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Syed Abdul Rahim is a name that is forgotten by many but is held in high regard by the loyalists of the beautiful game in India.
‘Rahim Sahab’ as he was fondly known by the players, was the architect of the best football India has ever played. He is widely regarded as the designer of Indian football’s golden era.
Life before the Indian Team
Rahim was born in Hyderabad in 1909. He represented the football squad of Osmania University, from where he graduated.
He was a good player in his playing days, dedicating his services to Qamar Club, which was one of the best teams in the Hyderabad local league those days. He was also one of the few to play in Europe, lighting up HSV Hoek in the Netherlands.
After returning to India, he studied more to become a physical education teacher, which sowed the roots of the greatness he was about to achieve.
Football administration
He was among the first members of the Hyderabad Football Association (HFA), which was established in 1939. Rahim was chosen as the HFA secretary in 1943 and then as the APFA secretary when the two boards merged and he was active in building the game's infrastructure in Secunderabad and Hyderabad.
He also managed the Hyderabad City Police team and the Hyderabad football team up till 1950.
Indian National Team
He took over the Indian National Football team in 1950 after the Blue Tigers had withdrawn from the World Cup. This began the reign of the finest football India has ever played in history.
India won the 1951 Asian Games, defeating the mighty Iran 1-0 in the final, but the best was yet to come. India defeated great teams like Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia, teams that we can't even imagine playing against now. India also finished fourth at the 1956 Summer Olympics, which is still our greatest footballing achievement.
He famously said to his players before the 1962 Asian Cup final, "Kal aap logon se mujhe ek tohfa chahiye kal aap sona jitlo."
The 1962 Asian Games was Rahim's final major tournament, winning a 2–0 victory over South Korea. He died of cancer shortly after, leaving his legacy behind.
