| Maula Bakhsh | |
| Fullname: | Maula Bakhsh Gotai |
| Birth Date: | 1947 |
| Birth Place: | Lyari, Pakistan |
| Position: | Forward |
| Years1: | 1960s |
| Clubs1: | Karachi Port Trust |
| Years2: | 1960s |
| Clubs2: | Pakistan Airlines |
| Years3: | 1960s |
| Clubs3: | EPIDC |
| Years4: | 1968 |
| Clubs4: | Mersin İdman Yurdu |
| Caps4: | 2 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Years5: | 1974–? |
| Clubs5: | Al-Shaab |
| Nationalyears1: | 1964–1974 |
| Nationalteam1: | Pakistan |
| Death Place: | Sharjah, United Arab Emirates |
Maula Bakhsh Gotai (ur|{{Nastaliq|مولا بخش گوٹائی; 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.
Bakhsh was born in Saifi Lane, in the Lyari locality of Karachi in 1947.[1] [2] He started playing football at an early age for the local Saifi Sports Club.[3] 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.[4] [5]
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.[6]
After making good impression with the national team in a match against Turkey at the 1967 RCD Cup,[7] on 6 April 1968, Bakhsh along with national teammate Abdul Jabbar signed for Turkish First Football League club Mersin İdman Yurdu on a two-year contract.[8] [9] Bakhsh made two appearances with the team against Ankara Demirspor and Bursaspor during the 1967–68 Turkish First Football League.[10] Both stayed at the club for six months.[11]
Bakhsh had reportedly later claimed 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.[12]
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.
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.
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.
Note: Exact figures of Pakistani players before 1989 are not yet known and yet to be researched. Below are goals recorded.
| Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 November 1967 | Bogyoke Aung San Stadium, Rangoon, Burma | 1–1 | 1968 AFC Asian Cup qualification | [13] | |||
| 2 | 10 September 1969 | Ankara 19 Mayıs Stadium, Ankara, Turkey | 1–0 | 2–4 | 1969 RCD Cup | [14] |