Wikipedia

Abdul Ghani Minhat

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Minhat is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Abdul Ghani. The word "bin" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.

Tan Sri Datuk Abdul Ghani bin Minhat PSM PJN AMN DSSA DIMP (Jawi: عبدالغاني منحة; ‎ 23 December 1935 – 28 September 2012)[3][4] was a football player who represented the team Selangor FA and Negeri Sembilan FA in the 1950s until the late 1960s. He played as a striker and winger while representing Malaya and Malaysia. He was known as the Raja Bola[5] (Malay for King of Football) and is considered one of Malaysia's greatest football players.[6]

Tan Sri Datuk Abdul Ghani Minhat
Personal information
Full name Abdul Ghani Bin Minhat
Date of birth (1935-12-23)23 December 1935
Place of birth Kampung Solok, Rantau,
Negeri Sembilan, British Malaya
Date of death 28 September 2012(2012-09-28) (aged 76)
Place of death Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1955–1968 Selangor FA 97 (106)
1969 Negeri Sembilan FA
International career
1956–1962 Malaya 57 (58[1])
1963–1966 Malaysia 14 (3[2])
Managerial career
1969 Malaysia
1970–1973 Selangor FA
1971 Malaysia B
1973 Malaysia
1975–1976 Malaysia
1983–1985 Selangor FA
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Malaysia
Asian Games
Third place 1962 Jakarta Team
SEA Games
Gold medal – first place 1961 Rangoon Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Early life

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Tan Sri Datuk Abdul Ghani Minhat was born on 23 December 1935 in Kampung Solok, Rantau, Negeri Sembilan.[7] Abdul Ghani later attended Princess Road School (now Sekolah Kebangsaan Jalan Raja Muda) at the age of 10 in 1945.[7] He represented the school football team and only played bare footed. Two years later, Abdul Ghani attended Sekolah St. John's Kuala Lumpur and continued to play for the school team. In 1951, his talent was spotted by local police officers who later gave him his first ever football boots. In that time, only professional footballers can afford football boots as it was very expensive during the late 1950s.

Career

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At the age of 17, his talent was later spotted by police officers who later invited Abdul Ghani to play with the Police Depot Football Team in the Selangor League.[8] He was asked to play in the left wing position, even though he was right footed. He used this opportunity to develop his left footed skill.

In 1955, Abdul Ghani was chosen to play with Selangor FA in their attempt to win the HMS Malaya Cup for the first time in 6 years. Selangor faced Singapore in the 1956 Malaya Cup final.[9] Abdul Ghani helped Selangor beat Singapore 2–1 by scoring a goal in Selangor's victory. His performance was praised by his teammates. Shortly after the match, he was called up by national coach, Neoh Boon Hean to represent the Malaya national team in a friendly against Cambodia.

Abdul Ghani continued to play for Selangor over the years and Selangor was considered the best club in Malaya with the name The Red Giants. Abdul Ghani, alongside M. Chandran, Stanley Gabrielle, Robert Choe and Arthur Koh, Selangor was a very powerful and feared team across Malaysia and Singapore.

One of his most invaluable experiences was being sent on attachments to gain experiences and undergo better training to several clubs in England (West Ham United, Arsenal, Spurs), Wales (Cardiff City) and Germany (Eintracht Frankfurt) in 1962.[6]

In 1967, Abdul Ghani helped Selangor to qualify the first ever 1967 Asian Club Championship. They managed to go in the finals after beating Tungsten Mining FC of South Korea. The Israeli club Hapoel Tel Aviv manage to overcome Selangor by beating Abdul Ghani side 2–1 in Bangkok.[10] However, Selangor was praised by the Football Association of Malaysia by being the first team to qualify the finals in the Asian Club Championship.

Abdul Ghani officially retired in 1968 with the 1968 Malaysia Cup final being Abdul Ghani's last match in football.[11] Selangor won with a big margin 8–1.[12]

International career

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Abdul Ghani first played for the Malaya national team when he was named among the 17 players which represent Malaya in the 1956 AFC Asian Cup qualification, together with the youngster Ray Crawford.[13][14] On 17 March 1956, Abdul Ghani's first appearance with the national team was very impressive when Abdul Ghani scored an amazing seven goals to helping Malaya beat Cambodia 9–2.

The following year, he scored his first goal in the first ever edition, inaugural 1957 Pestabola Merdeka from an amazing 40 meters rocket shot against Vietnam in the tournament held at the Padang TPCA, Princess Road in 1957. But Abdul Ghani was disappointed after failing to win the trophy for his country after Hong Kong emerged as champions.[15] Abdul Ghani managed to overcome his disappointment in 1958 when he helped the national squad won the 1958 Pestabola Merdeka after being the group champions above Hong Kong and Indonesia.[16]

Abdul Ghani then helped Malaya to retain the title Pestabola Merdeka in 1959 after beating Indonesia 2–1. He later received the title 'King of ball' from Football Association of Selangor (FAS), a title later used by anyone to refer to him for his brilliant performance for Malaya.[17]

He completed his hat-trick in the 1960 Pestabola Merdeka. Malaya eventually shared the title with Asian Giants, South Korea. On 15 August 1960, he was selected members to form the AFC Asian All-Stars tour of Europe, which never materialized.[18][19][20] In 1961, Abdul Ghani help the national team's to won the gold medal in the 1961 SEAP Games (now SEA Games) in Rangoon, the Burmese (now Myanmar) after beating the Burma in the finals.[21]

Abdul Ghani helped Malaya to won the 1962 Asian Games bronze medal after beating South Vietnam 4–1.[22][23]

After the defunct of Malaya national team in 1963, a combined team with the combination of players from Federation of Malaya and Singapore under the name of new nation, Malaysia was proposed by Tunku Abdul Rahman to compete at the 1963 Merdeka Tournament. Abdul Ghani was selected as the first captain of Malaysia national team. Abdul Ghani officially retired from international football after the Merdeka Cup in 1966.[24]

Coaching career

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After his retirement, he was sent to Japan by the Football Association of Malaysia to attend a FIFA Coaching School being the first ever Malaysian to have an official training from FIFA. He finally received his FIFA coaching license in 1969.[25] He was appointed to be the coach the national team in 1969. Abdul Ghani managed the national team on an on-off basis starting from 1969 Merdeka Tournament. His last involvement with the national is at the 1976 Olympic Games qualification in Jakarta.[26]

After only coaching the national team, he later coached his favourite team, Selangor in 1970. In 1971, he became the first player and coach to win the Malaysia Cup after being the team coach and also playing in the final and the semi-finals.[27] He again led Selangor Malaysia's Cup victory over Perak 3–0 in 1972.[28] He then resigned as coach in 1973 because his main concentration was on business instead of coaching.

10 years later, Abdul Ghani returned as coach for Selangor after replacing Chow Kwai Lam in 1983. But his coaching career with Selangor only lasted three seasons after being sacked after failing to help the team win the Malaysia Cup in 1985 despite the successful season leading Selangor to win the 1984 Malaysia Cup after a 3–1 victory over Pahang.[29] After Abdul Ghani left as coach, he returned doing business.

In 2004, he returned to Selangor but this time as a Coaching Adviser for the Football Association of Selangor (FAS). He later resigned from the Football Association of Selangor and agreed moved to his birthplace and became a Coaching Adviser for Negeri Sembilan. He resigned later around 2007 after 2006–07 Season ended.[30]

Death

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He died on 28 September 2012, due to the complications after undergoing coronary bypass surgery at National Heart Institute, in Kuala Lumpur. He left behind wife Puan Sri Tengku Aishah Tengku Ibrahim, two sons and two daughters.[31]

Career statistics

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International goals

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Malaya

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Scores and results list Malaya's goal tally first.[1]
# Date Venue Opponent Result Competition
1. 17 March 1956 Kuala Lumpur, Malaya   Cambodia 9–2 1956 AFC Asian Cup qualification
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. 29 April 1956 Phnom Penh, Cambodia   Cambodia 2–3
9.
10. 24 May 1956 Kuala Lumpur, Malaya   South Vietnam 3–3
11.
12. 12 May 1957 Jalan Besar, Singapore   Singapore 1–1 Friendly
13. 1 September 1957 Kuala Lumpur, Malaya   Burma 5–2 1957 Merdeka Tournament
14. 4 September 1957 Kuala Lumpur, Malaya   Hong Kong 3–3
15.
16. 7 September 1957 Kuala Lumpur, Malaya   Indonesia 2–4
17.
18. 1 March 1958 Kuala Lumpur, Malaya   Singapore 5–2 Friendly
19.
20. 3 May 1958 Jalan Besar, Singapore   Singapore 3–3 Friendly
21.
22. 4 May 1958 Jalan Besar, Singapore   Singapore 3–0 Friendly
23.
24. 14 May 1958 Kuala Lumpur, Malaya   Pakistan 4–2 Friendly
25.
26. 28 December 1958 Kuala Lumpur, Malaya   Japan 6–2 Friendly
27.
28.
29. 4 January 1959 George Town, Malaya   Japan 1–3 Friendly
30. 22 January 1959 Rangoon, Burma   Burma 4–2 Friendly
31.
32. 25 January 1959 Rangoon, Burma   Burma 2–3 Friendly
33. 11 May 1959 Jalan Besar, Singapore   Singapore 10–2 1960 AFC Asian Cup qualification
34. 2 September 1959 Kuala Lumpur, Malaya   South Vietnam 4–3 1959 Merdeka Tournament
35. 14 December 1959 Bangkok, Thailand   Thailand 1–3 1959 SEAP Games
36. 5 August 1960 Kuala Lumpur, Malaya   Japan 3–0 1960 Merdeka Tournament
37.
38. 7 August 1960 Kuala Lumpur, Malaya   Thailand 8–2
39.
40.
41. 28 May 1961 Tokyo, Japan   Japan 2–3 Friendly
42.
43. 2 August 1961 Kuala Lumpur, Malaya   Japan 3–2 1961 Merdeka Tournament
44. 5 August 1961 Kuala Lumpur, Malaya   South Vietnam 3–1
45. 9 August 1961 Kuala Lumpur, Malaya   India 1–2
46. 13 August 1961 Kuala Lumpur, Malaya   Indonesia 1–2
47. 12 December 1961 Rangoon, Burma   Cambodia 4–0 1961 SEAP Games
48.
49. 13 December 1961 Rangoon, Burma   Burma 2–1
50. 15 December 1961 Rangoon, Burma   Thailand 2–2
51. 16 December 1961 Rangoon, Burma   Burma 2–0
52. 26 August 1962 Jakarta, Indonesia   Philippines 15–1 1962 Asian Games
53.
54.
55. 28 August 1962 Jakarta, Indonesia   Indonesia 3–2
56. 3 September 1962 Jakarta, Indonesia   South Vietnam 4–1
57. 8 September 1962 Kuala Lumpur, Malaya   Japan 2–2 1962 Merdeka Tournament
58. 13 Septebemr 1962 Kuala Lumpur, Malaya   Burma 3–2

Malaysia

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Scores and results list Malaysia's goal tally first.[1]
# Date Venue Opponent Result Competition
1. 8 August 1963 Kuala Lumpur, Malaya   Japan 3–4 1963 Merdeka Tournament
2.
3. 7 December 1963 Saigon, South Vietnam   South Vietnam 3–5 1964 AFC Asian Cup qualification
Appearances and goals by national team and year[32]
National team Year Apps Goals
Malaya 1956 4 11
1957 7 6
1958 12 11
1959 11 7
1960 5 5
1961 9 11
1962 9 4
Total 57 58

Honours

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As player

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National Team

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Malaya
Winners(3): 1958, 1959, 1960
Gold Medal: 1961
Bronze Medal: 1962

Club

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Selangor
Winners(7): 1956, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1968
Winners(6): 1953, 1954, 1960, 1962, 1961, 1962
Runners-up: 1967

Individual

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Records

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  • Malaya all-time top scorer: 58 goals[36][37]
  • The first player from outside Europe and the first player from Asia to reach 50 goals for men's national teams: 15 December 1961[1]
  • The fifth player to reach 50 goals for men's national teams after Imre Schlosser(1917), Poul Nielsen(1925), Ferenc Puskás(1952) and Sándor Kocsis(1954): 1961[38]
  • The longest international scoring series: 11 Matches in 1961-1962[39][40]
  • One of the four players who had averages more than one goal per match in international and having scored more than 50 goals after Sandor Kocsis with 75 goals in 68 matches (1.1), Gerd Müller with 68 goals in 62 matches (1.1) and Poul Nielsen with 52 goals in 38 matches (1.37): 58 goals in 57 matches (1.02)[41]
  • One of the three players who had scored four goals in a Malaysia Cup final after Lee Ah Loke(1952) and N. Thanabalan(1968): 1963[42]

As head coach

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Selangor
Winners(3): 1971, 1972, 1984
Malaysia
Winners(1): 1972
Winners(1): 1973
Malaysia B
Winners(1): 1971

Orders

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Mamrud, Roberto (30 March 2021). "Abdul Ghani Minhat – Goals in International Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Malaysia - Record International Players". www.rsssf.org.
  3. ^ a b "'Dato' Abdul Ghani Minhat". National Archives of Malaysia. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  4. ^ "Peristiwa 28 September 2012" (in Malay). Astro Awani. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2022 – via Facebook.
  5. ^ "63rd FIFA Congress 2013 - In Memoriam" (PDF). FIFA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  6. ^ a b ""The King of Football", Dato' Hj Abd Ghani Minhat". OCM Sport Museum & Hall of fame at Wayback Machine. 2011. Archived from the original on 27 October 2011. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Ghani Minhat: Raja Bola Malaya" (in Malay). Bebas News. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  8. ^ "Goalscorer Supreme". Retrieved 29 September 2012 – via PressReader.
  9. ^ "Malaysia 1956". www.rsssf.org.
  10. ^ "Asian Club Competitions 1967". www.rsssf.org.
  11. ^ "GHANI MINHAT: RAJA BOLA MALAYA" (in Malay). i sports Asia. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Malaysia 1968". www.rsssf.org.
  13. ^ "Asian Cup 1956 - Squads" (PDF). RSSSF. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 June 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  14. ^ "Asian Nations Cup 1956". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 27 June 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  15. ^ "Merdeka Tournament 1957". www.rsssf.org.
  16. ^ "Merdeka Tournament 1958". www.rsssf.org.
  17. ^ a b "'Raja bola M'sia' ditawar bermain di Liga EPL pada 1962" (in Malay). Malaysiakini. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  18. ^ "Asia All Star 1960" (in Indonesian). Novan Media Research. Archived from the original on 12 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  19. ^ "Merdeka Tournament 1960 (Malaya)". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  20. ^ "11 Pemain Bola Sepak Malaysia Berbangsa Cina Yang Bertaraf Legenda" (in Malay). Semuanya Bola. Archived from the original on 2 November 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  21. ^ "South East Asian Peninsula Games 1961 (Rangoon, Burma)". www.rsssf.org.
  22. ^ "Asian Games 1962 (Indonesia)". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  23. ^ "Bolasepak Sukan Asia 1962" (in Malay). Malaysia Dimos. 30 September 2020. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  24. ^ "Abdul Ghani Minhat: Raja Bola Yang Dipikat Oleh Lima Kelab Eropah" (in Malay). Semuanya Bola. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  25. ^ ""Raja Bola M'sia" Ditawar Bermain Di Liga EPL Pada 1962" (in Malay). Mstar. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  26. ^ "Games of the XXI. Olympiad - Football Qualifying Tournament". www.rsssf.org.
  27. ^ "5 Anak Tempatan Yang Cemerlang Sebagai Pemain, Cemerlang Sebagai Jurulatih" (in Malay). Labola Malaya. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  28. ^ "Malaysia 1972". www.rsssf.org.
  29. ^ "Malaysia 1984". www.rsssf.org.
  30. ^ "Malaysia 2006/07". www.rsssf.org.
  31. ^ "'Raja Bola' Ghani Minhat Dies". FAM. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  32. ^ "Abdul Ghani Minhat – Goals in International Matches". www.rsssf.org.
  33. ^ "OLYMPIC COUNCIL OF MALAYSIA/AWARDS/HALL OF FAME: FULL LIST" (in Malay). OCM. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  34. ^ "From Raja Bola to King James, 'Spiderman' to Safiq - The best Malaysia XI of all time". Goal. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  35. ^ "IFFHS MEN'S ALL TIME MALAYSIA DREAM TEAM - 123". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  36. ^ "The Top 50 International Goalscorers of All Time". FARPost. FARPost.co.za. 27 June 2021. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  37. ^ "The Top 50 International Goalscorers of All Time". 90min Staff. 90min.com. 24 June 2021. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  38. ^ Mamrud, Roberto; Stokkermans, Karel. "Players with 100+ Caps and 30+ International Goals". RSSSF. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  39. ^ "IFFHS STATISTICS - LONGEST INTERNATIONAL SCORING SERIES". IFFHS. 28 June 2022. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  40. ^ "The world records for scoring streaks in different categories". IFFHS. 10 November 2023. Archived from the original on 11 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  41. ^ "Torpedo Müller, el antecesor de Messi y Cristiano". Fran Mena (in Spanish). RTVE. 16 August 2021. Archived from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  42. ^ "Memorable events in 100 years of Malaysia Cup". Timesports. NST. 25 September 2021. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  43. ^ "King awards 1,523 on birthday". Bernama. The Star. 3 June 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  44. ^ "DSSA 2001". awards.selangor.gov.my.
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