It’s difficult for a footballing nation like Malaysia to forget the influence of people like Mokhtar Dahari.
Yesterday, the national team took a rough beating at the hands of Palestine in Jordan, losing 6-0. Today – ironically and perhaps painfully as well – would have been Mokhtar Dahari’s 62nd birthday, had he not passed away in July 1991.
Mokhtar is widely recognized as the greatest footballer to have played for the country and it’s validated by his consistent performance for both Selangor as well as the national team. Believe it or not, he scored a total of 197 goals in 388 appearances for both club and country – a statistic that remains supreme till today.
But perhaps the most defining performance of his career came in a friendly match against English giants Arsenal. Malaysia went into the match as visible underdogs. They were merely a bunch semi-pro athletes, going up against world class footballers, who were famous around the globe.
Thanks to Supermokh’s brilliance though, the Malayan Tigers came out of that match with an emphatic 2-0 win, with both goals being scored by the diminutive legend.
Here’s a video of his performance against Arsenal, to commemorate what could have been his 62nd birthday. Thanks for everything Supermokh, you are dearly missed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPzQCJdw2dg
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