'Only players like Ronaldo can score these goals': Shahak Baloch, who led Pakistan to win a football tournament after 74 years from the rocky fields of Nushki

 

'Only players like Ronaldo can score these goals': Shahak Baloch, who led Pakistan to win a football tournament after 74 years from the rocky fields of Nushki

‘Such a goal is usually scored by Ronaldo or other expert footballers, it is surprising for a Pakistani footballer to score such a difficult goal.’

This is according to Shakil Jamaldini, president of the Nushki Football Association, who is very proud of the performance of Shahak Dost Baloch, a member of the Pakistan football team from Nushki.

Pakistan’s football team achieved a historic victory in the final of an international football event after 74 years by defeating Afghanistan 2-0 in the final of the four-nation tournament played in the Maldives on Wednesday.

Pakistan is ranked 198th out of 211 countries in the world rankings of the International Football Association (FIFA), so Pakistan’s success in the four-nation tournament is being considered important.

Shahak Baloch, who is from Nushki, is currently the center of attention. In the final played at the Maldives National Stadium on Wednesday, Shahak Baloch scored a bicycle kick in the 24th minute to give Pakistan the lead, while Baloch Haroon Hamid scored the second for Pakistan in the final moments of the game.

 

Speaking to the BBC over the phone, Shahak Baloch said that this was Pakistan’s first victory in the final of an international football tournament after 74 years.

Shahak’s elder brother Majid Paku said that we were overjoyed at the way his brother scored a goal and played an important role in bringing his team to victory.

The BBC spoke to Shahak Baloch and officials of the local football association to find out how this player, who started playing football in the desert and on rocky fields, made his journey to international success and what difficulties he faced.

Poverty but passion for football

Shehak Dost Baloch is from the Noshki district of Balochistan, bordering Afghanistan.

24-year-old Shehak is a resident of Qali Jamaldini, a few kilometers southwest of the city of Noshki.

He belongs to the famous Jamaldini tribe of Baloch in the Noshki district. He studied from the high school in Qali Jamaldini to matriculation.

His elder brother Majid Paku, who is himself a national and international footballer, said that Shehak is the youngest among us siblings and he was three years old in 2005 when our father died.

Speaking to the BBC, Majid Paku said that one of the main reasons for Shehak Dost not pursuing education after matriculation was poverty, while the other reason was his passion for football and he was always in the same mood.

Which countries participated in the international tournament in Maldives/

Earlier this month, teams from four countries participated in the international event called the Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament in Maldives.

Apart from Pakistan, these included teams from Maldives, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Pakistan and Afghanistan qualified for the final.

The first goal in the final was scored by Shehak Dost through a difficult kick, which is called an overhead or bicycle kick. Shehak Baloch was the player of the match.

Shehak Baloch’s elder brother Majid Paku said that the facilities available to football players in the world are unimaginable in Nushki.

He said that when Shehak was young, he played football in sand and stones in Kali Jamaldini. Since he had an excessive passion for football, difficulties or lack of facilities did not hinder him.

Majid Paku said that since I was a footballer myself, I trained him as much as I could.

Shakeel Jamaldini is the president of the District Football Association Nushki. Apart from being a famous football player, he has also been a teacher at Shehak's school.

He said that when I used to watch Shehak playing football during or after breaks in school, I used to see a lot of talent in him.

He said that Shahak Baloch was fond of football since childhood and he gave his all to this sport to achieve success at the international level.

He said that his elder brother Majid Paku was also a part of the Pakistani team, so Shahak also received his patronage.

According to Shakeel Jamaldini, Shahak would show his talent wherever he got the opportunity due to his hard work, due to which he not only became a part of the Pakistan team but also paved the way for him to play at the international level.

 

Majid Paku says that in the final in Maldives, Shahak scored the first goal with a difficult kick and then the success his team got as a result of his hard work, our family was overjoyed.

He said that all this was the result of our mother and Shahak's own hard work that they got such a big success.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif congratulated the Pakistani team on winning the final and said that the magnificent victory against Afghanistan is a source of pride and joy for the entire nation.

He said, “We pray for our talented players to continue their success in the future.”

 

People are also expressing happiness over the success of the Pakistan football team on social media.

A user named Ahsan Khan wrote that “Pakistan has a lot of talent in this particular sport, especially the people of Lyari and Makran are born footballers.”

In a statement issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board, the football team’s success was described as the beginning of a new era for Pakistan in this sport.

Pakistan Football Association President Syed Mohsin Gilani said on the team’s success that Pakistani football has reached the global level, and even better results will come in the future.