Shaharuddin Abdullah (28 August 1948 – 28 December 2023) was a Malaysian footballer. He was once one of the most feared strikers in the country, known as "Harimau Malaysia" because of his ability to score goals. He once scored 15 goals for Malaysia in the Merdeka Cup which stood as a record for a very long time.[citation needed] His father, Abdullah Mohammad, was a goalkeeper for Penang in the 1950s.[citation needed] He was a part of the Malaysian squad at the 1972 Summer Olympics.

Career

Abdullah started to play football when he was nine years old. He used the Marin Sg. Gelugor field near his house to learn football skills.[citation needed] He helped his school, Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Gelugor, to win the district and inter-school championships.[citation needed]

In 1964 when he was 16 years old, he was selected to play for the Penang Burnley Cup team along with his brother, Namat Abdullah, Ali Bakar, Mohammed Bakar, Khalil Hashim, Cha Peng Chiang, Yap Kim Kok and N Baskaran.

Abdullah played for Malaysia in the 1972 Munich Olympics. Shaharuddin played in all three group games and scored in the 3–0 win against the United States. Overall he made 70 appearances and scored 39 international goals for Malaysia.

In 2004, he was inducted in Olympic Council of Malaysia's Hall of Fame for 1972 Summer Olympics football team.

Personal life

Namat Abdullah, his brother also played for Penang and together with his uncle, Aziz Ahmad. Shaharuddin's son, Shafiq Shaharudin, is also a professional footballer.

Shaharuddin Abdullah died on 28 December 2023, at the age of 75.

Career statistics

International

Scores and results list Malaysia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Abdullah goal.

List of international goals scored by Shaharuddin Abdullah
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetitionRef.
114 August 1968Perak Stadium, Ipoh, MalaysiaSouth Vietnam—4-01968 Merdeka Tournament
225 August 1968Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaBurma—3-01968 Merdeka Tournament
330 October 1969Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThailand1-01-01969 Merdeka Tournament
43 November 1969Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaIndonesia—1-31969 Merdeka Tournament
57 November 1969Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaBurma—3-11969 Merdeka Tournament
6—
79 November 1969Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaIndonesia—2-31969 Merdeka Tournament
819 November 1969Bangkok, ThailandThailand—2-21969 King's Cup
97 December 1969Bogyoke Aung San Stadium, Yangon, MyanmarLaos—2-11969 SEAP Games
108 December 1969Bogyoke Aung San Stadium, Yangon, MyanmarSouth Vietnam—2-11969 SEAP Games
114 August 1970Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaTaiwan—3-11970 Merdeka Tournament
12—
139 November 1970Bangkok, ThailandKhmer Republic1-01-11970 King's Cup
1420 November 1970Bangkok, ThailandIndonesia1-03-11970 King's Cup
152-0
16—
1722 May 1971Bangkok, ThailandBrunei3-08-01972 AFC Asian Cup qualification
185-0
198-0
2028 May 1971Bangkok, ThailandHong Kong—2-11972 AFC Asian Cup qualification
21—
228 November 1971Bangkok, ThailandSouth Korea—2-21971 King's Cup
2312 December 1971Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaLaos—5-01971 SEAP Games
2414 December 1971Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThailand—4-21971 SEAP Games
25—
2617 December 1971Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaSouth Vietnam1-23-21971 SEAP Games
272-2
283-2
2918 December 1971Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaBurma1-11-21971 SEAP Games
3012 July 1972Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaSri Lanka2-04-11972 Merdeka Tournament
313-0
324-0
3319 July 1972Perak Stadium, Ipoh, MalaysiaKhmer Republic—6-11972 Merdeka Tournament
34—
3522 July 1972Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaJapan2-13-11972 Merdeka Tournament
363-1
3729 August 1972ESV-Stadion, Ingolstadt, GermanyUnited States—3-01972 Summer Olympics
3828 September 1972Dongdaemun Stadium, Seoul, South KoreaIndonesia1-01-31972 President's Cup
3923 May 1973Dongdaemun Stadium, Seoul, South KoreaThailand1-02-01974 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Penang

Penjara

Malaysia

External links