Kaleemullah Khan: Football Prodigy of Pakistan

"Kaleemullah Khan was born in Chaman, Balochistan, Pakistan, on September 20, 1992. He is a 29-year-old Pakistani footballer who has represented his country and the Iraqi Premier League's Zakho FC. Kaleemullah Khan is a midfielder who can also play as a forward. He has played as an attacking midfielder, second striker, centre forward, or on any wing. He is the first Pakistani footballer to appear in the United States and score a goal, as well as the first Pakistani footballer to play against an English Premier League club, Sunderland AFC."

"Khan has the record for becoming the first Pakistani footballer to achieve 100 goals in domestic competitions in his career. Many have lauded his placement, teamwork, and stamina, and he has demonstrated regularity in controlling the game and scoring goals."

Early life

"Khan had a rough upbringing growing up in Chaman, a Pakistani city on the Afghan border that is also on the primary NATO route from Pakistan to Afghanistan. Kaleemullah Khan studied many elements of life as he grew up, from playing football on desolate fields with no basic facilities to taking his narrative abroad, a storey full of trials, difficulties, optimism, and enthusiasm. Kaleemullah never gave it up; he sat for two days on the floor of an empty train compartment before arriving at his first selection camp. His battle and life are now the topic of a documentary that will be released soon. Khan has joined the International Football Management Agency as the first Pakistani footballer to do so."

Career

"Khan progressed through the KRL's junior development system before making his first-team debut in 2009. He was a member of the team that won the league and cup double and qualified for the President's Cup, and he played in almost every game that season. Khan netted 35 goals for KRL in 2012, as they won the league title, cup, and qualified for the President's Cup, where they made it to the final where Khan scored five goals. In 2013, Kaleemullah won his fourth league title with KRL, then in 2014, he transferred to Dordoi, where he scored 18 goals and was named the league's top forward of the campaign, as well as being named the Best Player of the Kyrgyzstan League."

International career

"Khan has represented Pakistan at numerous youth events since 2010, beginning with the under-23s. For the 2010 Asian Games, he was selected for the under-23 squad and made his first appearance against Thailand in a 6–0 group stage loss. The under-23s gave him seven caps and he scored one goal, the first in a 2–0 thrashing of arch-rivals India. While with the under-23 team, Kaleemullah represented Pakistan at the Asian and South Asian Games. After his continuous performances for KRL's first team encouraged Pakistan's national team coach Zavia Milosavljevi to formally consider him for a call-up, Khan was named in the squad for a friendly match against Palestine the following year. With fewer opportunities to test out untested legs and the national team needing to qualify for the AFC Challenge Cup, Milosavljevi reckoned Khan was crucial at the national level. He was called up to the senior team for their next match, a practice camp in Lahore, in March. Khan earned his first senior appearance for Pakistan in a 0–0 draw versus Palestine on March 4th, 2011. He made his first appearance as a substitute in this encounter at Punjab Stadium, his home stadium. He was picked to the side for the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers against India, Turkmenistan, and Chinese Taipei the following season."

Playing Style

"Kaleemullah Khan plays in an offensive all-rounder role, capable of playing in a variety of forward positions. Kaleemullah was initially regarded as a midfielder as he progressed through the youth system, but after being promoted to the first team, he has been used in more forward positions. In a 4-2-3-1 style, Khan is typically one of three attacking midfielders behind the centre forward for both Dordoi Bishkek and the Pakistan national team. He can play in any attacking midfield position, although he prefers attacking midfield. However, he usually plays in the centre for Dordoi Bishkek, and on the right or left for Pakistan. He's been used as a pure striker on occasion. Khan has been praised for his intelligence, speed, accuracy, awareness, and location. The Pakistani media has called him Lionel Messi because of his goal-scoring record."

Records

• ""The most goals scored in a 30-game Pakistan Premier League season is 31"."
• ""The most hat-tricks scored in a single season in the Pakistan Premier League is seven in 2012""
• ""The most goals scored by a Pakistani footballer in Asian club football tournaments is 9 goals"."
• ""Dordoi Bishkek’s Record Goal scorer i.e., 18 goals which puts him 5th in Ranking for the club"."