Abdul Jabbar

Abdul Jabbar (; 1945 – 25 March 2014), was a Pakistani professional footballer who played as a forward. Jabbar played as an inside left forward. He represented the Pakistan national football team from 1967 to 1969, and is one of the first and few Pakistani footballers to play professional football abroad, joining a club in Turkey.

Early life Jabbar was born in 1945 in Shah Baig Line, in the Lyari locality of Karachi.

Club career Jabbar started playing football from childhood, and started his senior club career with Bijli Sports Club at the regional Karachi First Division League in 1962. He also represented the Karachi Division team at the National Football Championship.

In 1964, Jabbar moved to East Pakistan based departmental side PWD Sports Club, and then moved to Victoria the following year. He later represented EPIDC and Dhaka Mohammedan. During his stay in the Dhaka League, he also represented Dacca Division at the National Football Championship.

After making a good impression with the national team in a match against Turkey at the 1967 RCD Cup, on 6 April 1968, Jabbar along with his national teammate and fellow Lyari player Maula Bakhsh signed for Turkish First Football League club Mersin İdman Yurdu. Both stayed at the club for six months. Jabbar made two appearances with the team against Ankara Demirspor and Hacettepe during the 1967–68 Turkish First Football League.

After the fall of Dhaka, Jabbar joined Pakistan Airlines and continued to play for the team until his retirement from the game.

He also played in unofficial games with the national side against teams from Soviet Union, such as FC Kairat in 1968, the Russian Central Army team in 1969, and in May 1969 when the national side went abroad playing against FC Aşgabat, Zarafshan XI, and Neftyanik.

10 March 1969 Amjadiyeh Stadium, Tehran, Iran

1969 Friendship Cup Honours

Dhaka Mohammedan

Aga Khan Gold Cup: Winners (1): 1968