Ali Ashfaq
Encyclopedia
Ali Ashfaq is a Maldivian
footballer nicknamed "Dhagandey" (Man of Steel). He has played as a forward for club Valencia, New Radiant, DPMM FC and currently playing for V.B Sports Club in the Maldivian
Dhiraagu
Dhivehi League
. At present he is the captain of Maldives national football team.
football player in the history" and frequently cited as "South Asia's best attacking player", Ashfaq is also a member of the Maldives national football team
and has won numerous Maldivian football awards. He is known for his dribbling ability, agility, speed, on-ball skills and powerful shooting as well as accuracy in passing and shooting. He became the captain of the senior Maldives national football team
in 2009, at the age of only 23.
He is considered as the nation's "Iron Man" for his strong stamina and speedy strikes. He has won the Best Player of the Maldives
award for a record 3 times and the Top Scorer award for a record 5 times.
Ashfaq holds the honor of the youngest ever player to score for the senior Maldives national football team with 4 goals against Mongolia in 2004. In his time with the national team he has scored two hat-tricks for the team and earned the captaincy of the team.
Ashfaq has been noticed by some big clubs in Europe like Benefica, European giants FC Porto, and Turkish club Bursaspor
but Ashfaq refused to these offers.
with fellow national team striker Ibrahim Fazeel
. The team competed in the Malaysian Super League
that year. Ashfaq's performances were praised by the Malaysian media and scored 2 goals for the Brunei side. Despite his good performances he was not fully engaged with the club. In 2008 he transferred from DPMM FC to VB Sports Club
for US$100,000 on a five-year contract. The Brunei side tried their best to hold the Maldivian striker but he chose to return to his home land.
was the 2005 edition of the tournament which was held in Karachi, Pakistan. He scored 3 goals for the Maldivian side in the group stage, 2 against Afghanistan and 1 against Sri Lanka. Maldives were knocked out by India in the semi final.
was his home edition, where Maldives hosted the tournament alongside Sri Lanka. He gave an impressive performance throughout the tournament, and was named as the Most Valuable Player of SAFF Championship 2008
, where Maldives won their first Saff Championship title. Despite his goal less run throughout the tournament he assisted 6 goals for the side. His honour as the MVP of the tournament earned the attention of the International Media and was included in the list of goal.com's Asia's top ten performers of 2008.
qualifying, Ashfaq scored a goal in the 3-2 win over Philippines
. And he scored 2 goals against Bhutan
in the 5-0 win. Maldives
came in second of the group by goal difference and failed to qualify for the 2010 AFC Challenge cup.
qualifying, Ashfaq helped Maldives
defeat Cambodia
in their first game by scoring 3 goals in the first game. His performance throughout the qualifying was praised by the Maldivian fans as he helped the Maldives to come on top of the group and qualify to the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup
. Former champions of challenge cup Tajikistan
came in second.
Maldivian
Maldivian may refer to:* Maldivian people , the ethnic group inhabiting the historic region of the Maldive Islands comprising what is now officially the Republic of Maldives and the island of Minicoy in Union territory of Lakshadweep, India....
footballer nicknamed "Dhagandey" (Man of Steel). He has played as a forward for club Valencia, New Radiant, DPMM FC and currently playing for V.B Sports Club in the Maldivian
Maldivian
Maldivian may refer to:* Maldivian people , the ethnic group inhabiting the historic region of the Maldive Islands comprising what is now officially the Republic of Maldives and the island of Minicoy in Union territory of Lakshadweep, India....
Dhiraagu
Dhiraagu
Dhiraagu is the first Maldivian telecommunications company, which was established in 1988. The company remains the nation's largest telecom service provider and No.1 brand. It was the only company licensed to provide internet and GSM services until 2004 and 2005 respectively and continues to be...
Dhivehi League
Dhivehi League
Dhivehi League is the official Maldivian football league, organized by the Football Association of Maldives.Every year, 8 teams compete in this high-profile competition, the top level in Maldives.There are two qualification methods:...
. At present he is the captain of Maldives national football team.
Maldives national football team
The Maldives national football team is the national team of the Maldives and is controlled by the Football Association of Maldives. A member of the AFC, it qualified for the second stage of Asian qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, where it drew with South Korea at home 0–0.Maldives most significant...
Club career
Considered as the "best MaldivianMaldivian
Maldivian may refer to:* Maldivian people , the ethnic group inhabiting the historic region of the Maldive Islands comprising what is now officially the Republic of Maldives and the island of Minicoy in Union territory of Lakshadweep, India....
football player in the history" and frequently cited as "South Asia's best attacking player", Ashfaq is also a member of the Maldives national football team
Maldives national football team
The Maldives national football team is the national team of the Maldives and is controlled by the Football Association of Maldives. A member of the AFC, it qualified for the second stage of Asian qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, where it drew with South Korea at home 0–0.Maldives most significant...
and has won numerous Maldivian football awards. He is known for his dribbling ability, agility, speed, on-ball skills and powerful shooting as well as accuracy in passing and shooting. He became the captain of the senior Maldives national football team
Maldives national football team
The Maldives national football team is the national team of the Maldives and is controlled by the Football Association of Maldives. A member of the AFC, it qualified for the second stage of Asian qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, where it drew with South Korea at home 0–0.Maldives most significant...
in 2009, at the age of only 23.
He is considered as the nation's "Iron Man" for his strong stamina and speedy strikes. He has won the Best Player of the Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
award for a record 3 times and the Top Scorer award for a record 5 times.
Ashfaq holds the honor of the youngest ever player to score for the senior Maldives national football team with 4 goals against Mongolia in 2004. In his time with the national team he has scored two hat-tricks for the team and earned the captaincy of the team.
Ashfaq has been noticed by some big clubs in Europe like Benefica, European giants FC Porto, and Turkish club Bursaspor
Bursaspor
Bursaspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Bursa. Formed in 1963, Bursaspor are nicknamed the Yeşil Timsahlar...
but Ashfaq refused to these offers.
Club Valencia
Ashfaq first shined in the year 2003 with the local side Club Valencia. He ended the season with 30 goals and won the best player of the season, while he was only 18. He stayed with the club for the next two years also and won the top scorer in back to back 3 years. In 2004 with 33 goals while in 2005 with 36 goals. No player has ever reached even to 30 goals in a local season so far, except him.New Radiant Sports Club
Ashfaq then signed for the 2005 AFC Cup third place winners New Radiant in the 2006 season. With New Radiant sports club he was not able to defend his top scoring tally but was impressive throughout the whole spell.Duli Pengiran Muda Mahkota Football Club (DPMM FC)
In October 2007, he moved to DPMM FC of BruneiBrunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
with fellow national team striker Ibrahim Fazeel
Ibrahim Fazeel
Ibrahim Fazeel is a Maldivian footballer nicknamed "Oppo",can play both as a midfielder and as a Forward, who started his career while he was a student in Majeedhiyaa School in 1999.He played his first international match on 2 April 2000 Maldives vs Syria .His 1st goal scored in Golden jubilee...
. The team competed in the Malaysian Super League
Malaysian Super League
The Malaysia Super League is a Malaysian professional league for association football. At the top flight of the Malaysian football league system and it is managed by the Malaysia Super League Sdn Bhd, under supervision of the Football Association of Malaysia...
that year. Ashfaq's performances were praised by the Malaysian media and scored 2 goals for the Brunei side. Despite his good performances he was not fully engaged with the club. In 2008 he transferred from DPMM FC to VB Sports Club
VB Sports Club
VB Sports Club is a professional Maldivian football club based in Malé, Maldives. VB Sports Club is the former Island Football Club acquired by a leading entity and renamed on 8 November 2006....
for US$100,000 on a five-year contract. The Brunei side tried their best to hold the Maldivian striker but he chose to return to his home land.
VB Sports Club
He was brought to VB sports club with the captain armband though his first year's performance was not that much impressive. In the second year with the club he was in his best form, scoring 33 goals for VB and winning the club's first ever League title that year. He won the Top Scorer and season's best player in 2009. He won the best player of the Maldives for a record third time that year. The next 2010 season was not as brightest as the 2009's, despite scoring 30 goals for the club. He faced numerous suspensions and injuries which lead him to miss a big part of the season. However, after his injury recovery he faced the local rivals Victory in the final of that year's president's cup, scoring 4 and assisting 1 in the 5 - 3 win over them. That was VB's first ever President's cup title.SAFF Championship 2003
Ashfaq lost a place in the Maldivian squad that participated in the SAFF Championship 2003, which was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh to his national team fellow striker Ahmed Thoriq. Eventually Maldives went to the final of the tournament but lost to Bangladesh in penalties (5-3).SAFF Championship 2005
His first ever SAFF ChampionshipSAFF Championship
The SAFF Championship, also called the South Asian Football Federation Cup , is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by the South Asian Football Federation. Previous names have included the South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation Gold Cup in 1993 and...
was the 2005 edition of the tournament which was held in Karachi, Pakistan. He scored 3 goals for the Maldivian side in the group stage, 2 against Afghanistan and 1 against Sri Lanka. Maldives were knocked out by India in the semi final.
SAFF Championship 2008
Ashfaq's next SAFF ChampionshipSAFF Championship
The SAFF Championship, also called the South Asian Football Federation Cup , is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by the South Asian Football Federation. Previous names have included the South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation Gold Cup in 1993 and...
was his home edition, where Maldives hosted the tournament alongside Sri Lanka. He gave an impressive performance throughout the tournament, and was named as the Most Valuable Player of SAFF Championship 2008
SAFF Championship 2008
The 2008 SAFF Championship was held in Malé, Maldives and Colombo, Sri Lanka between June 3 and June 14, 2008. '.Initially, the tournament was due to be held in 2007 but was postponed to 2008.-Group A:--------------------...
, where Maldives won their first Saff Championship title. Despite his goal less run throughout the tournament he assisted 6 goals for the side. His honour as the MVP of the tournament earned the attention of the International Media and was included in the list of goal.com's Asia's top ten performers of 2008.
SAFF Championship 2009
The following year, Ashfaq went to the SAFF Championship 2009 with the captaincy of the team. He scored 3 goals for the team in the tournament and came in second for the Most Valuable Player award of SAFF Championship 2009. Maldives lost the final to India by penalties. However, he was voted by Bangladesh Press as the best player of the tournament.AFC Challenge Cup qualifying 2009
In 2010 AFC Challenge CupAFC Challenge Cup
The AFC Challenge Cup is an international football competition for emerging nations that are members of the Asian Football Confederation. The first tournament was hosted by Bangladesh in 2006...
qualifying, Ashfaq scored a goal in the 3-2 win over Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. And he scored 2 goals against Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
in the 5-0 win. Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
came in second of the group by goal difference and failed to qualify for the 2010 AFC Challenge cup.
AFC Challenge Cup qualifying 2011
In 2012 AFC Challenge CupAFC Challenge Cup
The AFC Challenge Cup is an international football competition for emerging nations that are members of the Asian Football Confederation. The first tournament was hosted by Bangladesh in 2006...
qualifying, Ashfaq helped Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
defeat Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
in their first game by scoring 3 goals in the first game. His performance throughout the qualifying was praised by the Maldivian fans as he helped the Maldives to come on top of the group and qualify to the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup
AFC Challenge Cup
The AFC Challenge Cup is an international football competition for emerging nations that are members of the Asian Football Confederation. The first tournament was hosted by Bangladesh in 2006...
. Former champions of challenge cup Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
came in second.
International goals
- Scores and results list Maldives' goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 3 December 2003 Rasmee Dhandu Stadium Rasmee Dhandu StadiumRasmee Dhandu Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Malé, Maldives. The word "Rasmee" means official in local language Dhivehi, while Dhandu means open ground/stadium. It is currently used mostly for football matches of the Dhivehi League, FAM Cup, and International matches. The stadium holds...
, MaléMaléMalé , is the capital and most populous city in the Republic of Maldives. It is located at the southern edge of North Malé Atoll . It is also one of the Administrative divisions of the Maldives. Traditionally it was the King's Island, from where the ancient Maldive Royal dynasties ruled and where...
, MaldivesMaldivesThe Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
1–0 12–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for Asia.44 Asian teams are affiliated with FIFA, but Cambodia, Philippines, Bhutan and Brunei decided not to take part, and Myanmar was banned from the competition, so a total of 39 teams took part, competing...2. 3 December 2003 Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives 5–0 12–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 3. 3 December 2003 Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives 6–0 12–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 4. 3 December 2003 Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives 8–0 12–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 5. 3 September 2004 Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives 1–1 1–2 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...6. 13 October 2004 Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives 2–0 3–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 7. 13 October 2004 Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives 3–0 3–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 8. 7 December 2005 Karachi KarachiKarachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
3–0 9–1 2005 SAFF Gold Cup 9. 7 December 2005 Karachi, Pakistan 9–1 9–1 2005 SAFF Gold Cup 10. 9 December 2005 Karachi, Pakistan 1–0 2–0 2005 SAFF Gold Cup 11. 28 October 2007 Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives 2–0 2–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)The Asian Football Confederation was allocated four assured qualifying berths for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and one place in a play-off. 43 teams were in the running for these spots; Laos, Brunei and the Philippines did not attempt to qualify...12. 16 April 2009 Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives 2–1 3–2 2010 AFC Challenge Cup qualification 2010 AFC Challenge Cup qualificationThe 2010 AFC Challenge Cup qualification phase will see five teams advance to the finals to join three automatic qualifiers in the final tournament in Sri Lanka.Qualification consists of two sections....13. 18 April 2009 Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives 1–0 5–0 2010 AFC Challenge Cup qualification 14. 18 April 2009 Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives 2–0 5–0 2010 AFC Challenge Cup qualification 15. 7 December 2009 Bangabandhu National Stadium Bangabandhu National StadiumBangabandhu National Stadium, also known as Dhaka Stadium, and formerly known as Dacca Stadium is the national stadium and a multipurpose sports arena in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is located in the Motijheel area in the heart of the city...
, DhakaDhakaDhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
, BangladeshBangladeshBangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
2–1 3–1 2009 SAFF Cup 16. 7 December 2009 Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh 3–1 3–1 2009 SAFF Cup 17. 11 December 2009 Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh 3–1 5–1 2009 SAFF Cup 18. 21 March 2011 Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives 2–0 4–0 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualificationThe 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification phase saw eight teams advance to the final tournament in Nepal. The qualification draw was held on 20 October 2010, in AFC House.-Seeding:...19. 21 March 2011 Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives 3–0 4–0 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification 20. 22 March 2011 Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives 4–0 4–0 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification 21. 22 November 2011 Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives 3–0 3–0 Friendly