Abdullah Shah (footballer)

Syed Abdullah Shah (born 6 February 2001) is a Pakistani professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Afghanistan Champions League club Abu Muslim and the Pakistan national team.[1]

Abdullah Shah
Personal information
Full name Syed Abdullah Shah
Date of birth (2001-02-06) 6 February 2001
Place of birth Islamabad, Pakistan
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Abu Muslim
Number 29
Youth career
2013–2017 Mehran
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2018 POPO FC
2018–2020 Mehran
2020–2021 Abdul FC
2021–2022 Sui Southern Gas
2022–2023 Dhivehi Sifainge
2024– Abu Muslim 3 (0)
International career‡
2023 Pakistan U23 2 (0)
2022– Pakistan 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:40, 23 June 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:00, 12 September 2023 (UTC)

Club career

Early career

Shah started his youth career with Mehran FC in 2013, and was selected by the Islamabad under-14 team for youth national championships after trials.[2][3] In May 2017, Shah was shortlisted in the Islamabad Football Association squad for their tour in Gothia Cup held in Shenyang, China while playing for Mehran.[4] In August 2017, he captained the Islamabad team in the Gothia Cup, where he scored a goal in a 12–0 win against Rising Sun Soccer Academy from India.[5] The team were crowned champions after defeating FC Zhaoqing Lixun from China by 7–6 in the penalties.[6] Shah was also named player of the tournament.[7]

POPO FC

Abdullah then moved to POPO FC,[3] playing often as a right-back, and becoming a regular call up for the senior squad at the age of 16.[8] He was subsequently called by Pakistan Premier League department Khan Research Laboratories in November 2017, but the move seemingly failed to materialise.[8][2]

Mehran

In 2018, Shah returned to his youth club Mehran FC.[1]

Sui Southern Gas

After a brief stint at Karachi club Abdul FC, he joined the departmental side Sui Southern Gas in 2021.[1] He made 4 appearances in the 2021–22 Pakistan Premier League until the league was cancelled shortly after starting.[9]

Dhivehi Sifainge

In July 2022, he joined Dhivehi Sifainge in the Maldivian Second Division, becoming the second youngest Pakistani footballer to feature in a Maldivian League at the age of 21, after Saadullah Khan who had previously joined Dhivehi Premier League club BG Sports in April 2015 at the age of 20.[10][11]

Abu Muslim

On 2 February 2024, Shah signed for Afghanistan Champions League club Abu Muslim, joining national team fellow Shayak Dost.[3]

International career

In 2015, Shah represented Pakistan at youth level in the AFC Under-14 Football Festival in Dushanbe.[12][7][2]

In August 2022, Shah was called up for a trials with the senior national team. In November the same year, he was included in Pakistan's squad for a friendly against Nepal, Pakistan's first fixture in nearly three-and-a-half years because of the Pakistan Football Federation's suspension by FIFA.[13] He went on to make his debut in the eventual 0–1 defeat.[1] In October 2023 he represented Pakistan U23 in AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers.[14]

Futsal career

Alongside his football career, Shah also played futsal at club level. In July 2017, Shah participated in the Neymar Jr’s 5 tournament with Chitral futsal club Highlanders FC in Brazil.[15] Shah started playing for Team Eighteen in Islamabad since the establishment of the club in 2018.[2] He also played for the futsal section of Abdul FC during his stay at the club from 2020 to 2021.[16][1]

Career statistics

International
As of 27 July 2023[1]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Pakistan 2022 1 0
2023 3 0
Total 4 0

References
  1. "Abdullah Shah (Player)". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  2. "SAFF CHAMPIONSHIP AND WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS WITH ABDULLAH SHAH". YouTube (in Urdu). 15 July 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  3. Alexander, Shayan Obaid (2 February 2024). "Pakistan's Star Defender Abdullah Shah Joins Afghan Champions League". ProPakistani.
  4. "PTCL Youth Club win Pak-China Friendship U-18 Soccer". Brecorder. 2017-05-28. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  5. "Sports Brief". The Nation. 2017-08-18. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  6. "Islamabad crowned champions of Gothia Cup". The Express Tribune. 2017-08-23. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  7. "IFA soccer team wins Gothia Cup in China". The Nation. 2017-08-20. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  8. Shakeel, Shahaan (2017-11-08). "7 Super Talented Young Football Players from Pakistan That Are Stealing Everyone's Hearts". Parhlo. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  9. "Abdullah Shah - Soccer player profile & career statistics - Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  10. Farrukh, Muneeb (2022-08-24). "Talented striker Waheed upbeat ahead of PFF Trials". Samaa. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  11. Farrukh, Muneeb (28 July 2023). "Abdullah Shah optimistic about Pakistan's chances in FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier against Cambodia". www.geosuper.tv. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  12. "Iran Wins AFC Under-14 Football Festival - Sports news". Tasnim News Agency. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  13. Ale Magar, Dil Kumar (16 November 2022). "Nepal eye win against Pakistan in football friendly". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  14. "PFF unveils squad for AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers in Bahrain". The Nation. 2023-09-04. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  15. Hunzai, Imran Ahmed (2017-04-25). "Highlanders FC wins Neymar Jr's 5, ready for Global Final in Brazil". GBee. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  16. "Abdul FC Reignite Hope For Pakistan Football With Biggest Futsal Event In History". web.archive.org. 2023-06-03. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
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