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Ali Ashfaq (; born 6 September 1985) is a Maldivian professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a forward and captains the
Maldives national team The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives,, ) and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is a country and archipelagic state in South Asia in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about from the A ...
. Nicknamed "Man of Steel" (), he is regarded as one of the best players in the South Asian region. A prolific and individualistic goalscorer, he is a free-kick specialist and a clinical finisher. His trademark style of scoring is beating the defenders and rounding off the keeper to score. He is considered as the best Maldivian footballer ever, most notably when he was named as the "World's 2nd best top goal scorer" in 2013 by
IFFHS The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for s ...
. He was also named as South Asia's Best Player in 2014 by eultimategoal.com. In March 2016, Ashfaq scored his 50th goal for Maldives. He is the first Maldivian footballer to play abroad, and the only player to win a title with a foreign club. In November 2003, Ashfaq was honored with the most prestigious awards a Maldivian footballer would get, in the age of 18 – Maldivian Footballer of the Year and Golden Boot Award in 2003 season. With
Club Valencia Club Valencia is a Republic of the Maldives, Maldivian football (soccer), football club based in Malé, Maldives. Nicknamed ''The Sunrisers'', the club competes in the Dhivehi Premier League, the top tier of Football in Maldives, Maldivian footb ...
, New Radiant, VB Sports Club and PDRM FA, he has won the Dhivehi League ten times, six
Maldives FA Cup The Maldives FA Cup is Maldives's premier knockout tournament in men's football (soccer). Champion team will advance to qualify for the next year of AFC Cup. Previous winners Previous winners are: *1988 : Club Valencia bt New R ...
s, four President's Cups, two Maldives Cup Winners' Cups, three Maldivian Charity Shields, two POMIS Cups and one
Malaysia Premier League The Malaysia Premier League ( ms, Liga Premier) was the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia. The league replaced the former second-tier league, Liga Perdana 2 in the Malaysian football league system. The Malaysia Premier Leagu ...
. Ashfaq began his career with Club Valencia, where he played for five years. In 2001, he won his first trophy, Dhivehi League. He was crowned as the top scorer of Maldivian football season bwtween 2003 and 2005 consecutively. In 2006, he signed for New Radiant and won several trophies, and he was named as Haveeru Best Footballer of the year in 2007. Ashfaq moved to Brunei's DPMM FC in October 2007, and he joined VB Sports Club after two months and stayed with them until 2011. He re-joined New Radiant in 2012, where he won all the domestic cups with in 2013 before moving to PDRM FA in 2014. In November 2014, Ashfaq won the Best Import Player Award in the Malaysia National Football Awards, for his outstanding performances during the
season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
. Ashfaq made his international debut for Maldives in December 2003 at the age of 18. He has since been capped 90 times, and is Maldives' all-time top scorer with 57 goals. He scored his first international goal in the
2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers The 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification competition was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation – the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America) ...
. In 2008, he won the Most Valuable Player award in
2008 SAFF Championship The 2008 SAFF Championship was held in Malé, Maldives and Colombo, Sri Lanka between 3 and 14 June 2008. Initially, the tournament was due to be held in 2007 but was postponed to 2008. Venues Squads Group stage Group A ---- ---- --- ...
. He was among the Top 10 Players of Asia in 2008 and 2009. He also was shortlisted among the Top 10 Players to watch by
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
in 2012. He became captain in 2009, and he led Maldives to the semi-finals at the 2009 SAFF Championship. In September 2013, he became the all-time top scorer of the SAFF Championship after scoring 10 goals in
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...
, with 18 goals altogether. In May 2014, Ashfaq won his first medal as the captain of Maldives as they finished third in the
2014 AFC Challenge Cup The 2014 AFC Challenge Cup was the fifth and the final edition of the AFC Challenge Cup, an international football competition for Asian Football Confederation (AFC) member nations that are mainly categorized as "emerging countries" in the now ...
. On 31 December 2015, Ashfaq concluded his last SAFF tournament from the semi finals, remaining as the all-time top scorer of the SAFF Suzuki Cup with 20 goals.


Early life

Ashfaq was born in
Malé Malé (, ; dv, މާލެ) is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 252,768 and an area of , it is also one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city is geographically located at the southern ...
, the capital of Maldives, where he grew up with his mother and brother Ahmed Ashfaq. He reputedly showed a keen interest in football since a very young age, and preferred playing football to attending school. He was the captain Majeediyya School football team when they played in the Inter school Football Tournament those years. The local football team,
Club Valencia Club Valencia is a Republic of the Maldives, Maldivian football (soccer), football club based in Malé, Maldives. Nicknamed ''The Sunrisers'', the club competes in the Dhivehi Premier League, the top tier of Football in Maldives, Maldivian footb ...
, took an interest in him, and in 2001 joined Valencia and thus started his professional football career.


Club career


Club Valencia


2001–02: Beginning of club career

On 26 October 2001, Ashfaq played his very first match in
2001 POMIS Cup The 2001 POMIS Cup was the 15th POMIS cup, an international soccer club tournament held in Maldives. The group stage started on 26 October 2001, and the final was played on 6 November 2001 at the Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives. Teams Belo ...
tournament against Thailand's BEC Tero Sasana FC, wearing the
Club Valencia Club Valencia is a Republic of the Maldives, Maldivian football (soccer), football club based in Malé, Maldives. Nicknamed ''The Sunrisers'', the club competes in the Dhivehi Premier League, the top tier of Football in Maldives, Maldivian footb ...
jersey for the very first time. Ashfaq got the opportunity in POMIS Cup, due to the three match suspension faced by Ali Umar. In that match, he created a wonderful chance to score a goal as he edged past two defenders and goalkeeper, but he left for Ali Shiham to score. Ashfaq scored his first goal for the club after beating the veteran sweeper Kappi and his powerless shot went into the left corner of the net in the second match of POMIS Cup as Valencia beat
Victory Sports Club Victory Sports Club is a Maldivian sports club based in Malé and founded 3 July 1971, that includes a football team amongst other sports. Victory is one of the most successful football clubs in Maldives, winning a record 21 National Champion ...
1–0 on 30 October. In the semi final, Ashfaq assisted Ali Shiham to score Valencia's first goal against FC Kochin of India. Valencia won the match by 2–0. On 8 June 2002, Ashfaq netted his first goal of the season on their 5–0 win against
Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large Bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Ou ...
. Ashfaq played his first international club tournament against
Mohun Bagan Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, its football section is one of the oldest in India and Asia. The club is most notable for its victory over East Yorkshire Regiment ...
of India in
2002–03 AFC Champions League qualification Following is a result of results from the 2002–03 AFC Champions League qualification rounds. The league was the 22nd edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament and the 1st edition under the current AFC Champions League title. Qual ...
on 9 October 2002. In the first leg in Kolkata, Ashfaq leveled the game when Valenica was 2–1 down. On 21 August 2002, the youngster claimed his first hat-trick against Veymandoo Zuvaanunge Gulhun. Ashfaq managed to score 12 goals in his first full season for Valencia.


2003–05: Best player award and top scorer for three years in a row

In the 2003 season at Club Valencia with 36 goals by his side he ended the season with the Best Player of the Season Award. On 6 April 2004, Ashfaq played his very first match in an AFC Cup tournament against Hong Kong's Happy Valley AA, scored both goals in a 2–1 win. However, Happy Valley won the second leg 3–1 on 21 April, Ashfaq scoring Valencia's goal. He was the top scorer for three years in a row, scoring 37 goals in 2004 and 34 in 2005. By the age of 20, he had scored 110 goals for Valencia.


New Radiant Sports Club

For the 2006 season, Ashfaq joined New Radiant, who finished third place in the 2005 AFC Cup the previous year. In a team that included other notable players like Ibrahim Fazeel, Ali Umar,
Sobah Mohamed Sabah Mohamed Ibrahim (born 18 April 1980) is a Maldivian footballer who plays for New Radiant as a defender. He represented Maldives at international from 2001 to 2011. Career Sabah has played club football for Club Eagles, Club Valencia and ...
and Ahmed Thoriq, Ashfaq could not maintain his high goal-scoring rate, and lost the Golden Boot to his teammate Fazeel. But he managed to score more than 40 goals during his time with the New Radiant. He played remarkably well and helped the Blues win many titles.


Brunei DPMM FC

In October 2007, Ashfaq moved to Brunei DPMM FC on a two-month contract, which competed in the
Malaysia Super League The Malaysia Super League ( ms, Liga Super Malaysia) is the men's top professional football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP), now known as the Malay ...
. On 18 November, Ashfaq made his debut against Perak FA in the leagues. Ashfaq scored his first goal in their win over Negeri Sembilan by 5–1 win on 21 November. In January 2008, after 7 appearances in DPMM, he was transferred to the Maldivian VB Sports Club for a transfer fee of €13000. The Brunei side tried their best to hold the Maldivian striker but he chose to return to his homeland.


VB Sports Club

He joined VB Sports Club, and became the captain. In his first season, he couldn't manage to show his best potential. But in the second season with VB, he returned to the stage, scoring 33 goals for the club, and played a major role in winning VB their first ever league title. In 2009, he was named Best Player of the Maldives for the third time, as well as top scorer. In 2010 season, due to numerous suspensions and injuries, he missed a big part of the season, but still managed to score 30 goals. It was the first year VB won the President's Cup. In the final, Ashfaq scored four goals in the 5–3 win over the local rivals Victory SC. Ashfaq kicked off 2011 season with two goals in the Milo Charity Shield game against Victory on 13 February. Their first victory of the season came on 30 March, in Dhivehi League against New Radiant by 3–1, which Ashfaq managed to score once in the match. On 7 April, he scored a hat-trick against Club Eagles on their 9–0 win in the league. VB were the champions of 2011 Dhivehi League with 47 points while he scored 14 goals in the league. On 11 May, Ashfaq scored his only goal of
2011 AFC Cup The 2011 AFC Cup was the eighth edition of the AFC Cup, a football competition organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for clubs from "developing countries" in Asia. Allocation of entries per association *2 teams to qualify from each ...
against
Sông Lam Nghệ An Song Lam Nghe An Football Club (), simply known as Song Lam Nghe An or SLNA, is a professional V.League 1 football club playing at the Vinh Stadium in the city of Vinh, Nghe An province, Vietnam. The club was named based on the Lam river. ...
in Vietnam. VB didn't advance to the knock-out stage of the tournament that year. In FA Cup final, Ashfaq netted four times to help VB win the championship after beating Maziya by 6–4 on 31 October. In 2011 season, he scored 22 goals. For his impressive performance throughout the season, Haveeru named Ashfaq as Maldivian footballer of the year, while he also received 2nd best player of the season award from the
Football Association of Maldives The Football Association of Maldives (FAM), founded in 1982, is the governing body of football in the Maldives. The association under the guidance of the Ministry of Youth & Sports is responsible for all regulatory aspects of the sport in the M ...
. Controversies From mid-2010 there were rumors that Ashfaq was having problems with VB Sports Club, and had started to miss practice sessions. The rumors were not believed until 25 February 2011, when VB announced that Ashfaq had been stripped of the captaincy only a few days after the club had won the Milo Charity Shield. Ashfaq said, "After yesterday’s practice I was informed that I am no longer the captain. Don’t know the reason now. But after the last season, I suggested the club to give the armband to someone else. I told them I have been wearing it for the last three seasons and believed it’s time for someone else to take the responsibility. But the club refused at that time and told that I should keep the band". Ashfaq then went missing shortly before the team went to Indonesia for the
2011 AFC Cup The 2011 AFC Cup was the eighth edition of the AFC Cup, a football competition organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for clubs from "developing countries" in Asia. Allocation of entries per association *2 teams to qualify from each ...
opener against
Sriwijaya F.C. Sriwijaya Football Club, commonly known as Sriwijaya riwiˈdʒajaor SFC, is an Indonesian professional football club based in Palembang, South Sumatra, that competes in the Liga 2, the second tier of Indonesian football. The club was founded o ...
, and the club failed to locate him before their departure. According to Haveeru news, Ashfaq said later that his reason for not going was that he considered the club to have restricted his rights.


Return to New Radiant


2012 season

Ashfaq rejoined New Radiant on 19 December 2011, after being released by VB Sports Club. In season 2012, New Radiant faced VB in the first game of the league and Ashfaq managed to score a hat-trick against his former club. Ashfaq helped New Radiant win the league and qualify for the 2013 AFC Cup. New Radiant also won the President's Cup title after beating Victory Sports Club on penalty shoot-out. Ashfaq netted just one goal in President's Cup, and he totally scored 22 goals for New Radiant in 2012.


2013: New Radiant's Invincibles

Ashfaq had a challenging, impressive but also one of the successful season with New Radiant in 2013. Ashfaq's first goal of the many came on his first game of the season. He scored the opener from the spot in the FA Charity Shield victory over
Maziya Maziya Sports and Recreation Club is a Maldivian professional football club based in Malé. They compete in the Dhivehi Premier League, the country's top division. The club was formed in 1996 and was promoted to the first division for the firs ...
by 3–1. On 5 March, New Radiant played
Sun Hei SC Sun Hei Sports Club () is a Hong Kong football club which currently competes in the Hong Kong Third Division. The club has a long history in playing in the top flight, but decided to self-relegate in the 2013–14 season after declining to par ...
of Hong Kong in the
2013 AFC Cup The 2013 AFC Cup was the tenth edition of the AFC Cup, a football competition organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for clubs from "developing countries" in Asia. In an all-Kuwait final, defending champions Al-Kuwait defeated Al-Q ...
.
Mohamed Umair Mohamed Umair (born 3 July 1988) is a Maldivian professional footballer. In his career Umair has played as a defender, midfielder, and forward. International career Umair made his debut for Maldives on 8 October 2007, in a 2010 FIFA World Cu ...
scored the only goal for New Radiant from a good ball delivered by Ashfaq. New Radiant packed three points in home and departed to Indonesia on 12 March, for their second match in AFC Cup against
Persibo Bojonegoro Persatuan Sepakbola Indonesia Bojonegoro commonly known as Persibo, is an Indonesian football club in Bojonegoro, East Java. They currently compete in the Liga 3. In 2010, Persibo played in the Indonesia Super League (the top tier Indonesian fo ...
. Ashfaq scored five times against the Indonesian side. On 1 May, Ashfaq scored a hat-trick against Persibo at home. He also scored his 300th career goal in the 80th minute from the spot in the same match. Ashfaq has managed to score in every AFC Cup that he participated, since 2004, becoming the top scorer of Maldives in the competition, also becoming the first Maldivian player to score five goals in two consecutive AFC Cup tournament. New Radiant beat Malaysia's
Selangor Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...
by 2–0 in the extra time and qualified to the Round of 16. New Radiant was knocked out of the tournament after losing to the champions of 2012 AFC Cup,
Kuwait SC Kuwait Sporting Club ( ar, نادي الكويت الرياضي) is a Kuwaiti professional football club based in Kuwait City. The football team has won Kuwaiti Premier League 17 times. Kuwait SC also has over 50 trophies in Kuwaiti Club foot ...
from both legs in an aggregate of 12–2. Ashfaq scored 1 out of 2 goals against Kuwait SC after penetrating the defense line in the first leg in home. New Radiant announced just before the President's Cup final that the club has decided not to renew the contract with Ashfaq as he wanted to play for a foreign club in 2014. For the last game of Ashfaq before departing to Malaysia's PDRM FA, many supporters were present at the National Stadium to bid farewell for the national captain. Ashfaq scored one last goal for New Radiant in the final minutes of the game. Maziya was defeated by a score of 4–2. Throughout the season, Ashfaq scored remarkable 44 goals for the blues and won the best player and top scorer award in that year. New Radiant finished the season with a 100% winning record.


PDRM FA


2014: MPL Champions and Best Foreign Player in Malaysia

On 10 December 2013, Ashfaq scored his first unofficial goal for PDRM FA in a friendly match against Penjara, where the match ended with 2–0 for PDRM. He made his official debut on 21 January in
Malaysia FA Cup The Malaysia FA Cup ( ms, Piala FA) is an annual national knock-out football (soccer), football tournament in Malaysia. The cup was first held in 1990. The competition was previously managed by Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), before bein ...
against KL Spa, scored his first goal for PDRM. On 27 January, Ashfaq scored his first goal in Malaysia Premier League against
Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Ma ...
while PDRM beat them by 7–1. On 14 February, he scored his first hat-trick in the league against
Perlis Perlis, ( Northern Malay: ''Peghelih''), also known by its honorific title Perlis Indera Kayangan, is the smallest state in Malaysia by area and population. Located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, it borders the Thai provinces ...
. His second hat-trick in the league came on 28 March against
Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman and historically as Queda, is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km2, and it consists of the mainla ...
. PDRM released Ashfaq on 19 April to participate in AFC Challenge Cup with Maldives national football team. He returned to Malaysia to join the club on 31 May. He missed two league matches. On 20 June 2014, Ashfaq won the
2014 Malaysia Premier League The 2014 Liga Premier ( en, 2014 Premier League), also known as the Astro Liga Premier for sponsorship reasons, is the ninth season of the Liga Premier, the second-tier professional association football, football league in Malaysia.http://www.rsss ...
with PDRM and became the first ever Maldivian player to win a title abroad. He scored 17 goals for PDRM in 20 matches in the league. In the
Malaysia Cup The Malaysia Cup ( ms, Piala Malaysia), formerly known as ''Malaya Cup'', is an annual football tournament in Malaysia, held at the end of the calendar year. The cup was first held in 1921. Despite its prestige and popularity as the nation's ol ...
as he scored twice against the Super League side, Sime Darby in their first match in the tournament. On 20 August, PDRM surprisingly won the second game of the group stage against Malaysian football giants, Selangor in a score-line of 2–0 while Ashfaq scored broke the deadlock from the spot for a foul on him. Ashfaq netted thrice in the last two games against T-Team in the group stage of Malaysia Cup and helped PDRM to finish the group at the top. PDRM were knocked out of the tournament after losing to
Pahang Pahang (; Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a sultanate and ...
on aggregate score of 3–2 in Malaysia Cup quarter-finals. On 13 November, Ashfaq won the "Best Import Player Award" in 2014 FA Malaysia Football Awards. He scored 27 goals from 30 matches in his first year in Malaysia. Ashfaq renewed his contract with PDRM for two years on 20 November.


2015–16 Top 3 Best Foreign Players in Malaysia & final half-year

In January 2015, PDRM travelled to Maldives for an invitation from Maldives FA to play in the
2015 POMIS Cup The 2015 POMIS Cup is the 17th championship, starting group matches on 22 January 2015 and the final match played on 28 January 2015 at National Football Stadium, Malé, Maldives. PDRM FA won the People's Cup final against Maziya S&RC. Teams T ...
. PDRM played their first game in POMIS Cup against Ashfaq's previous club, New Radiant, and won the match 1–0. PDRM reached the final, winning 5–4 after beating Maziya in extra time with a hat-trick from Ashfaq. In the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...
Round of 32, Ashfaq broke the deadlock against
Sabah Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory ...
in a 3–0 win, advancing to the last 16. Ashfaq suffered a hamstring injury in his right leg while playing against
Perak Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand's ...
on 14 March, returning on 11 April and scoring a goal against Felda United. On 18 April, PDRM won against Sime Darby by 4–1 and Ashfaq netted twice in Selayang. He scored the only goal for PDRM against Selangor which ended as 1–1 draw. Ashfaq got injured after Selangor game and missed the matches against Sarawak and Terengganu due to injury. Ashfaq scored the last goal of the season for PDRM in their win against
ATM ATM or atm often refers to: * Atmosphere (unit) or atm, a unit of atmospheric pressure * Automated teller machine, a cash dispenser or cash machine ATM or atm may also refer to: Computing * ATM (computer), a ZX Spectrum clone developed in Mo ...
on 22 August. Ashfaq scored 10 goals in 17 matches in the league. Ashfaq scored 3 goals in 6 matches in
Malaysia Cup The Malaysia Cup ( ms, Piala Malaysia), formerly known as ''Malaya Cup'', is an annual football tournament in Malaysia, held at the end of the calendar year. The cup was first held in 1921. Despite its prestige and popularity as the nation's ol ...
against Pahang, Penang and
PKNS FC Selangor Football Club II (Malay: ''Kelab Bola Sepak Selangor 2''), commonly referred to as Selangor F.C. II, is a professional Malaysian football reserve team club of Selangor F.C., based in Shah Alam, in the state of Selangor. The clu ...
in Group D. PDRM knocked out from group stage of the tournament. On 14 December 2015, Ashfaq was nominated for the Best Foreign Player Award in Malaysia Football Awards 2015. PDRM announced that Ashfaq will stay with them for 2016 season – the final year of his contract with the club which made on 2014 for two years on 17 December 2015. On 13 February 2016, Ashfaq scored the only goal for PDRM to win their opening game of the season against Sarawak by 1–0. His final game for the club came against Kedah at home; the game finished by 1–1 on 21 May. On 24 May, Ashfaq announced that he and PDRM had come to an mutual understanding to terminate his contract with 7 months remaining, due to an injury suffered.


Maziya S&R

Ashfaq signed the contract with Maziya on a 4-month deal on 12 July 2016 and made his debut against BG Sports in Dhivehi Premier League on 20 July. Ashfaq scored his first goal for Maziya against New Radiant on 7 August.


International career

Ashfaq started his international career in 2004 being part of the Maldives senior national team.


2005–11 SAFF Championship glory and Captaincy

Ashfaq lost his place for the 2003 SAFF Championship National Squad to his fellow national team striker Ahmed Thariq. Ashfaq's first SAFF Championship was the 2005 SAFF Championship in
Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former ...
. He managed to score two goals against Afghanistan and one against Sri Lanka in the group stage. Maldives were knocked out by India in the semi-final. Maldives and Sri Lanka co-hosted
2008 SAFF Championship The 2008 SAFF Championship was held in Malé, Maldives and Colombo, Sri Lanka between 3 and 14 June 2008. Initially, the tournament was due to be held in 2007 but was postponed to 2008. Venues Squads Group stage Group A ---- ---- --- ...
, in which Maldives won their first ever SAFF Championship title. Despite his goalless run throughout the tournament, Ashfaq assisted six goals for the side and was named
Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
of the tournament. As a result, he was included in the list of Goal's Asia's top ten performers of 2008. Ashfaq became the captain of Maldives national football team at the age of 23, in 2009. During the 2009 SAFF Championship, Ashfaq scored three goals. Maldives lost the title to India in the final after penalties. Ashfaq was the runner-up to Most Valuable Player of the tournament and but was voted the best player of the tournament by the Bangladeshi media. The 2011 SAFF Championship was hosted by India, and all the matches took place in New Delhi. The Maldivian side went to the tournament with high hopes after replacing their Argentine coach Diego Cruciani with their previous 2009 coach István Urbányi. Maldives with
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
,
Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...
and
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million pe ...
was placed in what was called the Group of Death. Maldives' first match was against Nepal. In the final minutes of the first half, Ashfaq scored with an brilliant world-class long range shot, which was also praised by the international media as the best goal of the tournament. The match ended in a draw. The Maldives–Pakistan match also concluded as a draw, but was criticized for an average performance. Maldives were knocked out in the semifinal by the eventual winners,
India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
.


2013: Record breaking year

Maldives played their first friendly match of 2013 against
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
in which the Maldivian drew by 1–1. However, in the second match Maldives won by 3 goals, with two coming from Ashfaq. His first goal was the most notable as he dribbled past 3 defenders and the goal keeper as well. In the
2013 SAFF Championship The 2013 South Asian Football Federation Championship, commonly referred to as 2013 SAFF Championship, was the 10th SAFF Championship for men's national football teams organized by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The tournament took p ...
held in Nepal, Ashfaq scored 6 goals against Sri Lanka. Maldives won the match by 10–0, breaking their own record of winning with the biggest margin set in a 9–1 win against Afghanistan in 2005. Moreover, Ashfaq set himself another record by being the all-time top scorer of SAFF Championship with 14 goals in total. He continued his fantastic form and scored 4 in the 8–2 thumping of Bhutan. With this, Ashfaq has 18 goals in the SAFF Championship.


2014–16: First ever AFC medal and last SAFF Championship

In the opening match of the
2014 AFC Challenge Cup The 2014 AFC Challenge Cup was the fifth and the final edition of the AFC Challenge Cup, an international football competition for Asian Football Confederation (AFC) member nations that are mainly categorized as "emerging countries" in the now ...
against
Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
, Ashfaq set up
Mohamed Umair Mohamed Umair (born 3 July 1988) is a Maldivian professional footballer. In his career Umair has played as a defender, midfielder, and forward. International career Umair made his debut for Maldives on 8 October 2007, in a 2010 FIFA World Cu ...
for a goal and scored the final goal himself in a 3–2 defeat. He continued his fine form with two goals in a 2–0 win over
Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...
. In the last match of the group stage, Maldives drew 0–0 with Palestine and secured a place from semi-final. Even with the greatest skill of Ashfaq, Maldives lost to
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
by 3–2 in extra time and had to play third place play-off. Maldives and
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...
fought for the third place until the 120 minutes of the game which ended as 1–1. Maldives beat
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...
on penalty shoot-out by 8–7 and won the first ever medal from an AFC tournament. Maldives played
Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
on 26 March 2015. Ashfaq was sidelined as he was recovering from a hamstring injury he sustained in Malaysia Super League. Tajikistan beat Maldives by 2–0 at National team. In Manila, on 3 September 2015, Maldives was beaten by
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
in a friendly game which ended as 2–0. FAM gave rest to Ashfaq on this match because he had to play competitive matches too tightly in Malaysia Super League. Maldives were grouped alongside
Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
, China,
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
and
Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountai ...
in Group C in the
2018 FIFA World Cup Qualification (AFC) The Asian section of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification acted as qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, held in Russia, for national teams which were members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). 4.5 slots (four direct slots and one in ...
round 2. On 11 June 2015, Maldives played Qatar at home and were narrowly defeated through a 99th-minute goal by 1–0. Later on 16 June, Maldives lost to Hong Kong by 2–0 away at home. Both of the matches, he was not in a good form. Ashfaq could not participate in the China game due to some personal reasons, which Maldives lost to China in a 4–0 score-line in Shenyang. On 8 October, Ashfaq scored a hat-trick against Bhutan in their home and came off the pitch on 59th minute which ended as 4–3 to Maldives. Maldives lost their home game against Hong Kong by one goal on 12 November. On 26 November 2015, Ashfaq announced that the
2015 SAFF Championship The 2015 SAFF Championship (officially known as the SAFF Suzuki Cup 2015 for sponsorship reasons) was the 11th edition of the SAFF Championship, the biennial international men's football championship of South Asia organized by SAFF. It was hel ...
would be his last edition of the tournament before his retirement from international football. Maldives camped in Malaysia to prepare for the SAFF Championship, and played several matches during the camp, including against Ashfaq's club, PDRM FA. On 24 December, Maldives faced Bhutan in their first game, winning 3–1 with Ashfaq scoring a stunner after beating couple of defenders outside the area. In the second game of the group stage against
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million pe ...
, Maldives won narrowly by a 3–1 score line after scoring two goals during the late minutes of the game. Ashfaq scored a penalty against Bangladesh on 26 December.


Style of play

From a tactical standpoint, Ashfaq usually plays in a free attacking role, most often as a
striker Striker or The Strikers may refer to: People *A participant in a strike action *A participant in a hunger strike *Blacksmith's striker, a type of blacksmith's assistant *Striker's Independent Society, the oldest mystic krewe in America People wi ...
, and is capable of attacking on either
wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is exp ...
or through the centre of the pitch. He is frequently cited as "South Asia's best attacking player", as well as the best Maldivian footballer ever, and is known for his
dribbling In sports, dribbling is maneuvering a ball by one player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders' attempts to intercept the ball. A successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score. A ...
ability, agility, speed, skills on the ball, and his powerful, accurate, and clinical shooting, as well as his passing accuracy. He is predominantly a left footed player, although he is also able to control the ball and finish well with his right foot. He is also a free-kick specialist. A prolific goalscorer, he is known as an individualistic attacker. He is famous for rounding goalkeepers and scoring, and is also known for his flair in beating players during one-on-one situations and his ability to penetrate defensive lines. He is an extremely fast player, with great acceleration and good technical ability, which makes him a threat for opposing defenses during counter-attacks whenever he undertakes individual dribbling runs towards goal, usually starting from the halfway line on either side of the pitch, or even through the centrel his pace also allows him to get on the end of through balls with his runs. He is also a strong and physically powerful player, who is capable of shielding the ball from opponents. Moreover, he is capable of managing himself effectively in limited spaces, and of attracting defenders only to quickly dash out of the melee or give an assist to a free teammate.


Outside football


Philanthropy

On 15 August 2014, Ashfaq donated one of his football boots to support the Palestine Relief Fund set by Maldivian Red Crescent. His boot was auctioned to raise funds to help the people in Palestine.


Commercial endorsements

In January 2013, Milo unveiled Ashfaq as their
brand ambassador A brand ambassador (sometimes also called a corporate ambassador) is a person engaged by an organization or company to represent its brand in a positive light, helping to increase brand awareness and sales. The brand ambassador is meant to embo ...
in Maldives. According to Milo, under the ambassadorship program he will feature in the advertisements of Milo in the Maldives. These include TV commercials, billboards, posters and road shows and events conducted by Milo. In May 2013, the
Maldives Olympic Committee Maldives Olympic Committee (IOC code: MDV) is the National Olympic Committee representing Maldives. It is also the body responsible for the Maldives' representation at the Commonwealth Games. The Maldives was taking part in the 2012 Summer Olym ...
appointed Ashfaq as their sports ambassador. He also received Maldives government's green passport as he became the ambassador of Maldives Olympic Committee. "This is a great success, an honor. I will work with the government and sports associations to improve and promote the Maldives sports sector. I would like to thank senior members of the Olympic committee for this great honor. I am very pleased." – Ashfaq said to media. Ashfaq became the brand ambassador for
State Trading Organization The State Trading Organization Plc ( MSE:ST or STO is a public company with 81.63% of the shares owned by the Maldivian Government with the rest 18.37% being held by the public after the IPO a couple of years ago. The company is controlled by a ...
's local brand "Noo-Fahi" for two years in August 2014. Zott Yoghurt appointed Ashfaq as their ambassador in Maldives in 2014. In March 2016,
Ooredoo Ooredoo QSC ( ar, أريد; formerly ''Qtel'') is a Qatari multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Doha. Ooredoo provides mobile, wireless, wire line, and content services with market share in domestic and international telec ...
Maldives unveiled Ashfaq as their brand ambassador for one year.


Career statistics


Club


International


Honours


International

*
SAFF Championship The South Asian Football Federation Championship, commonly known as SAFF Championship (previously known as ''South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation Gold Cup'' and ''South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup''), is the main international ...
:
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...


Club

PDRM FA *
Malaysia Premier League The Malaysia Premier League ( ms, Liga Premier) was the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia. The league replaced the former second-tier league, Liga Perdana 2 in the Malaysian football league system. The Malaysia Premier Leagu ...
:
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
* POMIS Cup:
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
New Radiant Sports Club * Maldivian FA Charity Shield: 2013 * Dhivehi League: 2006,
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
,
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...
*
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...
: 2006, 2007,
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...
* President's Cup: 2007,
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
,
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...
VB Sports Club * Maldivian FA Charity Shield: 2010, 2011 * Dhivehi League: 2009, 2010, 2011 *
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...
:
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...
, 2011 * President's Cup:
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
Club Valencia * Dhivehi League: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 *
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...
: 2004 *
Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised ...
: 2004, 2005 * POMIS Cup:
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...


Individual

* FAM Appreciation Award for scoring 50 goals for National Team: 2016 * Maldives National Youth Award: 2014 * www.eutimategoal.com's Best Player of
South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...
: 2014 * Malaysia's Best Import Player of the Year: 2014 * Top 3 Import Players in Malaysia: 2015 * Haveeru Special Award for becoming the World's 2nd Best Top Goal Scorer of the Year: 2013 * IFFHS World's Top Goal Scorer: 2013 (23 goals) * SAFF Championship Dream Team: 2013 * All-time Top Scorer of SAFF Championship: 2021 (23 goals) * New Radiant SC's Supporters Player of the Year: 2013 * New Radiant SC's Excellence Award: 2013 * New Radiant SC's Best Goal of the Season: 2013 (against Persibo of Indonesia in AFC Cup) * New Radiant SC's Best Player of the Season: 2013 * Bangladeshi Media's SAFF Championship Player of the Year: 2009 * Fans' Favorite Player of
South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...
: 2009 * Top 10 Asian Players of the Year: 2008, 2009 * Most Valuable Player of SAFF Championship: 2008 * Top Scorer of SAFF Championship: 2005, 2013 * FAM Best Player of the Year: 2004, 2009, 2011 (2nd place), 2013 * Haveeru Golden Boot: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013 * Haveeru Maldivian Player of the Year: 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 * Maldivian Top Scorer of the Season: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013


Records

* Maldivian all-time top scorer: 464 goals * All-time top scorer for Maldives national team: 57 goals * Maldivian all-time top scorer in
AFC Cup The AFC Cup is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Under its current rules, the competition is played primarily between clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying ...
: 23 goals * First Maldivian player to score a double hat-trick in an international match: 6 goals (
2013 SAFF Championship The 2013 South Asian Football Federation Championship, commonly referred to as 2013 SAFF Championship, was the 10th SAFF Championship for men's national football teams organized by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The tournament took p ...
: Maldives 10–0 Sri Lanka) * First Maldivian player to score a hat-trick in
AFC Cup The AFC Cup is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Under its current rules, the competition is played primarily between clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying ...
* Only Maldivian player to win the Most Valuable Player of SAFF Championship:
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...
* First and only Maldivian player to win a tournament with a foreign club:
2014 Malaysia Premier League The 2014 Liga Premier ( en, 2014 Premier League), also known as the Astro Liga Premier for sponsorship reasons, is the ninth season of the Liga Premier, the second-tier professional association football, football league in Malaysia.http://www.rsss ...
with PDRM FA * Only Maldivian player to win the best player award in abroad: 2014 (Best foreign player in Malaysia) * Youngest player to score for senior Maldives national team: 18 years * Youngest player to score a hat-trick for senior Maldives national team: 4 goals at the age of 18 years (against Mongolia in 2003)


See also

* List of top international men's football goalscorers by country * List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashfaq, Ali 1985 births Living people People from Malé Maldivian footballers Maldives international footballers Club Valencia players New Radiant S.C. players Club Green Streets players Association football forwards Maldivian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Brunei DPMM FC players club Eagles players Maziya S&RC players Expatriate footballers in Malaysia Maldivian expatriate sportspeople in Brunei Maldivian expatriate sportspeople in Malaysia PDRM FA players Malaysia Super League players Footballers at the 2002 Asian Games Footballers at the 2006 Asian Games Footballers at the 2010 Asian Games South Asian Games bronze medalists for Maldives South Asian Games medalists in football Asian Games competitors for the Maldives T.C. Sports Club players Dhivehi Premier League players