Ali Ashfaq

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Ali Ashfaq(Dhagandey)
Personal information
Full name Ali Ashfaq
Date of birth 5 September 1985 (1985-09-05) (age 26)
Place of birth Malé, Maldives
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position Forward
Club information
Current club New Radiant SC
Number 7
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2002–2005 Club Valencia
2006–2007 New Radiant SC
2007–2008 DPMM FC
2008–2011 VB Sports Club
2011– New Radiant SC
National team
2003– Maldives ? (23)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Ali Ashfaq (born on 5 September 1985) is a Maldivian footballer nicknamed "Dhagandey" (Man of Steel). He has played as a forward for Club Valencia, DPMM FC, VB Sports Club and currently playing for New Radiant SC in the Maldivian Dhiraagu Dhivehi League. At present he is the captain of Maldives national football team.


Contents

[edit] Early Life

Ashfaq was born in the capital city Male', where he grew up with his mother and brother. From the very young age, he was found over interested in football and very less engaged in his studies. There are even rumours that when he was sent to school, he used to go the playgrounds with his bag, play there and return home at the school finishing time. He was found very different from his one year old brother Ahmed Ashfaan, though Ashfan is also found as a very talented defender. He was the captain of the Majeediyya school football team when the team participated in the Interschool Football Tournament. That was the tournament which gained the attention of the officials of Club Valencia and eventually he was taken to the team.


[edit] Club career

[edit] Club Valencia

Ashfaq first shined in the year 2003 with the local side Club Valencia. He ended the season with 30 goals and won the best player of the season, while he was only 18. He stayed with the club for the next two years also and won the top scorer in back to back 3 years. In 2004 with 33 goals while in 2005 with 36 goals. No player has ever reached even to 30 goals in a local season so far, except him.


[edit] New Radiant Sports Club

Ashfaq then signed for the AFC Cup 2005 third place winners New Radiant SC for the 2006 season. They came up with the intention of winning the following year's AFC Cup and Ashfaq was their first choice. New Radiant was an all star team that year with some other notable players like Ibrahim Fazeel, Ali Umar, Sobah Mohamed and Ahmed Thoriq. He was not able to defend his top scoring tally and lost the golden boot to the fellow team mate Ibrahim Fazeel. But Ashfaq did prove himself worth of the high price paid for his signature as he helped the blues win all the three local tournaments, scored more than 40 goals in the one and half year spell and even helped the club win some matches in the AFC Cup 2006.

The best striker in South Asia


[edit] Duli Pengiran Muda Mahkota Football Club (DPMM FC)

In October 2007, he moved to DPMM FC of Brunei with fellow national team striker Ibrahim Fazeel. The team competed in the Malaysian Super League that year. Ashfaq's performances were praised by the Malaysian media and helped the club win local matches for the Brunei side. Despite he shined in the Malaysian soil he was not fully engaged with the club. In 2008 he transferred from DPMM FC to VB Sports Club for a transfer fee of €13000. The Brunei side tried their best to hold the Maldivian striker but he chose to return to his home land.


[edit] VB Sports Club

He was brought to VB sports club with the captain armband though his first year's performance was not that much impressive. In the second year with the club he was in his best form, scoring 33 goals for VB and winning the club's first ever League title that year. He won the Top Scorer and season's best player in 2009. He won the best player of the Maldives for a record third time that year. The next 2010 season was not as brightest as the 2009's, despite scoring 30 goals for the club. He faced numerous suspensions and injuries which lead him to miss a big part of the season. However, after his injury recovery he faced the local rivals Victory in the final of that year's president's cup, scoring 4 and assisting 1 in the 5 - 3 win over them. That was VB's first ever President's cup title.

[edit] Controversies

From mid of the year 2010, rumours spread out that Ashfaq was having some problems with VB Sports Club and started to miss the practices. However the rumours did not mark countable till


[edit] New Radiant Sports Club

He joined New Radiant on 19 December 2011 after getting released by VB.


He is considered as the nation's "Iron Man" for his strong stamina and speedy strikes. He has won the Best Player of the Maldives award for a record 4 times and the Top Scorer award for a record 5 times.

Ashfaq has been noticed by some big clubs in Europe like Benefica, European giants FC Porto, and Turkish club Bursaspor but Ashfaq refused to these offers.


[edit] International career

Considered as the "best Maldivian football player in the history"[citation needed] and frequently cited as "South Asia's best attacking player"[cite this quote], Ashfaq is also the captain of the Maldives national football team and has won numerous Maldivian football awards. He is known for his dribbling ability, agility, speed, on-ball skills and powerful shooting as well as accuracy in passing and shooting. He became the captain of the senior Maldives national football team in 2009, at the age of only 23.

Ashfaq holds the honour of the youngest ever player to score for the senior Maldives national football team with 4 goals against Mongolia in 2004. With that he also earned the pride of the first player ever to score a hattrick for the national side. Ashfaq is also the only player to score 2 hattricks for the Maldives, the second which took place in the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifing 2011 against Cambodia.


[edit] SAFF Championships

[edit] SAFF Championship 2003

Ashfaq lost a place in the Maldivian squad that participated in the SAFF Championship 2003, which was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh to his national team fellow striker Ahmed Thoriq. Eventually Maldives went to the final of the tournament but lost to Bangladesh in penalties (5-3).


[edit] SAFF Championship 2005

His first ever SAFF Championship was the 2005 edition of the tournament which was held in Karachi, Pakistan. He scored 3 goals for the Maldivian side in the group stage, 2 against Afghanistan and 1 against Sri Lanka. Maldives were knocked out by India in the semi final.


[edit] SAFF Championship 2008

Ashfaq's next SAFF Championship was his home edition, where Maldives hosted the tournament alongside Sri Lanka. He gave an impressive performance throughout the tournament, and was named as the Most Valuable Player of SAFF Championship 2008, where Maldives won their first Saff Championship title. Despite his goal less run throughout the tournament he assisted 6 goals for the side. His honour as the MVP of the tournament earned the attention of the International Media and was included in the list of www.goal.com's Asia's top ten performers of 2008.


[edit] SAFF Championship 2009

The following year, Ashfaq went to the SAFF Championship 2009 with the captaincy of the team. He scored 3 goals for the team in the tournament and came in second for the Most Valuable Player award of SAFF Championship 2009. Maldives lost the final to India by penalties. However, he was voted by Bangladesh Press as the best player of the tournament.


[edit] SAFF Championship 2011

The SAFF Championship 2011 was host by the regional giants India. All the matches took place in Delhi, the capital. The Maldivian side went to the tournament with high hopes after replacing Argentina's Diego Cruciani with 2009's silver medal coach Istavan Urbanyi. Maldives was said to be in the group of Death alongside 2003's champions Bangladesh, Pakistan and the well crirtisized Nepal. Maldives first match was agaisnt Nepal. This was seen as a pressure match despite Ashfaq breaking the deadlock in the dying minutes in the first half with an outstanding lond range missile shot. The goal was praised by the international media as the best goal of the tournament and some Maldivians believe it was the best goal ever seen from a Maldivian player. The match ended in a draw as nepal equalized in the second half. Ashfaq's next match in the tournament was against Pakistan where Maldives were drawn once again as he could not show his best. The media later critisized for his average performance. The following match was a deciding factor. He Scored and assisted a nice goal after dribbling past 3 of his markers. The Indian commentator referred to him as the South Asian George Best and asked the audiance to watch "The eyes of a tiger" as he scored after beating the Bangladesh goal keeper. Maldives were knocked out in the semi final in the hands of the champion team, India. Eventhough he had to fly home empty hands, the international media did not leave him. He was included in the "Eastern promise: Ten to watch in 2012" list, shortlisted by editor John Duerden in www.espnstar.com website.


[edit] AFC Challenge Cup Qualifying

[edit] AFC Challenge Cup qualifying 2009

In 2010 AFC Challenge Cup qualifying, Ashfaq scored a goal in the 3-2 win over Philippines. And he scored 2 goals against Bhutan in the 5-0 win. Maldives came in second of the group by goal difference and failed to qualify for the 2010 AFC Challenge cup.

Celebrating a goal against Cambodia "AFC Challenge Cup qualifying 2011"


[edit] AFC Challenge Cup qualifying 2011

In 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifying, Ashfaq helped Maldives defeat Cambodia in their first game by scoring 3 goals in the first game. His performance throughout the qualifying was praised by the Maldivian fans as he helped the Maldives to come on top of the group and qualify to the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup. Former champions of challenge cup Tajikistan came in second.


[edit] International goals

Scores and results list Maldives' goal tally first.


[edit] Individual Honours

  • Haveeru Maldivian Footballer of the year 2003
  • Golden Boot Winner 2003
  • Golden Boot Winner 2004
  • Golden Boot Winner 2005
  • Haveeru Maldivian Footballer of the year 2007
  • Most Valuable Player of SAFF Championship 2008
  • Shortlisted in the "Top Ten Asian Players Of 2008" in "www.goal.com"
  • Shortlisted in the AFC Player of the Year 2009 nominees' first list
  • Haveeru Maldivian Footballer of the year 2009
  • Golden Boot Winner 2009
  • Golden Boot Winner 2010
  • Haveeru Maldivian Footballer of the year 2011
  • Shortlisted in the "Ten to watch in 2012" in "www.espnstar.com"

[edit] Reviews

Ashfaq has always been the favourite South Asian soccerstar in the international media neglecting the big names of the SAFF community like, the Indian football legend Baichung Bhutia, Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua.

"The Man of Steel was once linked to a move to Europe and although it didn’t quite happen, he hasn’t looked back. Regarded by many in South Asia as the best player in the region, the striker is improving all the time. The 23 year-old shone during Maldives’ recent South Asian Cup triumph and was named as the tournament’s MVP. He wasn't ready for Benfica before -he may be now." -John Duerden- in www.goal.com's Asia's Top Ten Players of 2008 list.

"If Ashfaq was Indian, he would already have been offered trials and contracts all over Europe but while scouts and chief executives from Europe may holiday in the Maldives, they are much more interested in breaking into the huge and ever-growing market to the north. Bangladesh coach Nikolai Ilievski called the prolific marksman the best player at the South Asian Cup last month and he has been recognised as one of the best, if not the number one, striker in a region that accounts for almost a quarter of the world's population. A huge star at home, in a country better at football than you may think, 'The Man of Steel' deserves a bigger stage to show his unquenchable thirst for goals. Previous interest from Benfica didn't materialise into anything concrete, but 26-year-old Ashfaq is strong with either foot, boasts impressive balance and close control, remains keen, sharp and single-minded in the penalty area and averages a goal every other game for his country." -John Duerden- in www.espnstar.com's Ten to watch in 2012 list.


[edit] Personal life

Ali Ashfaq is married and has two sons. His brother Ahmed Ashfan is also a football player who plays as a defender in the Maldives National football team.


[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ali_Ashfaq&oldid=478412354"
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