Kaleemullah is the captain of the Pakistan national team.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Kaleemullah, the first Pakistani to play professional soccer in the United States, immediately won the hearts of his new club’s fans as he made a dream debut, helping Sacramento Republic FC to a 2-1 win over Oklahoma City Energy Club in the United States’ second division.
His new coach, Serbian-American Preki Radosavljevic, believes the captain of the Pakistani national team can reach great heights, telling The Express Tribune, “Kaleemullah is young and has great experience,” referring to the Chaman-born striker’s successful seasons with Pakistan club KRL and Kyrgyzstan club FC Dordoi. “He works hard, and I want to have players in my team who are hard-workers. My team needs to have the edge and that’s what we do, we push the players to do their best.”
Radosavljevic hopes that the presence of Kaleemullah can boost Pakistan’s interest in his club. “I think Pakistanis should be proud of Kaleemullah, and at the same time also hope that the club has found some following in Pakistan.”
The 22-year-old Kaleemullah, cousin of former Pakistan captain Mohammad Essa, scored a record 31 goals and seven hat-tricks in the 2013 season of the Pakistan Premier League and was awarded the national team’s captaincy in 2014, according to Dawn Media Group.
He then won Kyrgyzstan’s premier football league title with FC Dordoi Bishek in the same year while picking up the competition’s Golden Boot award along the way, scoring a league-best 16 goals in 17 appearances. To top it all off, he was also named Kyrgyzstan’s Player of the Year in the 2015 season.
Kaleemullah told the Sacramento Republic that he truly wants the fans of his new club to accept him. “I was a little nervous at first as every player wants to be liked by the fans of the team he plays in,” he said.
If his debut was any indication, it doesn’t seem like the young sportsman will have any issues finding a following in California. The Republic lauded his performance, stating, “Kaleemullah immediately made an impact, using impressive speed down the middle and creating chances.”