Turab Ali

Turab Ali (; 1943 – 5 June 2009) was a Pakistani footballer who played as a centre-half. Dubbed as "Wall of China" or "Pillar of Hercules" during his heyday in the 1960s due to his defending abilities, he is regarded as one the most prominent Pakistan defenders in history. In 1968, Turab was selected for the Asian All Stars team.

Club career Early career Turab started his domestic football career Shamashin Club Lyari, now known as Lyari Mohammedan. In a match of Lyari Mohammedan against the departmental side Karachi Port Trust at the KMC Stadium in 1960, Ali impressed in the game, which led to Karachi Port Trust extending an invitation for him to join their ranks. He also represented the Karachi Division selection at the National Football Championship, making his debut for the team in the 1960 edition against NWFP. He also captained Karachi Blues in the 1961–62 season.

Turab helped Karachi Port Trust win the 1964 Aga Khan Gold Cup, which was shared with Mohammedan, being an integral part in Karachi Port Trust's road to the final. He also represented PIA in the 1962 Aga Khan Gold Cup.

Mohammedan

Turab (extreme right, sitting row), with Mohammedan in 1966.

In 1965, Turab was recruited by Mohammedan Sporting of Dhaka, by Mohammedan's chief scout, Amir Jang Ghaznavi. During his stay in the Dhaka League, he also represented Dacca Division at the National Football Championship in the 1966 edition. Turab appeared for the club between 1965 and 1968. He played a key role in winning the First Division League with the club in 1965 and 1966.

International career In 1961, Turab was selected to represent the Pakistan national team for a tour against Burma, making his debut on 18 January, and appearing in all three test matches. His international career span was from 1961 to 1967. Instead, he captained the team to friendlies against the touring FC Alga Club. Turab retained his position as captain of the national team for the following year, where he would appear in all four matches against Saudi Arabia. He also took part in an unofficial friendly series against the touring Dallas Tornado, where he found the net in a 5–2 victory.

Turab also showed remarkable defensive quality when Pakistan played the 1968 Asian Cup Qualifiers in 1967 under his captaincy. During the qualification, a knee injury against India proved to be the end of his career. Following the conclusion of the qualifiers, in February 1968, Turab was selected as part of the AFC Asian All Stars team. However, he could not make the appearance for the selected side as his knee injury became worse. He was the eldest of four sisters and four brothers, and also used to work at a port at the beginning of his career. After leaving football, Ali lived in poverty. He also drove a taxi on the streets of Karachi. In 1970, the Cricketer's Guild of Pakistan, though focused on cricket, stepped in to help by raising funds of around Rs. 4,000. Players such as Alimuddin, Asif Iqbal, Mushtaq Mohammad, helped contribute to raising funds.

In July 1971, Ali was invited to a show led by Zia Mohyeddin at the Dacca TV Station which also featured Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum, Rakhshanda Khattak, Ferdausi Rahman and a Japanese guest. However Ali was asked to leave the show shortly after starting, sparking controversy.

In the latter part of his life he became constrained and confined himself to a room. In 2003, he was given financial assistance of 50 thousand rupees in a tournament held in his name at the People's Football Stadium.

Death He died in Karachi on 5 June 2009. He had having been suffering from complications after a severe stroke and was admitted to the Kutiana Memon Hospital at Kharadar.

Honours Karachi Port Trust Aga Khan Gold Cup (1): 1964

Dhaka Mohammedan Aga Khan Gold Cup runner-up: 1961 Dhaka First Division League (2): 1965, 1966

Individual AFC Asian All Stars: 1968