keamari Mohammedan

Ghazi started playing football with

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

club Keamari Mohammedan alongside his brother

Abid Ghazi Abid Hussain Ghazi (; 1934 – 14 January 2016) was a Pakistani footballer who played as a midfielder. He is considered one of the greatest Pakistani footballers of the 1950s and 1960s, and also captained the Pakistan national football team. Ea ...

East Bengal

Ghazi 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 ...

from 1956 to 1958. He scored 50 goals for East Bengal Club, being their highest scorer in 1956 and 1957. He scored a brilliant goal which enabled East Bengal to beat Hyderabad City Police in the

1956–57 Durand Cup final The 1956–57 Durand Cup Final was the 53rd final of the Durand Cup, the oldest football competition in India. It was contested between Kolkata giants East Bengal and Hyderabad City Police on 5 January 1957 at the Delhi Gate Stadium in New Delh ...

, making a solo run past the defenders and scoring to make it 2–0 as East Bengal held onto the scoreline and won their third Durand Cup title. During his tenure the club also won the

DCM Trophy The Delhi Cloth Mills Trophy, known simply as D.C.M. Trophy, was an invitational football tournament in India. It was held annually in New Delhi and was organised by the Delhi Cloth Mills tournament committee. It was India's first football tourn ...

in 1957 and

IFA Shield The IFA Shield is a football competition organized by the Indian Football Association, the football governing body in the Indian state of West Bengal. The IFA came into existence in 1893, and was named after the association. The IFA Shield to ...

in 1958. He also held the record of most goals in the DCM Trophy, with 12 goals in single competition.

Kolkata Mohammedan

1960_Aga_Khan_Gold_Cup_winners_Calcutta_Mohammedan

Ghazi featured for

Kolkata Mohammedan Mohammedan Sporting Club (), commonly referred to as Mohammedan, is an Indian multi-sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. The club is best known for their professional men's football section which competes in the Indian Super League, the t ...

in the late 50s, playing an integral role in the club's

Aga Khan Gold Cup The Aga Khan Gold Cup was a tournament played in Dhaka, Bangladesh which invited the club sides from leading football nations of Asia to compete. Many renowned football pundits regard this competition as a predecessor of the AFC Champions League ...

triumph over Indonesian club

PSM Makassar Persatuan Sepakbola Makassar ( 'Football Association of Makassar') commonly referred to as PSM Makassar, is an Indonesian professional football club based in Makassar, South Sulawesi that competes in Liga 1. PSM was founded in 1915 as , ma ...

in 1960 in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

(now

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

). His partnership with fellow national teammate Muhammad Umer was crucial during the team's success in the season.

Victoria SC

Ghazi played for

Victoria SC Victoria Sporting Club (), commonly known as Victoria SC, is a football club based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Founded in 1903, the club competes in the Dhaka Second Division Football League, Dhaka Second Division League, the fourth tier of football i ...

in Dhaka 1961. He played alongside fellow Pakistan international, Muhammad Umer, helping the club finish runners-up in the Dhaka First Division League in his lone season.

Dhaka Mohammedan

Ghazi transferred to

Dhaka Mohammedan Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited is a Bangladeshi professional football club based in Dhaka. Founded in 1936, it is one of the oldest and the most successful football club in the country, with a support base in all parts of the country. Th ...

in 1962 and returned to playing alongside his brother,

. During the

in Dhaka before 1971, when the opponent side

Karachi Port Trust The Karachi Port Trust (KPT) () is a Government of Pakistan, Pakistani federal government agency, under the administrative control of the Maritime Secretary of Pakistan, Federal Maritime Secretary that oversees the operations of the Port of Ka ...

were leading the match, Ghazi representing Dhaka Mohammedan, reportedly incited the fans to raid the pitch. In 1966, he helped Mohammedan win the league title as unbeaten champions and top scorer with 51 goals.

Dilkusha SC

In 1969, Ghazi helped newly promoted,

Dilkusha SC Dilkusha Sporting Club (), also referred to as Dilkusha SC, is an association football club based in the Dilkusha area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club currently competes in the Dhaka Second Division League, the fourth-tier of Bangladeshi Football ...

, finish league runners-up. His teammates that season included the likes of national teammates Muhammad Umer, Qadir Bakhsh and Abdul Ghafoor.

Dhaka Wanderers

In 1970, Moosa joined

Dhaka Wanderers Club Dhaka Wanderers Club () is a Bangladeshi professional football club from Motijheel area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It currently competes in the Bangladesh Premier League, the top flight of Bangladeshi football, having gained promotion from the 2023 ...

and helped the club finish runners-up in the league following the withdrawal of

. He left for

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# ...

following the

Independence of Bangladesh The independence of Bangladesh was Proclamation of Bangladeshi Independence, declared from Pakistan on 26 March 1971, which is now celebrated as Independence Day (Bangladesh), Independence Day. The Bangladesh Liberation War started on 26 March ...

in 1971.

International career

Pakistan lineup during 1955 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament

Ghazi was first selected by the Pakistan national team for the

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 ...

, as a backup player for left winger

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 ...

Pakistan National Football Team at the 1960 Merdeka Tournament

On 5 August 1960, Ghazi managed to score a hat-trick in a record 7–0 victory over

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

at the 1960 Merdeka Tournament. In 1961, he captained the national team at their second match during the Burma national team tour to

, where they played a series of friendlies. In the next edition of the tournament where Pakistan participated, he played a crucial role in the 1962 Merdeka Tournament scoring several goals, as Pakistan ended runner up after falling to

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 ...

by 1–2 in the final. He scored the first goal of the match at the 28th minute, until the reportedly less dominant opponent side managed to overcome the score. Ghazi played a test series against a Saudi Arabian XI in 1967, which marked his final appearances for the national team.

Coaching career

Ghazi was head coach of the Habib Bank team which featured at the

1986 Asian Club Championship The 1986 Asian Club Championship was the 6th edition of the annual Asian club football competition hosted by Asian Football Confederation. Several Asian clubs started the qualifying round in Fall of 1986. The final round was held in Riyadh, Saud ...

qualifying stage held at

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

playing against

Malavan Malavan Bandar Anzali Football Club (, ''Bāšgāh-e Futbāl-e Malavān-e Bandar-e Anzali'') is an Iranian football club based in Bandar-e Anzali, Iran. It currently won Iran's second league, the Azadegan League and came back to Persian Gulf P ...

Saunders SC Saunders Sports Club is a Sri Lankan professional football club based in the Pettah district of Colombo. It is currently playing in the Sri Lanka Champions League. Achievements * Sri Lankan Premier League: 12 **Winner: 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, ...

, and

Victory SC Victory Sportif Club, commonly known as Victory, is a Haitian professional football club based in Port-au-Prince. History Early years Victory Sportif Club was founded by Augustin R. Viau on 7 March 1945. They were affiliated in 1947 by the FHF ...

. The team finished third out of four teams failing to qualify to the next stage.

Personal life and death

After the

fall of Dhaka The Pakistani Instrument of Surrender () was a legal document signed between India (alongside the Provisional Government of Bangladesh) and Pakistan to end the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Per the trilateral agr ...

in 1971, both Moosa and his brother

were arrested by the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

and made prisoners of war. According to Abid, Moosa was previously offered Indian citizenship in the 1950s while playing in the country but he opted to sit tight. Moosa has also been reportedly described contrasting to his calm brother, often engaging in controversies and quarreling with referees and linesmen until eventually reconciling at the finalisation of the matches. Ghazi died on 12 May 2003. He spent his last years in poverty.

Career statistics

International goals

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

Honours

Pakistan *

Merdeka Tournament Merdeka Tournament () is an international friendly football tournament held in Malaysia to commemorate the Independence Day. It is mainly played at Independence Stadium, in Kuala Lumpur. "Merdeka" is the Malay word for independence. As of 202 ...

runner-up:

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

East Bengal *

Durand Cup The Durand Cup (also called the IndianOil Durand Cup Powered by Coal India Limited for sponsorship reasons) is an annual domestic football competition in India which was first held in 1888 in Annadale, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. Hosted by the ...

: 1956-57 *

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

: 1957 * Dr. H. K. Mookherjee Shield: 1957 Kolkata Mohammedan *

: 1960 *

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 ...

: runners-up: 1960 *

runners-up: 1959 *

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 ...

: 1959 *

: 1961, ** runners-up: 1960 Victoria SC * Dhaka First Division League runners-up: 1961 *

Independence Day Football Tournament The Independence Day Football Tournament, alternatively known as the Pakistan Day Football Tournament or the Azadi Day Football Tournament was a knock-out men's association football tournament held in Dhaka, East Pakistan by the East Pakistan S ...

: 1961 Dhaka Mohammedan * Dhaka First Division League: (3) 1963, 1965, 1966 *

: 1964 (shared with

) * Independence Day Tournament: 1963, 1965, 1966 *All Pakistan Mohammad Ali Bogra Shield: (1): 1966 **runners-up (1): 1968 Dilkusha SC * Dhaka First Division League runner-up: 1969 Dhaka Wanderers * Dhaka First Division League runner-up: 1970 Individual * Most goals in

: 12 (with East Bengal). * 1966 − Most goals in Dhaka First Division League: 51 (with Dhaka Mohammedan)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghazi, Moosa 1937 births 2003 deaths Pakistani men's footballers Pakistan men's international footballers Footballers from Karachi Mohammedan SC (Kolkata) players Mohammedan SC (Dhaka) players Victoria Sporting Club players Dhaka Wanderers Club players East Bengal Club players Men's association football forwards Calcutta Football League players Pakistani expatriate men's footballers Pakistani expatriate sportspeople in India Expatriate men's footballers in India 20th-century Pakistani sportsmen