| Osman Jan | |
| Birth Date: | Unknown |
| Death Date: | Unknown |
| Death Place: | Karachi, Pakistan |
| Position: | Goalkeeper |
| Youthclubs1: | Delhi Crescent Club |
| Years1: | 1930s |
| Clubs1: | Kolkata Mohammedan |
| Nationalyears1: | 1950–?? |
| Nationalteam1: | Pakistan |
| Nationalcaps1: | ?? |
| Nationalgoals1: | ?? |
| Birth Place: | Delhi, British India |
| Years2: | 1930s |
| Clubs2: | Aryan FC |
| Years3: | 1941–1942 |
| Clubs3: | West Bengal |
| Years4: | 1944–1945 |
| Clubs4: | Delhi |
Osman Jan was a Pakistani footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He was the first footballer to win the Santosh Trophy for two different states,[1] and the first captain ever in the history of the Pakistan national football team.[2]
In the 1930s, Osman played for Kolkata's Mohammedan Sporting as a goalkeeper.[3] [4] He was recruited from Delhi Crescent club. According to Indian defender Sailen Manna, Jan was the greatest goalkeeper he came across. With a short height measuring 5'6", Jan was renowned for his long range leap.[5]
He won the inaugural edition of the Santosh Trophy with West Bengal in 1941.
In the second edition under his captaincy, Delhi achieved an unexpected triumph in the 1944 Santosh Trophy, defeating all time champions Bengal 2–0 in the final. Osman's return to his hometown in Delhi after successful stints at Mohammedan Sporting and Aryans FC in Kolkata helped build a strong Delhi team. This victory remains Delhi's sole triumph in the National Football Championship.
After the partition of India, Osman went over to Pakistan where he was appointed captain of the national team in their international debut during a trip to Iran and Iraq in October 1950.[6]
Osman made his debut in Pakistan's first ever international match on 27 October 1950 against Iran in the Amjadiyeh Stadium in Teheran.[7] Reportedly the Pakistan national team played the match barefoot, which was the norm in South Asia at the time. Pakistan also engaged in unofficial friendly matches during the tour, defeating Tehran's Taj FC (now Esteghlal FC) with a 6–1 scoreline and drawing 2–2 against a team from Isfahan.
In Iraq, due to the Iraqi FA's inability to gather a full national team, Pakistan played an unofficial friendly against the club Haris al-Maliki resulting in a 1–1 draw at Baghdad in front of a 10,000 crowd, playing once again barefoot, with the heroics of Osman keeping Pakistan from losing in the dying minutes of the game.
After his death, a tournament was held in his memory in Karachi.
West Bengal
Delhi