Andi Ramang (April 24, 1924 – September 26, 1987) was an Indonesian
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 le ...
. He is widely considered by Indonesian football experts and former players as one of the greatest players in the history of Indonesian football. He is particularly known for his bicycle kicks and ability to score goals from right
corner kick
A corner kick is the method of restarting play in a game of association football when the ball goes out of play over the goal line, without a goal being scored and having last been touched by a member of the defending team. The kick is taken ...
s.
[Ramang Has Gone (Indonesian)](_blank)
/ref> He was also referred to as Rusli Ramang in official FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
documents.
Early life
Ramang was born in 1928 in Barru, South Sulawesi
South Sulawesi ( id, Sulawesi Selatan) is a province in the southern peninsula of Sulawesi. The Selayar Islands archipelago to the south of Sulawesi is also part of the province. The capital is Makassar. The province is bordered by Central Sula ...
. His father, Nyo'lo, was an aide of the King of Gowa
Gowa (''Makassar language : '') is a Regencies of Indonesia, regency in the province of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. It has an area of 1,883.33 km2 and a population of 652,329 at the 2010 census, increasing to 765,836 at the 2020 census; the of ...
, Djondjong Karenta Lemamparang, and was known for his ability in sepak takraw
Sepak takraw, or Sepaktakraw, also called kick volleyball, is a team sport played with a ball made of rattan or synthetic plastic between two teams of two to four players on a court resembling a badminton court. It is similar to volleyball and ...
. Ramang spent his childhood playing sepak takraw using balls made out of rattan, cloth, and sometimes orange fruits. This is believed to be the reason why Ramang frequently score goals using bicycle kicks.[Ramang, the Forgotten Indonesian Football Legend (Indonesian)](_blank)
Club career and other jobs
Ramang started his career as a football player in 1939 by joining a football club in Barru. He played until 1943, when he decided to end his bachelorhood. Together with his wife, they opened a small coffee shop for a living. After the death of their newborn baby, they decided to leave for Ujungpandang (now Makassar
Makassar (, mak, ᨆᨀᨔᨑ, Mangkasara’, ) is the capital of the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, Surabaya, Med ...
) just before Indonesia's independence. They stayed at a friend's house, and Ramang started his life there as a becak driver, later becoming a truck driver assistant. During this time, his wife gave birth to their second child.
In 1947, Ramang was contracted by PSM Makassar
Persatuan Sepakbola Makassar ( 'Football Association of Makassar'; abbreviated as PSM) is an Indonesian professional football club based in Makassar, South Sulawesi that competes in Liga 1. PSM was founded in 1915 as , making it the oldest ...
, after seeing his performance in a competition held by PSM. His team, Persis (''Persatuan Sepakbola Seluruh Sulawesi''), won 9–0 in one of the matches, and only two names are on the scoreboard, one of them being Ramang, scoring 7 goals. He only spent a year in PSM, later worked in a Public Works Department, with a salary of 3500 rupiahs (equal to 4 US cents).
International career
In 1952, Ramang replaced Sunardi, Suardi Arland's brother – both of them football players – to join a training camp in Djakarta
Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
. This led to his call-up to the Indonesia national football team
The Indonesia national football team ( id, Tim nasional sepak bola Indonesia) represents Indonesia in international association football. It was the first Asian team to participate in the FIFA World Cup, particularly in the 1938 edition as Dut ...
. During the All-Indonesia tour of the Far East in 1953, Indonesia played against the 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 their country, All-Hong Kong, Hong Kong Selection, Combined Chinese and South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
in 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 Delt ...
, and the Thai Royal Air Force in Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
, Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
. Indonesia only lost once to South Korea and winning all the other games. They only conceded 7 goals and scored 25 goals, of which 19 of them are scored by Ramang.
Ramang was also called up by coach Antun Pogačnik
Antun "Toni" Pogačnik (6 January 1913 – 21 May 1978) was a Croatian footballer who played for both Yugoslavia and Croatia. He is notable for being a manager of Indonesia between 1954 and 1963 and is considered one of the best in the history ...
to be the part of the 1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...
team in Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. Indonesia automatically qualified to the quarterfinals after South Vietnam
South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
withdrew. They successfully held the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
0–0, who at the time was considered to be one of the strongest teams in the world. In the replay match Indonesia lost 0–4 to USSR, but the first game was considered as one of the famous matches in the Indonesian football history.
Ramang, who wore shirt number 9 in the tournament stated in an interview with Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...
about the match: "Actually I was about to score a goal that time. But my shirt was being pulled from behind." It was the first time, also the only one so far for the Indonesian football team to participate in the Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
.
One of Ramang's famous goals was against China PR
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
in the 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification, where Indonesia won 2–0, and one of the goals was done by bicycle kick.
Ramang gained nationwide popularity during his international career, including in the late 50s where many Indonesian mothers named their babies "Ramang."
Honours
Club
Persis
* Perserikatan
Perserikatan is a term that commonly refers to national amateur association football, football competitions in Indonesia held between 1931 and 1994 before the formation of Liga Indonesia, organized by the PSSI, the Indonesian football federation. T ...
: 1942
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...
, 1943
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured.
* January 4 – ...
PSM Makassar
* Perserikatan: 1955–57, 1957–59, 1964–65, 1965–66
International
* Asian Games
The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
Bronze medal : 1958
Events
January
* January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being.
* January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed.
* January 4
** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
Individual
* 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 ...
Men’s All Time Indonesia Dream Team: 2022
Later life and death
Ramang was suspended from football in 1960 after he was accused of accepting bribes, which he denied until his death. In 1962 he was called up again by PSM Makassar
Persatuan Sepakbola Makassar ( 'Football Association of Makassar'; abbreviated as PSM) is an Indonesian professional football club based in Makassar, South Sulawesi that competes in Liga 1. PSM was founded in 1915 as , making it the oldest ...
, but finally decided to retire from football in 1968, at the age of 44. He then decided to become a coach for PSM Makassar, then other football clubs, PSBI Blitar
Persatuan Sepakbola Bangsa Indonesia Blitar, commonly known as PSBI Blitar is an Indonesian football club based in Blitar Regency, East Java
East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the east ...
and Persipal Palu
Persatuan Sepakbola Indonesia Palu or abbreviated Persipal is an Indonesian football club based in Palu, Central Sulawesi. In the last season, they actually played in Liga 3 but failed to be promoted after finishing 3rd in the National round Gr ...
, and later returned to coach PSM Makassar.
One night in 1981, Ramang returned home with wet clothes after coaching PSM Makassar players under the rain. Since then he became sick and was diagnosed with pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
. Ramang stayed at home for six years because he had no money to pay for hospital care. Ramang died in Ujungpandang, on September 26, 1987, at the age of 63, and was survived by his 4 children and 10 grandchildren.
Legacy
Minister of Youths and Sport Andi Mallarangeng said that Ramang was "an inspiration to Makassarese children who love football". Ramang's life story also was made to biographical book written by M. Dahlan Abu Bakar entitled ''Ramang, Macan Bola'', released in August 2011. Harry Tjong, Ramang's partner in national team said that Ramang is worth called "the special one" such as Mourinho, and also he was like Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona (; 30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the FI ...
.
References
External links
*
{{Indonesia squad 1956 Summer Olympics
Indonesian footballers
1928 births
1987 deaths
Sportspeople from Makassar
Indonesia international footballers
Asian Games medalists in football
Footballers at the 1954 Asian Games
Footballers at the 1958 Asian Games
Olympic footballers of Indonesia
Footballers at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Indonesian football managers
Asian Games bronze medalists for Indonesia
Association football forwards
Medalists at the 1958 Asian Games