Sharafat Ali
Personal information
Date of birth (1966-06-01) 1 June 1966
Place of birth Multan, Pakistan
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Pak Fighters
1981 Multan
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1983–1993 WAPDA
International career
1984–1992 Pakistan 17 (4)
Managerial career
2012–2021 WAPDA (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Sharafat Ali (born 1 June 1966)[1] is a Pakistani former footballer who played as a forward. He is credited for scoring Pakistan first ever goal in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers since their first participation in 1990.[2] Ali also won the 1989 and 1991 South Asian Games with Pakistan.[3][4]

Early life

Ali was born on 1 June 1966 in Multan in the Punjab province of Pakistan.[1][5]

Club career

Ali started playing football at the age of 10, and joined Pak Fighters Football Club.[5]

In 1980, the National Youth Championship was held regularly in Pakistan. Playing for Multan in the final of the 1981 National Youth Championship, Sharafat scored the only goal in the final aqainst Sargodha.[5]

In 1983, Ali joined WAPDA, winning their first trophy in their first participation in the National Football League, scoring in the 5–4 final victory against Habib Bank.[5][6] Sharafat was also part of WAPDA during the National Games, winning gold in 1992 in the 24th edition of the National Games and winning silver the next year.[5]

International career

Ali participated in the 1984 Merdeka Tournament, scoring in a 1–2 defeat against Primera B XI of Argentina, and two goals in a 2–0 victory against Algeria U20.[7][8]

In 1987, Ali was appointed as the 36th captain of the Pakistan national team when Quaid-e-Azam International Cup was held in Lahore, previously participating in the series in 1985 in Peshawar and 1988 in Islamabad.[5]

On 10 February 1989, Ali became the first player to score a goal for Pakistan in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in their first participation in the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification, scoring in the 81st minute in a 1–4 loss against UAE.[9][2]

Ali played in the 1989 South Asian Games, scoring a goal in a 2–0 victory against Maldives along with Qazi Ashfaq, as Pakistan passed the group stages and won the title by defeating Bangladesh in the final.

In the subsequent 1991 South Asian Games in Colombo under the captainship of Ghulam Sarwar, Ali again won the gold with Pakistan, after defeating Maldives in the final by 2–0.[3][10][11]

Sharafat also played in the 1997 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup winning the bronze medal. Ali became the only Pakistani player to represent the national team in three SAFF editions and to have a medal in all three.[5]

Managerial career

Ali was assistant manager of WAPDA from 2012 to 2021.[12][13]

Career statistics

International

Appearances and goals by year and competition[1]
National team Year Apps Goals
Pakistan 1984 1 0
1987 1 1
1988 4 0
1989 5 2
1990 3 1
1991 2 0
1992 1 0
Total 17 4

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 22 November 1987 Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata, India  Maldives 1–0 1–0 1987 South Asian Games
2 10 February 1989 Jinnah Sports Stadium, Islamabad, Pakistan  United Arab Emirates 1–4 1–4 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification
3 24 October 1989 Jinnah Sports Stadium, Islamabad, Pakistan  Maldives 1–0 2–0 1989 South Asian Games
4 27 September 1990 Xiannongtan Stadium, Beijing, China  Singapore 1–3 1–6 1990 Asian Games

Honours

Club

WAPDA

International

Pakistan

References

  1. 1 2 3 Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Sharafat Ali (Player)". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  2. 1 2 "Searching for success: Pakistan's long wait for first FIFA World Cup qualifier win". FIFA. 28 October 2022.
  3. 1 2 "5th South Asian Federation Games 1991 (Colombo, Sri Lanka)". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  4. ↑ Ahsan, Ali (2010-12-23). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part III". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Editorial Staff (2013-03-31). "More Player Profiles by Riaz Ahmed". FootballPakistan.com (FPDC) (in Urdu). Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  6. ↑ "Pakistan - List of Champions". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  7. ↑ "Merdeka Tournament 1984". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  8. ↑ Ahsan, Ali (2010-12-23). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part II". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  9. ↑ "1990". FootballPakistan.com (FPDC). Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  10. ↑ Nasir, Saad (19 June 2023). "Pakistan Football Team's 5 Best Wins in History". ProPakistani.
  11. ↑ Editorial Staff (2010-11-08). "9th Pakistan-Maldives clash on Tuesday in 2010 Asian Games". FootballPakistan.com (FPDC). Retrieved 2023-08-17.
  12. ↑ "Football: Wapda captain demands investment". The Express Tribune. 2012-10-03. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  13. ↑ "Sharafat Ali - Soccer player profile & career statistics - Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
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