Who was Syed Abdul Rahim? School teacher-turned-coach played by Ajay Devgn in Maidaan, made Indian team 'Brazil of Asia'

The Indian football team has not been competitive at the global level for decades now. Despite the heroics of Sunil Chhetri – the best Indian footballer in years – the Blue Tigers continue to languish outside the top 100 of the FIFA rankings. So it is hard to imagine a time when Team India didn’t just compete against global giants but even beat them. That was the Golden Era of Indian football, and its architect was one man – coach Syed Abdul Rahim, whose story has been brought to the silver screen by Ajay Devgn in Maidaan.

Who was coach Syed Abdul Rahim?

Born in 1909 in the erstwhile Hyderabad State, Syed Abdul Rahim initially worked as a school teacher before taking football seriously. He played some football in his 30s for Qamar Club and the European club HSV Hoek. In 1950, he became the coach and manager of two teams – Hyderabad City Police Club, and the Indian national team. Over the next decade, he took both teams to new highs, helping Hyderabad City Police win three Durand Cups and five Rovers Cups. But it was his exploits with the national side that made him a legend.

Under coach Rahim, India became one of the strongest teams in Asia, and the period between 1950-62 is often called the Golden Era of Indian Football. The Indian team won gold at the 1951 Asian Games, beating Iran in the final, starting this golden run. In the 1956 Olympics, the team reached the semi-finals, the best place for the national side till date. The team also competed in the 1960 Olympics, and Rahim’s tenure eventually ended with a final glory – gold at the 1962 Asian Games. The team he created – with names like PK Banerjee, Chuni Goswami, Peter Thangaraj, and others – transformed Indian football, winning silver at the 1964 AFC Asian Cup. During this phase, many European commentators called India the ‘Brazil of Asia’ for the team’s fluid style of play and achievements. Rahim retired from coaching in 1963 after being diagnosed with cancer. He died in June 1963 at the age of 53 after being bed-ridden for months.

All about Ajay Devgn’s Maidaan

Maidaan, directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma, is a semi-fictionalised account of coach Rahim’s tenure with the Indian national football team. The film stars Ajay Devgn as the coach, along with an ensemble cast of Priyamani, Gajraj Rao, Rudranil Ghosh, Baharul Islam, Madhur Mittal, Chaitanya Sharma, and Abhilash Thapliyal. The film released in theatres on April 11 to unanimously positive reviews. However it opened to low numbers at the box office.

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