Mohammed Rafi (footballer)
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Madambillath Mohammed Rafi | ||
| Date of birth | 24 May 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Trikaripur, Kasaragod, Kerala, India | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Kerala Blasters | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2005 | SBT | 28 | (18) |
| 2006–2010 | Mahindra United | 140 | (43) |
| 2010–2012 | Churchill Brothers | 60 | (41) |
| 2013 | Mumbai Tigers | 34 | (14) |
| 2013–2015 | Mumbai | 53 | (22) |
| 2014 | → Atletico de Kolkata (loan) | 10 | (1) |
| 2015– | Kerala Blasters | 21 | (6) |
| 2016 | → DSK Shivajians (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2009– | India | 17 | (8) |
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* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:27, 14 February 2016 (UTC). | |||
Mohammed Rafi (born 24 May 1982) is an Indian professional footballer from Trikaripur, Kasaragod Kerala, who currently plays for DSK Shivajians as a striker in the I-League.
Club
Mohammed Rafi came through the ranks of SBT which had distinction of fielding not only all-Indian but also all-Malayali squad. SBT was promoted to first division of National Football League in 2004 and in that season he scored 4 goals and came into limelight. Unfortunately, SBT got relegated but he was roped in by Mahindra United for the next season.
In 09-10 I-league, he finished the season with record 14 goals, which is best ever for an Indian striker, he was also adjudged Mahindra United's player of the year.[1]
Rafi’s example was followed by his younger brothers Mohammad Shafi, who played for Viva Kerala FC and Mohammad Razi, with KSEB.[2]
Mumbai
On 24 November 2013 it was announced that Rafi has signed for Mumbai on loan from IMG Reliance with three other players Khelemba Singh, N.P. Pradeep and Peter Costa.[3] He made his debut on 2 December 2013 against East Bengal F.C. at the Balewadi Sports Complex in which he played the whole match as Mumbai won the match 3-2.[4]
DSK Shivajians
After having a good season with Kerala Blasters in the 2015 Indian Super League season, Rafi joined DSK Shivajians, which gained a place in the league through bidding a direct entry slot, for the 2015-16 I-League season.
Indian Super League
Rafi played for Atletico de Kolkata in the inaugural season. The team owned by Sourav Ganguly and Atletico de Madrid in Indian Super League (ISL).[5]
Rafi was signed by Kerala Blasters FC for the second season of Indian Super League. He scored on his debut, the second goal of the match against North East United and also set up Sanchez Watt's goal.[6]
He won ISL Emerging Player of the Match award against NorthEast United FC in 2015 Indian Super League.
He was again signed by Kerala Blasters FC for the Third Season of Indian Super League (ISL), which is expected to kick start on 1 October 2016.
International
Rafi also represented India number of times and scored a goal against Kuwait but India lost that match 1-9.[7]
International goals
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 November 2010 | Al-Wahda Stadium, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E |  Kuwait | 1–7 | 1-9 | Friendly |
Honors
- Atlético de Kolkata
Individual
- 2009–10 I-League Player of The Year.[8]
References
- ↑ "I League: Rafi is Mahindra United’s Player Of The Season | Kerala football news". web.archive.org. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ↑ http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloid/others/rafi-makes-soccer-pay-262
- ↑ "Mumbai FC sign four IMG-Reliance contracted players on loan". Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- ↑ "Mumbai vs. East Bengal 3-2". Soccerway. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
- ↑ "ISL - Indian Super League | Atlético de Kolkata". web.archive.org. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ↑ "ISL - Indian Super League | Kerala Blasters FC". web.archive.org. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ↑ "Indian football team suffer humiliating 1-9 defeat to Kuwait | Zee News". zeenews.india.com. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ↑ http://the-aiff.com/pages/news/index.php?N_Id=1963
External links
- Mohammed Rafi at Goal.com
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