Ishfaq Ahmed is one of the well-known footballers in Kashmir. He is one of the few players from the valley who has represented India at the international level and is an inspiration to many young footballers across the valley.
Let us take a closer look at Ishfaq Ahmad’s football journey.
Early Life
Ishfaq Ahmed was born on 17 March 1983 in the Barbar Shah locality in Srinagar. He completed his schooling at Biscoe school where he initially started as a cricketer but discovered his love for football as he grew up. He participated in all school-level football tournaments and was regarded as the best football youngster in the school.
While pursuing graduation from Gandhi College Srinagar, he joined a local football club YMCA, and played as a striker. His early career was greatly influenced by his first football coach Satpal Singh.
Club Career
Ishfaq Ahmed’s first major club was the Jammu and Kashmir Bank Football Team. He impressed with his performances and earned a call-up to Jammu and Kashmir under-21 squad for the Dutta Trophy where he received the Man of the Tournament Award for his performances.
He then made a switch from Jammu and Kashmir Bank Football Team to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) where he scored seven goals in his maiden season.
He then caught the eye of one of the major football clubs of the I-League, Dempo FC. He spent four seasons with Dempo and won four major titles – the National Football League title twice, a Federation Cup, and a Durand Cup.
At Dempo FC, Ahmed had formed a formidable partnership with fellow striker Ranti Martins of Nigeria. However, the arrival of Beto at Dempo limited his game time and he made a switch to Mohun Bagan in the 2006-07 season.
Ahmed mainly played as a left-winger for the Kolkata-based club and made 37 appearances in his debut season. In the 2008-09 season, Mohan Bagan finished as runners-up in the I-League and lifted the Federation Cup.
He was also named as Player of the Tournament in the Santosh Trophy in 2008. In the 2010–11 season, Ahmed was named as the new captain of Mohan Bagan, becoming the first Kashmiri captain in the club’s illustrious history.
After making 82 appearances and scoring 15 goals in all competitions for Mohan Bagan, he moved to Salgaocar in 2011. He only spent one season at the club scoring 8 goals in 30 appearances.
In his later career, he made short stints at East Bengal and ISL side Kerala Blasters before deciding to retire from football.
International Career
Ishfaq Ahmed made a single appearance for his national side. His performances at Dempo FC earned him a call-up to India’s Under 23 side against Turkmenistan U23. Ahmed scored the only goal of the game giving India a 1-0 win.
Ahmed was also named in the squad for some of the matches of 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers but he failed to make an appearance for the team.
Managerial Career
Ishfaq Ahmed started his coaching career as a player cum assistant coach for Kerala Blasters in 2015. When Blasters’ head coach Steve Coppell left the club and joined Jamshedpur FC, Ahmed followed in his footsteps and joined Jamshedpur as an assistant coach.
However, Ahmed returned to Kerala Blasters in 2019 as an assistant coach to Kibu Vicuna. In 2021, Blasters sacked Vicuna following a disappointing run of results resulting in Ahmed getting promoted as a caretaker manager for the last two games of the season.
In 2023, Ahmed left Blasters following an offer from Real Kashmir FC. In his first game in charge of the Snow Leapords, he guided his team to a 2-0 win over Rajasthan United.
Ahmed guided Real Kashmir to a respectable 5th position in the I-League in his first season and is set to lead Real Kashmir again next season.
Ishfeq Ahmad’s journey is nothing short of a fairytale. His success story from playing in the fields of Biscoe to captaining one of the most decorated football clubs in India is something that will keep motivating young footballers from Kashmir for generations to come.
Read More: International football players from Kashmir
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
