# Shaharuddin Abdullah

Shaharuddin Abdullah (28 August 1948 – 28 December 2023) was a Malaysian footballer. He was once one of the most feared strikers in the country, known as "Harimau Malaysia" because of his ability to score goals. He once scored 15 goals for Malaysia in the Merdeka Cup which stood as a record for a very long time. His father, Abdullah Mohammad, was a goalkeeper for Penang in the 1950s. He was a part of the Malaysian squad at the 1972 Summer Olympics.

## Career

Abdullah started to play football when he was nine years old. He used the Marin Sg. Gelugor field near his house to learn football skills. He helped his school, Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Gelugor, to win the district and inter-school championships.
In 1964 when he was 16 years old, he was selected to play for the Penang Burnley Cup team along with his brother, Namat Abdullah, Ali Bakar, Mohammed Bakar, Khalil Hashim, Cha Peng Chiang, Yap Kim Kok and N Baskaran.
Abdullah played for Malaysia in the 1972 Munich Olympics. Shaharuddin played in all three group games and scored in the 3–0 win against the United States. Overall he made 70 appearances and scored 39 international goals for Malaysia.
In 2004, he was inducted in Olympic Council of Malaysia's Hall of Fame for 1972 Summer Olympics football team.

## Personal life

Namat Abdullah, his brother also played for Penang and together with his uncle, Aziz Ahmad. Shaharuddin's son, Shafiq Shaharudin, is also a professional footballer.
Shaharuddin Abdullah died on 28 December 2023, at the age of 75.

## Career Statistics
### International

    Scores and results list Malaysia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Abdullah goal.
List of international goals scored by Shaharuddin Abdullah :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 14 August 1968 | Perak Stadium, Ipoh, Malaysia | South Vietnam | — | 4-0 | 1968 Merdeka Tournament |
| 2 | 25 August 1968 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Burma | — | 3-0 | 1968 Merdeka Tournament |
| 3 | 30 October 1969 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Thailand | 1-0 | 1-0 | 1969 Merdeka Tournament |
| 4 | 3 November 1969 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Indonesia | — | 1-3 | 1969 Merdeka Tournament |
| 5 | 7 November 1969 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Burma | — | 3-1 | 1969 Merdeka Tournament |
| 6 | 7 November 1969 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Burma | — | 3-1 | 1969 Merdeka Tournament |
| 7 | 9 November 1969 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Indonesia | — | 2-3 | 1969 Merdeka Tournament |
| 8 | 19 November 1969 | Bangkok, Thailand | Thailand | — | 2-2 | 1969 King's Cup |
| 9 | 7 December 1969 | Bogyoke Aung San Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar | Laos | — | 2-1 | 1969 SEAP Games |
| 10 | 8 December 1969 | Bogyoke Aung San Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar | South Vietnam | — | 2-1 | 1969 SEAP Games |
| 11 | 4 August 1970 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Taiwan | — | 3-1 | 1970 Merdeka Tournament |
| 12 | 4 August 1970 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Taiwan | — | 3-1 | 1970 Merdeka Tournament |
| 13 | 9 November 1970 | Bangkok, Thailand | Khmer Republic | 1-0 | 1-1 | 1970 King's Cup |
| 14 | 20 November 1970 | Bangkok, Thailand | Indonesia | 1-0 | 3-1 | 1970 King's Cup |
| 15 | 20 November 1970 | Bangkok, Thailand | Indonesia | 2-0 | 3-1 | 1970 King's Cup |
| 16 | 20 November 1970 | Bangkok, Thailand | Indonesia | — | 3-1 | 1970 King's Cup |
| 17 | 22 May 1971 | Bangkok, Thailand | Brunei | 3-0 | 8-0 | 1972 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
| 18 | 22 May 1971 | Bangkok, Thailand | Brunei | 5-0 | 8-0 | 1972 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
| 19 | 22 May 1971 | Bangkok, Thailand | Brunei | 8-0 | 8-0 | 1972 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
| 20 | 28 May 1971 | Bangkok, Thailand | Hong Kong | — | 2-1 | 1972 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
| 21 | 28 May 1971 | Bangkok, Thailand | Hong Kong | — | 2-1 | 1972 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
| 22 | 8 November 1971 | Bangkok, Thailand | South Korea | — | 2-2 | 1971 King's Cup |
| 23 | 12 December 1971 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Laos | — | 5-0 | 1971 SEAP Games |
| 24 | 14 December 1971 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Thailand | — | 4-2 | 1971 SEAP Games |
| 25 | 14 December 1971 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Thailand | — | 4-2 | 1971 SEAP Games |
| 26 | 17 December 1971 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | South Vietnam | 1-2 | 3-2 | 1971 SEAP Games |
| 27 | 17 December 1971 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | South Vietnam | 2-2 | 3-2 | 1971 SEAP Games |
| 28 | 17 December 1971 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | South Vietnam | 3-2 | 3-2 | 1971 SEAP Games |
| 29 | 18 December 1971 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Burma | 1-1 | 1-2 | 1971 SEAP Games |
| 30 | 12 July 1972 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Sri Lanka | 2-0 | 4-1 | 1972 Merdeka Tournament |
| 31 | 12 July 1972 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Sri Lanka | 3-0 | 4-1 | 1972 Merdeka Tournament |
| 32 | 12 July 1972 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Sri Lanka | 4-0 | 4-1 | 1972 Merdeka Tournament |
| 33 | 19 July 1972 | Perak Stadium, Ipoh, Malaysia | Khmer Republic | — | 6-1 | 1972 Merdeka Tournament |
| 34 | 19 July 1972 | Perak Stadium, Ipoh, Malaysia | Khmer Republic | — | 6-1 | 1972 Merdeka Tournament |
| 35 | 22 July 1972 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Japan | 2-1 | 3-1 | 1972 Merdeka Tournament |
| 36 | 22 July 1972 | Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Japan | 3-1 | 3-1 | 1972 Merdeka Tournament |
| 37 | 29 August 1972 | ESV-Stadion, Ingolstadt, Germany | United States | — | 3-0 | 1972 Summer Olympics |
| 38 | 28 September 1972 | Dongdaemun Stadium, Seoul, South Korea | Indonesia | 1-0 | 1-3 | 1972 President's Cup |
| 39 | 23 May 1973 | Dongdaemun Stadium, Seoul, South Korea | Thailand | 1-0 | 2-0 | 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification |

## Honours

Penang
* Burnley Cup: 1964–65, 1966
* Malaysia Kings Gold Cup: 1966, 1968, 1969
* Malaysia Cup: 1974
Penjara
* Malaysia FAM Cup: 1970, 1971, 1973
Malaysia
* Bronze medal Asian Games: 1974
* Kings Cup: 1972
* Merdeka Tournament: 1968, 1973, 1974