Jamil Akhtar

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Jamil Akhtar

| image = File:Jamil Akhtar.png

| fullname =

| height =

| birth_date = Unknown

| death_date = Unknown

| death_place = Pakistan

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| position = Forward

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 1950–1954

| clubs1 = Rangers FC

| caps1 =

| goals1 =

| years2 = 1950–1953

| clubs2 = Punjab

| caps2 =

| goals2 =

| years3 = 1954–1955

| clubs3 = East Bengal

| years4 =

| clubs4 = Pakistan Railways

| nationalyears1 = 1952–1955

| nationalteam1 = Pakistan

| nationalcaps1 =

| nationalgoals1 =

| pcupdate =

| ntupdate =

| birth_place = British India

| manageryears1 =

| managerclubs1 =

| caption = Akhtar in 1974

}}

Jamil Akhtar (Urdu: {{Nastaliq|جمیل اختر}}) was a Pakistani footballer who played as an inside left forward. Considered as one of the earliest pioneering footballers in Pakistan history,{{Cite web |date=2023-06-20 |title=Remembering Moideen Kutty, the 'iron man' from Kerala who captained Pakistan football team |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/remembering-moideen-kutty-the-iron-man-from-kerala-who-captained-pakistan-football-team-8675157/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620124253/https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/remembering-moideen-kutty-the-iron-man-from-kerala-who-captained-pakistan-football-team-8675157/ |archive-date=2023-06-20 |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=The Indian Express |language=en |url-status=live }} he was the fifth captain in the history of the Pakistan national football team after Osman Jan, Abdul Wahid Durrani, Muhammad Sharif and Moideen Kutty.{{Cite web |last=Ahsan |first=Ali |date=2010-12-23 |title=A history of football in Pakistan — Part I |url=https://www.dawn.com/2010/12/23/a-history-of-football-in-pakistan-part-i/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240724171442/https://www.dawn.com/2010/12/23/a-history-of-football-in-pakistan-part-i/ |archive-date=24 July 2024 |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}} Akhtar also played for East Bengal in India.{{cite web |title=Team Archives – EAST BENGAL CLUB |url=https://www.eastbengalfootballclub.com/team-archives.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190609144422/https://www.eastbengalfootballclub.com/team-archives.php |archive-date=2019-06-09 |url-status=usurped |website=eastbengalfootballclub.com}}

Club career

Akhtar played for Lahore club Rangers FC throughout his career.{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Friday 16 April 1954 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19540416/064/0006 |access-date=2024-05-28 |via=British Newspaper Archive}} He represented Punjab University football team from 1948 to 1951. In 1950, he played for Rangers FC at the Rovers Cup in 1951 in Bombay. He won the Lahore District Soccer Championship with the club in June 1951.{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Thursday 07 June 1951 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19510607/138/0008 |access-date=2024-05-28 |via=British Newspaper Archive}} He also represented Punjab in the National Football Championship from 1950 to 1953, captaining the team in the last year. He also played for Pakistan Railways at the National Football Championship.{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Sunday 14 March 1948 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19480314/178/0011 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Tuesday 06 April 1954 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19540406/136/0006 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Sunday 30 December 1956 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19561230/112/0005 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Sunday 21 September 1958 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19580921/187/0012 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}

In 1954, he played in India for the Calcutta Football League club East Bengal. In 1958, Akhtar played for Lahore club Zamindars FC.{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) – Friday 20 June 1958 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19580620/155/0011 |access-date=2024-05-28 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}

International career

File:Pakistan National Football Team 1953.jpg

Akhtar first represented Pakistan in the 1952 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament in Ceylon. He also played for Pakistan at the 1953 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament.{{cite news |date=23 October 1953 |title=Indian Soccer Team in Rangoon |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rsw-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=W0wMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6634%2C1617147 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513065004/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rsw-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=W0wMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6634,1617147 |archive-date=13 May 2022 |access-date=13 May 2022 |work=The Indian Express |page=6}}

He also represented Pakistan at the 1954 Asian Games in the Philippines. In a preparation match, he scored against a Singapore combined Colony XI in a 4–1 victory on 24 April 1954.{{Cite web |title=Pakistan Beat Weak Colony XI Sunday Standard, 25 April 1954, Page 17 |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/sundaystandard19540425-1.2.110 |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=eresources.nlb.gov.sg}} He scored a brace in a 6–2 win against Singapore in a group match, where Masood Fakhri had notably scored a hat-trick, and Moideen Kutty also scored a goal.{{Cite web |last=natasha.raheel |date=2016-09-12 |title=Unsung hero: Former Pakistani footballer Masood Fakhri passes away |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1181307/unsung-hero-former-pakistani-footballer-masood-fakhri-passes-away |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529011315/https://tribune.com.pk/story/1181307/unsung-hero-former-pakistani-footballer-masood-fakhri-passes-away |archive-date=29 May 2024 |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Asian Games 1954 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/asgames54.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240526153459/https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/asgames54.html |archive-date=26 May 2024 |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=www.rsssf.org}}

File:Pakistan national football team in 1955.jpg

Akhtar subsequently became the fifth captain in the history of the Pakistan national football team at the 1954 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament, scoring a goal against Ceylon in a 2–1 victory.{{Cite web |title=Asian Quadrangular Tournament (Colombo Cup) 1952-1955 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/brindies-quad.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240413164224/https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/brindies-quad.html |archive-date=13 April 2024 |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=www.rsssf.org}}

He also scored in a 4–2 victory against Burma at the next 1955 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament. At the exhibition matches at the beginning of the tournament, he scored a hat trick against an East Pakistan XI on 14 December in a 3–1 victory.

Career statistics

= International goals =

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

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

|+List of international goals scored by Jamil Akhtar

! 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

|25 April 1954

|Jalan Besar Stadium, Kallang, Singapore

|{{Fb|SIN|colonial}}

|2–2

|Friendly

|{{Cite web |title=Page 12 Singapore Standard, 26 April 1954 |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/page/singstandard19540426-1.1.12 |access-date=2024-09-29 |website=eresources.nlb.gov.sg}}

align="center" |2

| rowspan="2" |2 May 1954

| rowspan="2" |Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines

| rowspan="2" |{{Fb|SIN|colonial}}

| align="center" |1–1

| rowspan="2" align="center" |6–2

| rowspan="2" |1954 Asian Games

align="center" |3

| align="center" |2–1

align="center" |4

|21 December 1954

|Calcutta FC Ground, Kolkata, India