Maula Bakhsh
Maula Bakhsh Gotai (; 1947 – 31 August 2021) alternatively spelled Maula Bux, was a Pakistani professional footballer who played as a forward. Bakhsh represented the Pakistan national team from 1964 to 1974, and captained the national team in 1973. He is also one of the first and few Pakistani footballers to play professional football in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

Early life
Bakhsh was born in Saifi Lane, in the Lyari locality of Karachi in 1947. He started playing football at an early age for the local Saifi Sports Club. A graduate of Karachi University, Bakhsh played for several school football teams until eventually getting selected for the Karachi youth team. Most footballers in Pakistan during the early years rose through the ranks from school football.

Club career 

 West and East Pakistan 
Bakhsh played for Karachi Port Trust and Pakistan Airlines departmental teams in the domestic setup in the 1960s. Like several notable players of West Pakistan, Bakhsh represented several clubs in East Pakistan at the Dhaka League, where he played for EPIDC.

 Turkey 
In 1968, Bakhsh along with national teammate Abdul Jabbar signed for Turkish club Yeni Mersin İdmanyurdu on a two-year contract. Bakhsh during an interview in 2014, reported that both faced difficulties, and could not match the stamina and fitness required for the Turkish football team, due to the poor level played in Pakistan.

 United Arab Emirates 
During the 1970s, several local leagues were launched across the Middle East, where several Pakistani players represented club sides in these leagues and some of these players even coached the clubs’ new youth setups. Subsequently, Bakhsh moved to the United Arab Emirates, where he featured for Al-Shaab CSC in Sharjah in the mid-1970s, later also coaching the team.

International career
left|thumb|Bakhsh sitting in middle as captain of Pakistan during a tour to China in 1973
Bakhsh represented the Pakistan national football team from 1964 to 1974. Bakhsh captained the national side in 1973, when the national team toured the far east, which included several test matches against local teams and a friendly against China ending in a 4–7 defeat.

 Personal life and death 
After retiring from football after his last spell in Sharjah, he settled in the United Arab Emirates, where he passed away on 31 August 2021.

 Career statistics 

 International goals 
Note: Exact figures of Pakistani players before 1989 are not yet known and yet to be researched. Below are goals recorded.
+List of international goals scored by Maula BakhshNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition115 November 1967Rangoon, Burma1–11968 AFC Asian Cup qualification210 September 1969Ankara 19 Mayıs Stadium, Ankara, Turkey1–02–41969 RCD Cup

See also
List of Pakistan national football team captains

References

Category:1947 births
Category:2021 deaths
Category:Pakistani men's footballers
Category:Pakistan men's international footballers
Category:Footballers from Karachi
Category:Team BJMC players
Category:Men's association football forwards