Pakistan’s undefeated hockey captain Islahuddin Siddique turns 75

Former hockey Olympian and undefeated captain of Pakistan Islahuddin Siddique turned 75 Tuesday.

Born on 10 January 1948, in Meerut, India, Islahuddin is considered a hockey legend and the most successful captain of the Pakistan Hockey Team.

He played 13 years of professional hockey from 1967 until 1979, scoring more than 100 goals and assisted in scoring many more goals.

One of Islahuddin Siddique’s greatest achievements was being a captain and winning the grand slam in 1978 in which Pakistan won all three prestigious titles of the Asian Games, World Cup and Champions Trophy. He was a gold medalist in the 1970 Asian Games, won a gold medal during the first world cup in 1971, a silver medal in the 1972 Olympics and a bronze in the 1976 Olympics as part of a team.

Islahuddin captained Pakistan in 45 matches, won 43 while two ended in a draw.

His impressive medal tally consists of 10 gold medals, 3 silver medals and 1 bronze medal.

In 1982, Islahuddin was awarded by the Government of Pakistan the “Pride of Performance” award for his exceptional contributions in the field of hockey and Sitara-i-Imtiaz Award by the President of Pakistan in 2010.

Islahuddin was famous for his brilliant quick dashes during penalty corners which sidetracked the other team. He was valued as an admirable rival and was known for his humbleness.

After retirement, Islahuddin also remained associated with Pakistan hockey as coach, manager and chief selector.