Legendary footballer Abdul 'Kala' Ghafoor Majna, who was a superstar of the Dhaka football scene in the 1960s, passed away on Friday at the age of 71 in Karachi after a long battle with paralysis. The iconic footballer, dubbed the Pele of Pakistan, is survived by his wife, two sons and three daughters.
Ghafoor captained the Pakistan national team for 11 years and led them to the triumphant Asian Games campaign in 1974. But it was in the 1960s and in Dhaka that he enjoyed the best years of his footballing career while playing for clubs like Mohammedan Sporting Club, Victoria SC and Dilkusha SC. A possession midfielder with exquisite skills and great shooting ability, Ghafoor was loved by one and all he played with and against.
“There was not a single player close to his quality in the subcontinent. He was such a quality player that we felt comfortable with the knowledge that he was playing for our side. Had he played in Europe, he would've been as famous as Pele,” recalled Zakaria Pintu, a teammate of Ghafoor's at Mohammedan in 1969 and Swadhin Bangla Football team captain.
Likened to Pele for his striking physical resemblance as well as style of play, Ghafoor would have made it into the best sides of the world had he been born anywhere else, so believed his contemporaries.
“Ghafoor was such a quality player, he could have made it into the Brazil team. Everyone who saw him play would vouch for that,” said Pratap Shankar Hazra, former national football captain who played alongside Ghafoor for many years.
A modest person on and off the field, Ghafoor met Sabiha when in Dhaka and later married her before they moved to Karachi after independence. There he founded a club called Saifi and trained youngsters before he was struck down by brain haemorrhage and subsequent paralysis four years ago. Ghafoor's family said that he always wanted to meet Pele, but he did not have the money to travel.