List of Pakistan national football team captains

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This article lists all the captains of the Pakistan national football team .

Contents

The first captain to lead Pakistan in their international debut in October 1950 was the goalkeeper Osman Jan, [1] [2] who captained Pakistan in their first international match against Iran on 27 October 1950. [3] [4]

The following table includes players who have captained the Pakistan national football team, along with the vice-captains and the international tournaments they led in. [5]

List of captains

TenureIncumbentVice-captainsTournaments/NotesRef
1950 Osman Jan 1938.jpg Osman Jan [1]
1952 Abdul Wahid Khan Durrani PFF.jpg Abdul Wahid Durrani Ramzan Jr. 1952 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament [2] [6]
1953Muhammad Sharif Moideen Kutty 1953 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament [2]
1954 Moideen Kutty.jpg Moideen Kutty Ahmed Ali 1954 Asian Games [7] [8]
1954 Jamil Akhtar.png Jamil Akhtar Moideen Kutty 1954 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament [2]
1955 Former Pakistan national football team captain Sumbal Khan.jpg Sumbal Khan 1955 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament [9]
1956 Riasat Ali 1953 (cropped).jpg Riasat Ali Muhammad Amin [5]
1958 Nabi Chowdhury (cropped).jpg Nabi Chowdhury Abdul Haq 1958 Asian Games [2] [10]
1959 Masoodul Hassan Butt.jpg Masoodul Hassan Butt Ibrahim [2]
1959–1960 Qayyum Changezi.jpg Qayyum Changezi Kabir Ahmed 1960 Merdeka Tournament [2] [11] [12]
1961 Ghulam Rabbani.png Ghulam Rabbani [13] [14]
1961 Moosa Ghazi (cropped).jpg Moosa Ghazi [15]
1962–1965 Former Pakistan national football captain Muhammad Umer.jpg Muhammad Umer Abdul Haq 1962 Merdeka Tournament

1965 RCD Cup

[16]
1963 Mohammad Amin.jpg Muhammad Amin Abid Hussain Ghazi [11]
1964 Abid Ghazi.jpg Abid Hussain Ghazi [17]
1966–1967 Former Pakistan national football team captain Turab Ali.jpg Turab Ali [11]
1967 Wali Muhammad, 1969.jpg Wali Muhammad [18]
1967 Muhammad Lateef 1967.jpg Muhammad Latif 1967 RCD Cup [19]
1968–1969 Former Pakistan national football team captain Murad Bakhsh.jpg Murad Bakhsh 1969 Friendship Cup [20] [21]
1969 Sardar Aslam.jpg Sardar Aslam 1969 RCD Cup [19]
1970 Younus Rana 1967.jpg Younus Rana Qadir Bakhsh 1970 Friendship Cup (as PFF XI) [22]
1970 Qadir Bakhsh (cropped).png Qadir Bakhsh Hafizuddin Ahmed 1970 RCD Cup [19]
1973 Maula Bakhsh 1967.jpg Maula Bakhsh [11]
1974 Ayub Dar 1967.png Ayub Dar [23]
1974 Ali Nawaz Baloch.jpg Ali Nawaz Baloch 1974 RCD Cup [24]
1974 Pakistani footballer of the 1960s, Abdul Ghafoor Majna, shakes hands with the chief guest before a match.jpg Abdul Ghafoor 1974 Asian Games [25]
1976 Ghulam Sarwar 1974 Asian Games.jpg Ghulam Sarwar Sr. Afghanistan Republic Day Festival Cup

1976 Quaid-e-Azam International Tournament

[26] [27]
1978Muhammad Ishaq ChangeziSaudi Arabia Football Federation International Tournament
1981–1982 Akbar Raisani (cropped).jpg Akbar Raisani Naeem Gul 1981 King's Cup

1982 Quaid-e-Azam International Tournament

[28] [29]
1982–1983 Naeem Gul 1982 Bangladesh President's Gold Cup [30]
1984–1985 Muhammad Zulfiqar Khalid Butt, Najeeb Ullah Najmi 1984 Merdeka Tournament

1985 Quaid-e-Azam International Tournament

[31] [32]
1985 Arbab Hayat Shahzada.jpg Arbab Hayat Shahzada 1985 South Asian Games [33] [32] [34]
1986 Shaukat Mufti (cropped).jpg Shaukat Mufti Mukhtar Ali 1986 Fajr International Tournament

1986 President's Gold Cup International Tournament

[28]
1986–1988 Mukhtar Ali at the 1986 Fajr International Tournament in Tehran.jpg Mukhtar Ali 1986 Quaid-e-Azam International Tournament

1987 South Asian Games

[13] [14]
1986 Muhammad Naveed Samuel Gill 1986 Asian Games [25] [35]
1987 Sharafat Ali 1987 (cropped).jpg Sharafat Ali 1987 Quaid-e-Azam International Tournament [36]
1989–1990 Mateen Akhtar Abdul Wahid, Zafar Iqbal 1989 South Asian Games

1990 Asian Games

[33] [25]
1991–1992 Ghulam Sarwar (Teddy) 1991 South Asian Games [37]
1992–1993 Zafar Iqbal at the 1986 Fajr International Tournament in Tehran.jpg Zafar Iqbal 1992 Jordan International Tournament

1993 SAARC Gold Cup

[13] [14]
1993–1997 Muhammad Tariq Hussain Tanveer ul Hasnain 1993 South Asian Games [33]
1995 Mohammad Nauman Khan 1997.jpg Muhammad Nauman Khan 1995 SAARC Gold Cup [38]
1997 Qazi Ashfaq before the match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, 1997 Gold Cup (cropped).jpg Qazi Ashfaq Haroon Yousaf 1997 SAFF Gold Cup [39]
1998–2003 Haroon Yousaf.jpg Haroon Yousaf 1999 SAFF Gold Cup

1999 South Asian Games

2003 SAFF Gold Cup

[39] [40]
2002 Sarfraz Rasool at the 1997 SAFF Gold Cup (cropped).jpg Sarfraz Rasool [41] [42]
2003–2011 Jaffar Khan 2013.jpg Jaffar Khan Samar Ishaq, Adnan Ahmed, Faisal Iqbal, Abdul Aziz 2005 SAFF Gold Cup

2006 AFC Challenge Cup

2011 SAFF Championship

[43] [42]
2005 Tanveer Ahmed 2005 Islamic Solidarity Games [44] [42]
2006–2009 Muhammad Essa Jaffar Khan 2009 SAFF Championship [45] [42]
2008 Zahid Hameed Imran Niazi 2008 SAFF Championship [46]
2010–2013 Samar Ishaq.jpg Samar Ishaq Adnan Ahmed 2013 SAFF Championship [42]
2013–2019 Zesh Rehman York City v. Bradford City 1.png Zesh Rehman 2013 Philippines Peace Cup [47] [42]
2014 Kaleemullah playing for Sacramento Republic FC.jpg Kaleemullah Khan Faisal Iqbal, Saddam Hussain [42]
2014 Muhammad Ahmed 2013.jpg Muhammad Ahmed [48]
2015–2023 Hassan Bashir.jpg Hassan Bashir 2023 Mauritius Four Nations Cup

2023 SAFF Championship

[49]
2018 Saddam Hussain Hassan Bashir 2018 SAFF Championship [50]
2023 Saqib Hanif [51]
2023 Yousuf Butt 2019(cropped).jpg Yousuf Butt 2023 Mauritius Four Nations Cup [52] [53]
2023–2024 Easah Suliman 2023 Mauritius Four Nations Cup
2023 Otis Khan 2023.png Otis Khan [54]
2024–present Abdullah Iqbal [55]

Captains by major tournaments

PlayerTournament(s)
Moideen Kutty
Nabi Chowdhury
Abdul Ghafoor
Muhammad Naveed
Mateen Akhtar
Jaffar Khan

References

  1. 1 2 ANI (2022-12-26). "Osman Jan, Delhi's Santosh trophy hero who also captained Pakistan". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ahsan, Ali (2010-12-23). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part I". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  3. ↑ "Pakistan Tour of Iran and Iraq 1950". www.rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  4. ↑ "Statistics: Iran [ Team Melli]". www.teammelli.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2024. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  5. 1 2 Bhatti, Mukhtar (1999). Pakistan Sports: An Almanac of Pakistan Sports with Complete Records 1947-1999. Bhatti Publications. pp. 237–250.
  6. ↑ "Times of Ceylon 1952.03.14 — South Asian Newspapers". gpa.eastview.com. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  7. ↑ "Remembering Moideen Kutty, the 'iron man' from Kerala who captained Pakistan football team". The Indian Express. 2023-06-20. Archived from the original on 20 June 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  8. ↑ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Tuesday 06 April 1954" – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ↑ "Death of footballer Sumbal Khan mourned". Brecorder. 2007-12-25. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  10. ↑ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Saturday 10 May 1958" – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Ahsan, Ali (2010-12-23). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part II". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  12. ↑ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Monday 07 December 1959" – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. 1 2 3 "SPORTS WORLD: End to gloomy era of Pakistan football in sight". Brecorder. 2006-11-18. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  14. 1 2 3 "PFF president praised for giving boost to football". Brecorder. 2007-09-21. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  15. ↑ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Saturday 21 January 1961" . Retrieved 2024-08-07– via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. ↑ "فٹ بال ہیروز کی دنیا" [World of Football Heroes]. Daily Dunya (in Urdu). Archived from the original on 2024-12-27. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
  17. ↑ "فٹ بال ہیروز کی دنیا: عابد غازی کے پائے کا رائٹ ہاف آج تک پیدا نہیں ہوا" [World of Football Heroes: Another right-half as Abid Ghazi has not yet been born]. Daily Dunya (in Urdu). Archived from the original on 2025-01-04. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  18. ↑ "Eastern Examiner 1967.11.26 — South Asian Newspapers". gpa.eastview.com. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  19. 1 2 3 "فٹ بال ہیروز کی دُنیا:پتلا کے نام سے مشہور قومی کپتان قادر بخش" [World of Football Heroes: National captain Qadir Bakhsh, known as Putla]. Daily Dunya (in Urdu). Archived from the original on 2025-01-04. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  20. ↑ "انٹرنیشنل فٹبالر عبدالجبار کراچی میں انتقال کرگئے" [International footballer Abdul Jabbar passes away in Karachi]. Daily Dunya (in Urdu). Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  21. ↑ "Daily Business Post 1969.03.01 — South Asian Newspapers". gpa.eastview.com. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
  22. ↑ "فٹ بال ہیروز کی دنیا" [World of Football Heroes]. e.dunya.com.pk. 2013-03-08. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  23. ↑ "فٹ بال ہیروز کی دُنیا: پمسلسل دس سال قومی ٹیم کیلئے کھیلنے والے ایوب ڈار" [World of football heroes: Ayub Dar, who played for the national team for ten consecutive years]. Daily Dunya (in Urdu). Archived from the original on 2025-01-04. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  24. ↑ "فٹ بال ہیروز کی دُنیا: پرائیڈ آف پرفارمنس ایوارڈ یافتہ علی نواز بلوچ" [World of Football Heroes: Pride of Performance Award Winner Ali Nawaz Baloch]. Daily Dunya (in Urdu). Archived from the original on 2024-11-13. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  25. 1 2 3 "Jaffar named captain of U-23 soccer team". Brecorder. 2010-11-06. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  26. ↑ "Quaid-E-Azam International Cup (Pakistan)". www.rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 1 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  27. ↑ "Former Pakistan captain living below poverty line". www.thenews.com.pk. Archived from the original on 2014-05-07. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  28. 1 2 "Former skippers hail PFF chief over biggest win". Brecorder. 2008-04-09. Archived from the original on 2024-01-24. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  29. ↑ "Quaid-E-Azam International Cup (Pakistan)". www.rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 1 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  30. ↑ Pakistan Year Book. East & West Publishing Company. 1983. p. 89.
  31. ↑ New Straits Times 2 Sep 1984. New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 15 August 2024.
  32. 1 2 "PFF holds former captains seminar". The Nation. 2014-08-22. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  33. 1 2 3 "Faisal approves Arif as captain of Pakistan team". The Nation. 2010-01-24. Archived from the original on 18 August 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  34. ↑ Dawn.com (2010-11-04). "Lutfi appointed as coach for Pakistan women football team". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  35. ↑ APP (2011-07-11). "PFF needs to hire interpreter with a foreign coach: Naved". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 2024-11-12. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  36. ↑ "PFF chief's efforts for Asian Games football hailed". Brecorder. 2010-09-05. Archived from the original on 7 August 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  37. ↑ Ahsan, Ali (2010-12-23). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part III". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  38. ↑ "PFF approves 30 participants for IOC course". Brecorder. 2008-10-31. Archived from the original on 2024-08-07. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  39. 1 2 "Haroon Yousaf". www.rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  40. ↑ "Haroon to lead team". DAWN.COM. 2003-01-04. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  41. ↑ "Sri Lanka vs Pakistan test series 2002". www.rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  42. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "PAKISTAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION - HISTORY".
  43. ↑ "Jaffar replaces Haroon as captain". DAWN.COM. 2003-11-26. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  44. ↑ "Pakistan beat India, tie football series". www.rediff.com. Archived from the original on 25 December 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  45. ↑ "Essa named captain for SAFF Championship". DAWN.COM. 2009-12-03. Archived from the original on 18 August 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  46. ↑ "Pakistan to include four overseas players for SAFF championship". DAWN.COM. 2008-05-27. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  47. ↑ "Lutfi pins hopes on Zesh Rehman's captaincy". The Express Tribune. 2013-10-12. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  48. ↑ Sohail, Shahrukh (2014-11-02). "Comment: Aspiring for mediocrity". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  49. ↑ "Hitman Hassan to captain Pakistan against Afghans". www.thenews.com.pk. 5 February 2015. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  50. ↑ "PFF announces squad for SAFF Championship". The Nation. 2018-09-01. Archived from the original on 19 October 2018. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  51. ↑ Reporter, The Newspaper's Sports (2023-03-22). "Coach sees Maldives defeat as another stepping stone for Pakistan". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  52. ↑ "Pakistan eye better performance against Kenya after Mauritius loss". www.geosuper.tv. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  53. ↑ "Former India boss Stephen Constantine creates history for Pakistan". Khel Now. Archived from the original on 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  54. ↑ Rizwan (2023-11-17). "Saudi Arabia blank Pakistan 4-0 in World Cup qualifying game". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2025-08-31.
  55. ↑ "Saudi Arabia thrash Pakistan". e.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-06-15.

Bibliography

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