Mohammed Rafi (born 24 May 1982) is an Indian former professional footballer who played as a striker.
 Rafi in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 24 May 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Trikaripur, Kasaragod, Kerala, India | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2005 | SBT | 20 | (12) |
| 2006–2010 | Mahindra United | 130 | (107) |
| 2010–2012 | Churchill Brothers | 48 | (26) |
| 2013 | Mumbai Tigers | 10 | (3) |
| 2013–2015 | Mumbai | 40 | (22) |
| 2014 | → Atletico de Kolkata (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Kerala Blasters | 22 | (6) |
| 2017–2019 | Chennaiyin | 32 | (2) |
| 2019–2020 | Kerala Blasters | 7 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2009–2011 | India | 27 | (11) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 04:20, 7 November 2018 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 November 2014 | |||
Club career
editMohammed Rafi came through the ranks of SBT which had distinction of fielding not only all-Indian but also all-Malayali squad. SBT was promoted to first division of National Football League in 2004 and in that season he scored 4 goals and came into limelight. Unfortunately, SBT got relegated but he was roped in by Mahindra United for the next season.
In 09-10 I-league, he finished the season with record 14 goals, which is best ever for an Indian striker, he was also adjudged Mahindra United's player of the year.[1]
Rafi's example was followed by his younger brothers Mohammad Shafi, who played for Viva Kerala FC and Mohammad Razi, with KSEB.[2]
Mumbai
editOn 24 November 2013 it was announced that Rafi has signed for Mumbai on loan from IMG Reliance with three other players Khelemba Singh, N.P. Pradeep and Peter Costa.[3] He made his debut on 2 December 2013 against East Bengal F.C. at the Balewadi Sports Complex in which he played the whole match as Mumbai won the match 3-2.[4]
DSK Shivajians
editAfter having a good season with Kerala Blasters in the 2015 Indian Super League season, Rafi joined DSK Shivajians, which gained a place in the league through bidding a direct entry slot, for the 2015-16 I-League season.
Indian Super League
editIn the inaugural season of Indian Super League (ISL), Rafi played for Atletico de Kolkata, the team owned by Sourav Ganguly and Atletico de Madrid.[5]
Rafi was signed by Kerala Blasters FC for the second ISL season. He scored on his debut, the second goal of the match against North East United, and also set up Sanchez Watt's goal.[6]
He won ISL Emerging Player of the Match award against NorthEast United FC in the 2015 Indian Super League.
He was again signed by Kerala Blasters FC for the third ISL season. Mohammed Rafi became the third Indian to score a goal in the ISL final 2016, following Mohammed Rafique for Atletico de Kolkata in 2014, and Thongkhosiem Haokip for FC Goa in 2015.
In ISL 2017, Rafi played for Chennaiyin FC (ISL 2015 champions). He scored a goal in his first match against NorthEast United on 23 November 2017. In the 2018-19 season, he played 8 games for Chennaiyin without scoring a league goal. However, in the 6 games he played in the AFC Cup, he scored 3 goals.
In the 2019-20 season, he rejoined Kerala Blasters.[7] On 4 October 2020, the club officially announced the departure of the veteran from the club.[8]
International career
editRafi also represented India a number of times and scored a goal against Kuwait. HIs was the only goal as India lost that match 1-9.[9]
International goals
edit| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 November 2010 | Al-Wahda Stadium, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E |  Kuwait |
1–7 | 1-9 | Friendly |
Honours
editClub
editAtlético de Kolkata
- Indian Super League winner: 2014
Kerala Blasters
- Indian Super League runner-up: 2016
Chennaiyin FC
- Indian Super League winner: 2017-18
Individual
edit- 2009–10 I-League Player of The Year.[10]
References
edit- ^ "I League: Rafi is Mahindra United's Player Of The Season - Kerala football news". Archived from the original on 8 April 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ "Rafi makes soccer pay". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012.
- ^ "Mumbai FC sign four IMG-Reliance contracted players on loan". Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- ^ "Mumbai vs. East Bengal 3-2". Soccerway. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
- ^ "ISL - Indian Super League - Atlético de Kolkata". Archived from the original on 20 September 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ "ISL - Indian Super League - Kerala Blasters FC". Archived from the original on 20 September 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ "Mohammed Rafi returns to Kerala Blasters". The Times of India. 28 August 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ "Kerala Blasters FC Official Instagram Account". Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ "Indian football team suffer humiliating 1-9 defeat to Kuwait - Zee News". zeenews.india.com. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ ":::: The Aiff ::::". Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
External links
edit- Mohammed Rafi at National-Football-Teams.com
- Mohammed Rafi at Goal.com
- Mohammed Rafi at Soccerway
- Indian Super League profile
