Abbas Ali (footballer)

Abbas Ali
Personal information
Full name Abbas Ali
Date of birth (1990-09-03) 3 September 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth Quetta, Pakistan
Position(s) Centre-back/defensive midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2016 National Bank ? (?)
2007 Quetta Zorawar ? (?)
International career
2006–2010 Pakistan U23
2006–2008 Pakistan 11 (0)
Medal record
Representing  Pakistan
Winner South Asian Games 2006
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Abbas Ali (born September 3, 1990) is a Pakistani former footballer. Naturally a defensive midfielder, Ali also played as centre-back. He also represented Pakistan national football team.[1]

Club career

In 2004, Abbas featured in the National Youth Football Championship.[2][3] Ali made his debut in the 2005–06 Pakistan Premier League at the age of 15. He played six out of 22 matches. He scored his first goal in the 2006–07 season against Pakistan Navy, scoring the winner in 89th minute on December 14, 2006.[4]

Ali started playing more as a defensive midfielder rather than a centre-back for the 2007–08 season. Ali scored crucial goals for National Bank, scoring an equaliser against Habib Bank on 15 November 2007 in a 2–1 win for his team. Ali scored his second goal of the season on 5 December, when he scored the lone goal of the match against Khan Research Laboratories in 36th minute. Ali again scored the winner for National Bank, as he scored the only goal of the match against Pakistan Navy in the 15th minute. On 5 January 2008, Ali scored the equaliser against Pakistan Television in 68th minute as the match ended in a 1–1 draw. His fifth and last goal of the season came against PMC Club Athletico in a 5–2 victory.[5]

Ali scored in the National Bank's opening match against Karachi Electric Supply Corporation, scoring equaliser in 37th minute, although National Bank lost the match 2–1. Ali scored in a 6–2 win over Afghan Chaman, achieved the unwanted distinction of becoming the first player in the history of Pakistan Premier League to score a goal and an own goal in the same match when he scored for National Bank in 75th minute and earlier in 30th minute scored an own goal. On 22 October 2008, Ali scored a brace against Pakistan Steel, scoring goals in 22nd and 81st minutes.[6]

In the 2009–10 season Ali scored only one goal, he scored the equaliser against WAPDA in 75th minutes, two minutes after Zulfiqar Shah had given the lead to WAPDA. Ali with National Bank finished 10th, their lowest ranking ever.[7]

Ali's career slowly deteriorated and eventually came to an end amid personal issues, poor fitness, and a lack of commitment over time. After 2015, this was summed with a long lasting football inactivity in the country after a crisis within the Pakistan Football Federation.[8]

International career

Aged only 15, he earned his first senior international cap in a friendly against Macau in 6 April 2006.[9]

He was called by the Pakistan under 23 national team for the 2006 South Asian Games held in Colombo, where he helped Pakistan win the gold medal.[10]

He was subsequently called for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in 2006.[9]

Career statistics

International

Appearances and goals by year and competition[9]
National team Year Apps Goals
Pakistan 2006 4 0
2007 2 0
2008 5 0
Total 11 0

Honours

Pakistan U-23

References

  1. ^ Abbas Ali – FIFA competition record (archived)
  2. ^ "U-18 Football Championship starts". Brecorder. 2007-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  3. ^ "PFF approves Lahore as championship host". DAWN.COM. 2009-10-01. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  4. ^ Ali Wahidi, Syed Akber (August 2, 2007). "Pakistan 2006/07 (National Tournaments)". rsssf. RSSSF. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  5. ^ Ali Wahidi, Syed Akber (July 31, 2008). "Pakistan 2007/08 (National Tournaments)". rsssf. RSSSF. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  6. ^ Ali Wahidi, Syed Akber (July 16, 2009). "Pakistan 2008/09 (National Tournaments)". rsssf. RSSSF. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  7. ^ Ali Wahidi, Syed Akber (March 4, 2011). "Pakistan 2009/10 (National Tournaments)". rsssf. RSSSF. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  8. ^ Ahsan, Ali (2018-01-05). "The decade-long decline of Pakistani football after a rare high". These Football Times. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  9. ^ a b c Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Abbas Ali (Player)". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  10. ^ "Football team to be honoured". DAWN.COM. 2006-11-25. Retrieved 2023-08-16.