Masood Fakhri
Masood Fakhri (1932 – 6 September 2016) was a Pakistani professional footballer who played as a forward. A former Pakistani international, Fakhri was well known for his time with Indian Kolkata clubs East Bengal and Mohammedan. He also played in England with Bradford City before retiring. Club career. Life and early career. Fakhri was born in 1932 in Toba Tek Singh, Pakistan, long before Saadat Hasan Manto’s highly-acclaimed short story immortalised the town. He began his career in his home country with Pakistan Raiders Club. East Bengal. In 1952, when he moved to India, was a 20 -year-old youngster and signed with Calcutta Football League side East Bengal. During his first season with the club Fakhri helped his side win the Calcutta Football League alongside the prestigious Durand Cup. Fakhri usually played as a left-winger and had scored 14 goals in the Calcutta Football League alongside scoring the winning goals in his first two matches against East Bengal's biggest rivals, Mohun Bagan, and thus became a fan favorite among East Bengal supporters. Fakhri helped the team winning the DCM Trophy and was also part of the East Bengal side to play tournament and friendly  matches in Europe. Fakhri went on to play for two more seasons at the club. In 1953, he was part of the senior team’s tour to the Romanian Youth Festival in Bucharest, where they faced teams like FC Torpedo Moscow. Mohammedan Sporting. In 1955, Fakhri signed with another Kolkata club, Mohammedan. In 1956, he helped Mohammedan winning the prestigious Rovers Cup title. Bradford City. Bert Flatley, a coach with the Football Association (FA) in England, communicated to Fakhri the possibility of a move to Bradford City. The club then competed in the third tier of English football league system . After negotiations with the then manager Peter Jackson, Fakhri finally signed for the club on 8 August 1956 In 1956. After playing one season with the club, he prematurely quit football due to personal reasons in 1957. International. Fakhri had represented Pakistan at international level in the preceding years. Fakhri had most notably scored a hat-trick and became the first player from South Asia to do so as Pakistan thumped Singapore 6-2 in a group match at the 1954 Asian Games in Manila, Philippines. He had also scored goals against India and Myanmar during the period. Personal life . Fakhri married Rhoda Eileen and lived in Llanrwst, North Wales. His brother's family settled in Great Britain as well. Post-retirement. After retiring from football, Fakhri lived out the rest of his life living in Bangor Teifi, Wales. He died in September 2016 in Wales.