Ayub Dar

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Ayub Dar

| image = Ayub Dar 1967.png

| caption = Ayub Dar in 1967

| image_size =

| fullname = Ayub Dar

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1947|12|5|df=y}}

| birth_place = Quetta, Pakistan

| height =

| position = Striker

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 1962–1963

| clubs1 = Young Afghan Club

| caps1 =

| goals1 =

| years2 = 1966–1967

| clubs2 = Pakistan Railways

| caps2 =

| goals2 =

| years3 = 1968–1969

| clubs3 = EPIDC

| caps3 =

| goals3 =

| years4 = 1970

| clubs4 = Mohammedan SC

| caps4 =

| goals4 =

| years5 = 1971–?

| clubs5 = Pakistan Railways

| caps5 =

| goals5 =

| nationalyears1 = 1966–1975

| nationalteam1 = Pakistan

| nationalcaps1 =

| nationalgoals1 =

}}

Ayub Dar ({{langx|ur|{{Nastaliq|ایوب ڈار}}}}; born 5 December 1947) is a former Pakistani footballer, who played as a striker. Ayub represented the Pakistan national team from 1966 to 1975, and was the country's 25th international captain.

Early life

Ayub Dar was born on 5 December 1947 in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan.{{Cite web |last=Baloch |first=Shezad |date=2014-04-02 |title=Festivity in the air: Making headlines for the right reasons |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/690701/festivity-in-the-air-making-headlines-for-the-right-reasons |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en |archive-date=4 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604223143/https://tribune.com.pk/story/690701/festivity-in-the-air-making-headlines-for-the-right-reasons |url-status=live }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/778489/in-depth-pakistan-football|title=In-depth: Pakistan football|date=13 January 2013|website=dawn.com|access-date=5 March 2024|archive-date=25 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525043530/http://dawn.com/2013/01/13/in-depth-pakistan-football/|url-status=live}} His father, Muhammad Hussain, had migrated from Kashmir in 1919.{{Cite web |title=فٹ بال ہیروز کی دُنیا: پمسلسل دس سال قومی ٹیم کیلئے کھیلنے والے ایوب ڈار |trans-title=World of football heroes: Ayub Dar, who played for the national team for ten consecutive years |url=https://dunya.com.pk/index.php/sports/2013-04-08/108185 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250104171807/https://dunya.com.pk/index.php/sports/2013-04-08/108185 |archive-date=2025-01-04 |access-date=2025-01-04 |website=Daily Dunya |language=ur}}

He completed his matriculation from Government Special High School Quetta, where he represented the school football team from 1962 to 1965.{{Cite web |title=Unique Star School edge Ibrahim Ali Bhai School |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/318941-unique-star-school-edge-ibrahim-ali-bhai-school |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en |archive-date=30 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530220658/https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/318941-unique-star-school-edge-ibrahim-ali-bhai-school |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Leisure Leagues set to hold school football |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/311498-leisure-leagues-set-to-hold-school-football |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en |archive-date=4 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604223147/https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/311498-leisure-leagues-set-to-hold-school-football |url-status=live }} Ayub began his domestic football journey with Young Afghan Club Quetta in 1962–63. In 1964, he was selected for the youth team of Balochistan, and the following year he was selected to the national youth team during a tour of Russia. In the five matches played there, Ayub scored a goal in every match.

Club career

=Pakistan Railways=

In 1966, Jamil Akhtar, the former captain of Pakistan Railways, saw Ayub playing in the All-Pakistan Commissioner's Cup in Larkana and offered him a job in the Pakistan Western Railway in Quetta where he would also represent Pakistan Railways FC. With the help of Ayub's scoring prowess, Railways won the final of the All Pakistan Silver Shield tournament against PIA by 0–2 in its first participation. They later won both the All Pakistan Floodlit Football Tournament in Peshawar and the All Pakistan Nishtar Memorial Football Tournament in Karachi.

=East Pakistan=

File:EPIDC football team during the 1960s.jpg in the 1960s]]

In 1968, Ayub represented PIA as a guest player during the Ismael Gold Shield Tournament, where his team lost 0–2 to Dhaka based club EPIDC. Nonetheless, seeing his performances during the tournament, Ayub was offered to play for EPIDC in the Dhaka First Division League in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). During his first season, he scored 31 goals and guided the club to a consecutive league title as top scorer.{{cite book|last=Dulal|first=Mahmud|language=bn|title= খেলার মাঠে মুক্তিযুদ্ধ ({{Translation|Liberation war in the playground}})|publisher=Bishhoshahitto Bhobon|year=2020|page=369|isbn=978-984-8218-31-0}} EPIDC officials rewarded Ayub with Rs 10,000. Ayub made a name for himself in East Pakistan, and in 1970, joined the regions biggest club, Mohammedan SC.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/593096/a-history-of-football-in-pakistan-part-ii|title=A history of football in Pakistan — Part II|date=23 December 2010|website=dawn.com|access-date=5 March 2024|archive-date=7 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240107190858/https://www.dawn.com/news/593096/a-history-of-football-in-pakistan-part-ii|url-status=live}} In the same year, he represented the East Pakistan football team during their King Mahendra Cup triumph in Nepal, and also recorded seven goals in a 9–0 victory against Nepal XI during the tournament.

Ayub returned to Pakistan Railways following the Independence of Bangladesh, and went onto represent the team until his retirement.{{Cite web |title=فٹ بال ہیروز کی دُنیا: پمسلسل دس سال قومی ٹیم کیلئے کھیلنے والے ایوب ڈار |trans-title=World of football heroes: Ayub Dar, who played for the national team for ten consecutive years |url=https://dunya.com.pk/index.php/sports/2013-04-08/108185 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250104171807/https://dunya.com.pk/index.php/sports/2013-04-08/108185 |archive-date=2025-01-04 |access-date=2025-01-04 |website=Daily Dunya |language=ur}}

International career

File:Pakistani footballers Maula Bakhsh, Ayub Dar and Ali Nawaz Baloch during the the 1967 Asian Cup qualifiers held in Burma.jpg in Burma in 1967]]

In his first year playing for Pakistan Railways FC and a year after representing the youth national team, Ayub was selected for the Pakistan national team to play a series of friendly matches against Soviet club Alga in Karachi, Lahore and Dhaka.{{Cite web |title=فٹ بال ہیروز کی دُنیا: پمسلسل دس سال قومی ٹیم کیلئے کھیلنے والے ایوب ڈار |trans-title=World of football heroes: Ayub Dar, who played for the national team for ten consecutive years |url=https://dunya.com.pk/index.php/sports/2013-04-08/108185 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250104171807/https://dunya.com.pk/index.php/sports/2013-04-08/108185 |archive-date=2025-01-04 |access-date=2025-01-04 |website=Daily Dunya |language=ur}}

In 1967, Ayub featured for Pakistan in four friendly matches in home against Saudi Arabia. He also participated in two friendly matches against Dallas Tornado in Lahore and Karachi. The same year, Dar was praised by German coach Dettmar Cramer when he came to Pakistan to train the players at the invitation of the Pakistan Football Federation.

Dar also found the net against Iran in a record 1–9 defeat during the 1969 Friendship Cup in Tehran. Six months later, Dar again scored against Iran in a 2–4 defeat in the 1969 RCD Cup.{{Cite web|url=https://www.teammelli.com/matchdata/details/matchdetails.php?id=59|title=Pakistan 2 - 4 Iran|website=teammelli.com|access-date=5 March 2024|archive-date=4 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240304192514/https://www.teammelli.com/matchdata/details/matchdetails.php?id=59|url-status=live}} In 1974, Ayub became the 22nd captain of the national team taking over from Maula Bakhsh, and despite being fit a year later, the national coaches made room for younger players.

Career statistics

= International goals =

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

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

|+List of international goals scored by Ayub Dar

! scope="col" |No.

! scope="col" |Date

! scope="col" |Venue

! scope="col" |Opponent

! scope="col" |Score

! scope="col" |Result

! scope="col" |Competition

! scope="col" class="unsortable" |{{Abbr|Ref.|References}}

align="center" |1

|12 March 1969

|Amjadieh Stadium, Tehran, Iran

|{{Fb|Iran|variant=1964}}

| align="center" |1–8

| align="center" |1–9

|1969 Friendship Cup

align="center" |2

|13 September 1969

|Ankara 19 Mayıs Stadium, Ankara, Turkey

|{{Fb|Iran|variant=1964}}

| align="center" |1–4

| align="center" |2–4

|1969 RCD Cup

|{{Cite web |title=Pakistan Observer 1969.09.15 — South Asian Newspapers |url=https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/san/?a=d&d=paob19690915-01.1.10 |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=gpa.eastview.com}}