T. Abdul Rahman (Footballer) Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Real name	Thayatheri Abdul Rahman (also spelt as Thazhatheri Abdul Rahman)
Other name	Abdul Rehman
Popular name	Olympian Rahman
Profession(s)	• Footballer • Football Coach
Famous for	Being a member of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics Indian football team
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	5' 10" (178 cm)
Eye Colour	Black
Football
International Debut	Against Russia in 1955 at Thiruvananthapuram
Domestic/State Team	• Independence Club • Kannur Lucky Star • Malabar XI • Rajasthan Club • Mohun Bagan Super Giant • Universal Club • Malabar • Bengal • Bangalore
Playing position	Defender
Retirement Date	10 November 1967
Personal Life
Date of Birth	20 January 1934 (Saturday)
Birthplace	Kozhikode (also known as Calicut), Kerala, India (then-British India)
Date of Death	15 December 2002
Place of Death	Kozhikode (also known as Calicut)
Age (at the time of death)	68 Years
Zodiac sign	Aquarius
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Kozhikode (also known as Calicut)
Educational Qualification	4th class dropout
Family
Wife/Spouse
Children	Son- Haris Rahman (married to Zuhara Haris) Daughter- Honitha Saleem

Some Lesser Known Facts About Abdul Rahman

• T. Abdul Rahman was interested in football since childhood. When studying in 4th standard, he told his father that he wanted to become a footballer and quit school because he was not interested in studies. His father agreed, and he stopped going to school, focusing solely on football.

• He started playing in local football games during his teenage years and later played in national leagues. In 1954, he helped the Malabar team to reach the semi-final of the Rovers Cup.
  

  T. Abdul Rahman (standing, second from right) during a league match

• He was a member of the Indian football team which played in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. At that time, he was only 21 years old.
  

  Indian football squad of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics

• In April 2024, a Bollywood film ‘Maidaan’ was released which featured Ajay Devgn as Syed Abdul Rahim, the coach of the Indian football team which qualified for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

• Rahman played in 9 seasons of the Santosh Trophy for Bengal between 1955 and 1966 and helped them win 4 seasons.
  

  T. Abdul Rahman shaking hands with Jawaharlal Nehru after winning a tournament

• In 1959, he helped the Indian football team to emerge as runner-up of the Merdeka Tournament. Due to an injury, he was not selected for the 1960 Rome Olympics.

• In 1962, he was the captain of the Bangalore (now Bengaluru) team that won the 1962 Santosh Trophy.

• After his retirement, he became a coach and trained players of various football clubs such as Mohammedan Sporting, Premier Tyres, and Travancore Titanium.
  

  T. Abdul Rahman (left) during a coaching session

• As a spectator, Rahman once attended a match between East Bengal FC and Mohammedan Sporting Club at the Mohun Bagan Stadium in Kolkata in 1984. During half-time, he entered the football field and attacked East Bengal coach Pradip Kumar Banerjee as he believed that Banerjee did not pick Sethumadhavan, a footballer, in the Indian football team.

• During his late 50s, he once went to see a match where one of his trained players hit a goal with a reverse kick. He got excited upon seeing it, entered the field, and kissed the player on the cheek. He later ran back to the stands while shouting sorry to the referee.
  

  T. Abdul Rahman during his late 50s

• He died on 15 December 2002 in Calicut at the age of 68.
  

  A photo of T. Abdul Rahman taken a few days before his death

• In 2005, the Kozhikode District Football Association (KDFA) created the Olympian Rehman Memorial Academy of Football.

• In 2013, a stadium was opened in Kozhikode named Olympian Rahman Stadium.

• On 29 October 2018, a special postal cover was released in his memory.
  

  Postal cover released in the memory of T. Abdul Rahman