Datuk Datuk (or its variant Dato or Datu) is a Malay title commonly used in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, as well as a traditional title by Minangkabau people in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The title of the wife of Datuk is Datin. Origin The oldes ...

Arumugam Rengasamy (also known as Spiderman) was a legendary

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

n national football player from

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 ...

. His long arms and difficult saves earned him the nickname "Spiderman". He was inducted into the FIFA Century Club in May 2021.

Career

He made his debut for Selangor FA when he was 18 years old in the Burnley Cup youth competition in 1971. He represented Selangor FA in the Malaysia Cup tournament from 1972 to 1988, a period during which Selangor FA won the Malaysia Cup eight times.

International

R. Arumugam was called up to the

Malaysian national football team The Malaysia national football team () represents Malaysia in international football and is controlled by the Football Association of Malaysia. The national team is recognised by FIFA as the successor of the defunct Malaya national football t ...

in 1973 for the World Cup qualifying round matches in Seoul, South Korea. During his time with the national team,

won the

Merdeka Tournament Merdeka Tournament or Pestabola Merdeka is a friendly football tournament held in Malaysia to commemorate the Independence Day. The competition bears the Malay word for independence. As of 2022, it has been held 40 times, and decreasingly in ...

in 1973, 1974, 1976, 1979 and 1986. He also represented

in the 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983 and 1985 Sea Games. He won a bronze medal with the national team during the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran.

also qualified for the

1980 Moscow Olympic Games The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

, but

decided to boycott the Games. R. Arumugam earned 196 caps (not all A class international matches), 142 matches is against full national team. His personal goal was to earn 200 caps. He retired in 1986. In 2022,

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 so ...

list him on their list of the top 25 goalkeepers with most clean-sheets in national team which he had a total of 50 clean-sheets and the first

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

player to do so.

After retirement

In 1983, he formed his own club, Starbrite SC, as part of his personal contribution to the youngsters in his housing area.

Death and legacy

R. Arumugam died in a car accident at

Federal Highway Federal Highways and Federal Routes can be found in: *Australia: Federal Highway *Brazil: Brazilian Federal Highway and Brazilian Highway System *Germany: ''Bundesstraßen'' *Malaysia: Federal Highway and Malaysian Federal Roads System *Mexic ...

near

Petaling Jaya ) , website = , image_skyline = , image_caption = ''From top, left to right:Skyline of Petaling Jaya, the 1 Utama Mall integrated with Bandar Utama Station, the Kota Darul Ehsan arch, the Petaling J ...

on 18 December 1988. His wife, Maria Selvie survived the incident with his two daughters, Subha Arumugam and Rubha Arumugam. In recognition of his services to both state and nation, the Football Association of Selangor and

Public Bank A public bank is a bank, a financial institution, in which a state, municipality, or public actors are the owners. It is an enterprise under government control.

, where Arumugam had been employed, started a trust fund in his name on 5 January 1989. On 4 June 2011, Yang Dipertuan Agong posthumously awarded him the Panglima Jasa Negara (PJN), which carries the title "Datuk". The character of Muthu Kumar in ''

Ola Bola ''Ola Bola'' is a 2016 Malaysian sports football film directed by Chiu Keng Guan. The film was inspired by the glories of the Malaysia national football team which successfully entered the 1980 Summer Olympics. The film was released in Malaysian ...

'', a 2016 film chronicling the Malaysian national team's road to the 1980 Olympic qualifiers, was based on Arumugam.

Honours

Club

;F.A. Selangor * First Division (1): :: Champion: 1984 * Malaysia Cup (8): :: Winner: 1973, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986 * Charity Cup (Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Cup) (2): :: Winner: 1985, 1987

International

Pestabola Merdeka Merdeka Tournament or Pestabola Merdeka is a friendly football tournament held in Malaysia to commemorate the Independence Day. The competition bears the Malay word for independence. As of 2022, it has been held 40 times, and decreasingly in ...

(5) ::Winners:

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

, 1974,

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

SEA Games The Southeast Asian Games, also known as the SEA Games, is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supe ...

(2) ::Winners:

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

::Runners-up:

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

* Asian Games ::Bronze Medal: 1974

Individual

* AFC Asian All Stars: 1982, 1985 * AFC Century Club Awards 1999 * OCM Hall of Fame 2004 * Ex-State & Ex-National Footballers Association of Malaysia Honour: 2011 * Goal.com The best Malaysia XI of all time: 2020

Records

* Malaysia national football team all-time most clean-sheets: 50 *

all-time most clean-sheets in national team: 50 * The first Asian footballers to reach 50 clean-sheets in national team: (1973–1986)

Orders

* : ** Member of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negara) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace ...

(A.M.N.) (1980) ** MY Darjah Jasa Negara - Order of Meritorious Service - PJN

Commander of the

Order of Meritorious Service The Distinguished Order of Meritorious Service ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Jasa Negara) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. It should not be confused with the Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: ...

(P.J.N.) — Datuk (2011—posthumously)

References

External links

Biodata at Selangorfc.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arumugam, R. 1953 births 1988 deaths Malaysian sportspeople of Indian descent Malaysian footballers Malaysia international footballers Commanders of the Order of Meritorious Service Members of the Order of the Defender of the Realm 1976 AFC Asian Cup players People from Selangor Malaysian Hindus Tamil sportspeople Malaysian people of Tamil descent Selangor FA players Association football goalkeepers Asian Games bronze medalists for Malaysia Asian Games medalists in football Southeast Asian Games gold medalists for Malaysia Southeast Asian Games silver medalists for Malaysia Southeast Asian Games bronze medalists for Malaysia Southeast Asian Games medalists in football Medalists at the 1974 Asian Games Competitors at the 1973 Southeast Asian Peninsular Games Footballers at the 1974 Asian Games FIFA Century Club

Career

International

After retirement

Death and legacy

Honours

Club

International

Individual

Records

Orders

See also

References

External links