Syed Abdul Rahim

Rahim was born on 17 August 1909 in Hyderabad, Hyderabad State, British India. In his early years, he worked as a school teacher. He also played for a team named "Eleven Hunters", consisting of then enrolled and former students of the college. Rahim also played for the Dutch Amateur League club HSV Hoek in the Netherlands, before going on to become a manager. ==Football administration==

When playing domestic football, Rahim along with Indian sports pioneer Syed Mohammad Hadi, became associated with activities related to football organization in Hyderabad State. In 1943, Rahim was elected secretary of HFA, while Ghulam Muhammad was elected as the first President in 1942. During the tenure of then AIFF vice-president Shiv Kumar Lal, both Andhra (incepted later) and Hyderabad Football Associations were merged to form Andhra Pradesh Football Association (APFA). ==Managerial career==

Hyderabad City Police In 1950, Rahim joined Hyderabad City Police Club as coach. He succeeded Norbert Andrew Fruvall for the post. He managed the team from 1950 until his death in 1963. The Hyderabadi club won five consecutive Rovers Cups during his tenure from 1950 to 1955. He also took his team to five Durand Cup finals, winning three of them. At the 1958–59 edition, Hyderabad were on the verge of a hat-trick of Santosh Trophy titles in Madras, but went down 5–2 to Services in semi-finals. Rahim's first assignment as the coach of India was to train the team that toured Ceylon in 1949. became one of the best teams in Asia. In March 1951, at the inaugural 1951 Asian Games in New Delhi, Rahim helped India in winning the gold medal. They defeated Iran 1–0 in the gold medal match to gain their first trophy, as Sheoo Mewalal finished the tournament as top scorer. In 1954, noted British manager Bert Flatley became Rahim's assistant at the 1954 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament. During Rahim's tenure, the Indian football team enjoyed a great deal of success. India also reached the semi-finals of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics which is still considered India's greatest ever achievement in football. Under his coaching at that tournament, players like Neville D'Souza, Samar Banerjee, P. K. Banerjee, J. Krishnaswamy achieved fame worldwide. At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, India lost to Hungary 2–1 in their first game, with Balaram scoring the consolation goal in the 79th minute. India almost upset 1958 FIFA World Cup semi-finalists France few days later, in which Balaram's goal gave the lead to India but a mistake from Ram Bahadur Thapa denied India a famous victory. He is also credited for bringing up and nurturing Indian talents during his tenure, including Peter Thangaraj, Nikhil Nandy, Kesto Pal, Chuni Goswami, Jarnail Singh, Tulsidas Balaram, Sheikh Abdul Latif, Mariappa Kempaiah, Dharmalingam Kannan, Hussain Ahmed, Mohammed Rahmatullah, Yousuf Khan, Arun Ghosh, Nikhil Nandy, and Amal Dutta. Rahim was succeeded by English coach Harry Wright in 1964, who led the side to the runners-up spot in the 1964 Asian Cup. ==Tactics and style==

Rahim is considered to be the greatest football coach India has ever produced. His tenure is considered as a "Golden age" of Indian football. Rahim was a teacher in his early career and coached Hyderabad City Police FC, which made him a strict disciplinarian and a good tactician. Utilizing the available resources, he made the best out of them by conducting non-dribbling and weaker leg (the players supposedly play with their weaker foot) tournaments to improve one-touch play. Rahim introduced the classic 4–2–4 formation in Indian football team much before Brazil popularised it in the 1958 World Cup. The 1962 Asian Games was Rahim's final major tournament, winning a 2–1 victory over South Korea. Former Indian international Mohammed Zulfiqaruddin said about Rahim, as: He was a master at work. He made the Indian football team a formidable unit. He had the uncanny ability of spotting talent and turning them into solid players. But he was a strict disciplinarian. == Personal life ==

Rahim was popularly known as 'Maulvi Sahib' due to his gentleman gesture and tireless works and dedications in developing football at that time. who represented India at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Hakim also worked as a FIFA official, a squadron leader in the Indian Air Force, and a referee. He later managed the national team like his father, and was a recipient of the Dhyan Chand Award. ==Death==

Rahim died of lung cancer on 12 June 1963 after being bed-ridden for six months. ==Legacy==

A former Indian football player Fortunato Franco said about "Rahim Saab"; With him he took Indian Football to the grave. In memory of Rahim, the I-League "Best Coach Award" is renamed as "Syed Abdul Rahim Award", given to the best coach in each season by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). ==In popular culture==

A biopic on Rahim named Maidaan, directed by Amit Sharma, with Ajay Devgn as Rahim in lead role, was released theatrically on Eid al-Fitr 2024. ==Honours==

Managerial Hyderabad City Police • Durand Cup: 1950–51, 1954, 1957–58, 1961; runner-up: 1952, 1956–57 • Rovers Cup: 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1960, 1962 • DCM Trophy: 1959 India • Asian Games Gold Medal: 1951, 1962 • Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament: 1952, 1954 • Merdeka Cup runners-up: 1959 Hyderabad State • Santosh Trophy: 1956–57, 1957–58 ==See also==