UPDATED AT:
14 – 04 – 2023
FIRST SQUAD:
Goalkeepers:
ABDALLAH ABDEL-AZIZ – Al-Merrikh; Era: SH 1960s
HAMID EISA BRIMAH ★ – Al-Merrikh; Era: SH 1980s
SABIT DUDU – Al-Hilal Omdurman; Era: SH 1950s & FH 1960s
Defenders:
TARIQ AHMED ADAM – Al-Hilal Omdurman; Era: SH 1980s & FH 1990s
BORAÎ BASHIR – Al-Merrikh; Era: SH 1950s
NEGM EL-DIN HASSAN – Al-Neel SC, Era: SH 1960s & FH 1970s
MAHMOUD SAID SALIM “JAMES” – Al-Tahrir Bahri; Era: SH 1960s & FH 1970s
MOHAMED EL-SIR ABDALLA “KAUNDA” – Al-Merrikh; Era: FH 1970s
SAMIR SALIH FAHMI – Al-Nil Wad Madani; Era: SH 1960s
MANSOUR BASHEER “TENGA” – Al-Hilal Omdurman; Era: SH 1980s & FH 1990s
MOHAMMED AMIN ZAKI © – Al-Hilal Omdurman; Era: SH 1960s
Midfielders:
FAISAL AGAB – Al-Merrikh; Era: SH 2000s
SAMI EZZ EL-DEEN – Al-Merrikh; Era: SH 1980s
SOLEIMAN FARES – Al-Ahly (Egypt); Era: FH 1950s & SH 1950s
ABDEL MONEIM HUSSEIN – Al-Ahly (Egypt); Era: SH 1970s & FH 1980s
HAITHAM MUSTAFA – Al-Hilal Omdurman; Era: SH 2000s
ISSAM OTHMAN “PLATINI” – Al-Hilal Omdurman; Era: FH 1990s
Forwards:
MUSTAPHA AL-NAQR – Al-Nassr (Saudi Arabia) / Al-Hilal Omdurman; Era: FH 1980s
ALI GAGARIN – Al-Hilal Omdurman; Era: FH 1970s & SH 1970s
OMAR EL-NOUR – Zamalek SC (Egypt); Era: SH 1960s
NASR EL-DIN ABBAS “JAKSA” ★ – Al-Hilal Omdurman; Era: SH 1960s & FH 1970s
MOHAMMED KASSALA – Al-Nasr SC (United Arab Emirates); Era: SH 1970s
SIDDIQ MANZUL ★ – Al-Hilal Omdurman; Era: SH 1950s
Manager:
ABDEL-FATTAH HAMAD ABOU-ZEID – Sudan NT; FH 1970s
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BEST XI:
GK BRIMAH
RB SAMIR CB ZAKI CB ADAM LB “TENGA”
DM HUSSEIN
AM EL-NOUR AM “PLATINI”
RW “JAKSA” CF ALI GAGARIN IF MANZUL
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My Thoughs about Sudan’s Squad and Players:
Despite the good material available online about sudanese footballers, the research itself was a complete mess, and I think I‘m missing someone. The squad is nice, but I absolutely would appreciate other suggestions.
Sudan was a top african/arab football country from 50’s to early 70’s. In that period, Sudan NT used to play against foreign sides (some of them europeans), providing valuable experience to their players. At the time, their games “showed that sudanese football has certain values” with “very skilled players but primitive football“. Sudan football had improved in the late sixties, with a more supportive passing game. Sudan reached its greatest moment by winning the 1970 ACN. Sudan’s main teams showed themselves to be good sides in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Al-Hilal Omdurman reached the African Cup of Champions Clubs final twice (1987 and 1992), and Al-Merrikh won the 1989 African Cup Winners’ Cup. Some of the main footballers of those teams receive votes for the African Ballon d’Or.
So, Sudan had produced good/great footballers by african/arab standards. A good number of them were reckoned among the top african/arab footballers at their peak, and (despite not being an export footballing nation) others enjoyed good spells in foreign leagues. However, the number of good options wasn’t that big to warrant a second squad.
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The first goalie was an easy choice. As I’ve consulted the African Ballon d’Or’s editions, Al-Merrikh’s star, HAMID EISA BRIMAH was top-5 african goalies and one of the overall best arab/african during second half of the 1980s, and that’s awesome. Needless to explain how excellent was the main african goalkeepers at the time. SABIT DUDU, the sudanese goalkeeper of the century, was one of the best african and arab keeper in his prime, maybe the best one. In his twilight days, he was a nominee for the 1965 Arab Best XI (it might actually be the 1965 Pan Arab Games best XI, in which Sudan finished second). The 3rd keeper is ABDALLAH ABDEL-AZIZ, one of the heroes of Sudan NT who won the 1970 ACN, the country’s first and only continental title. One of the plausible best goalkeeper of 1970 ACN, Abdel-Aziz seems to be one of the top footballers in the region in his prime years.
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The Superstar MOHAMMED AMIN ZAKI was a defender with great international experience who won the 1970 ACN as Sudan NT’s skipper. His appearance in the 1965 Arab XI and his nomination to the 1970 ACN Best XI may suggest that Zaki was one of the top arab/african defenders in the second half of 1960s. The main defensive name of the great Al Hilal Omdurman side from the late 1980s to early 1990s, TARIQ AHMED ADAM got votes for the African Ballon d’Or in two editions. He was also appointed to be one of the best arabian defenders in his prime, but I’m still unsure about his main position. MAHMOUD SAID SALIM “JAMES” is one of Sudan’s most accomplished centre-backs. A mainstay centre-back of Sudan NT in seventies due of his solidity, “James” enjoyed a large international experience. BORAÎ BASHIR‘s main position seems to be centre-half (3-2-5) but he was a multifunctional footballer able to play everywhere, even in attack. A highly refined footballer whose football greatness is close, if not equal, to Dudu or Manzul. Like his contemporaries teammates, Bashir enjoyed experience against decent sides.
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SAMIR SALIH FAHMI is a footballer with great experience who lived his best phase during the mid-1960s to late-1960s. He appears in the 1970 ACN Best XI and, as it seems, was the top-10 best african in the same year, which led me to conclude that he might be the best african right-back at that time. On the other side, MANSOUR BASHEER “TENGA” is usually the best sudanese left-back ever. A model of a modern side-back, “Tenga” receives votes in African Ballon d’Or editions, but his individual profile is not on par with Samir’s.
The regular left-back of Sudan NT in the country’s greatest phase and one of the 1970 ACN winners, NEGM EL-DIN HASSAN is one of the most reliable sudanese defenders of his time. A respectable defender in african and arab world, he appears, like Dudu, in 1965 Arab XI. MOHAMED EL-SIR ABDALLA “KAUNDA” was the regular right-back of Sudan NT in the early seventies, and he appears in the 1972 ACN Best XI however, he has, as I understand reading about him, the lesser expressive curriculum of all side-backs in the squad.
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The legendary Al-Ahly footballer ABDEL MUNEIM HUSSEIN is one of the most decorated foreign footballers in egyptian league history. In the 1970s, he was appointed to be one of the top defensive midfielders based in Africa. After his retirement, he was named one of the Top 200 African Footballers (1957-2007). Prior to Hussein, Al-Ahly had another defensive midfielder from Sudan. As I’ve seen in some game reports, SOLEIMAN FARES might be mainly a half-back. A key player for Al-Ahly sides due to his toughness and defensive mentality, he spent eight years in Egypt.
SAMI EZZ EL-DEEN was a cultured and gifted midfielder and a star of a great Al-Merrikh side from the eighties. Due of his collective achievements, I was expecting to see his name in some African Ballon d’Or editions, but he never received a single vote. Not good for someone rated as the fifth sudanese footballer of the century. The amount of votes for ISSAM OTHMAN “PLATINI” in the African Ballon d’Or may have evaluated him as one of the top creative footballers in Africa. He might be the main star behind 1992’s Al Hilal Omdurman. Nevertheless, I wish know more about him. FAISAL AGAB and HAITHAM MUSTAFA were the most popular sudanese footballers in a phase when sudanese football started to regain some of its lost competitiveness. In normal conditions, I do not regard a player’s popularity as proof of peak material, but popularity doesn’t come out of nowhere.
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NASR EL-DIN ABBAS “JAKSA” is, usually, Sudan’s greatest footballer ever and the sudanese star in 1970 ACN and was elected as a top-10 african. His large international experience and memorable matches/goals against decent sides elevated the sudanese ahead of any other african/arab forward at his prime. In 2007, “Jaska” was elected one of the 30 greatest african footballer of all time. OMAR EL-NOUR deployed his long career at Zamalek SC as an attacking midfielder and winger. He lived his bright days in the mid sixties to late sixties and he is still remembered as one of the most gifted footballers in the 1960s egyptian league. El-Nour’s career in Sudan NT was brief, nevertheless, his career in a top tier african league is hard to discredit.
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One of the greatest sudanese footballers ever, ALI GAGARIN was reckoned by the whole continent as one of the most feared and fastest african forwards during the 1970s. In an era when sudanese football started to decline, Ali Gagarin’s goals helped Sudan NT stay competitive on african continent. Later, he was named one of the Top 200 African Footballers (1957-2007). SIDDIG MANZUL was quite knowed even in Europe. Considered Sudan’s player of the century, the nº10 (usually used by a left inside-forward at the time) possesses great international experience against decent sides. As I’ve read about him, he was one of the greatest african/arab footballers prior to 1990.
MUSTAPHA AL-NAQR appears in Arab XI that beat Netherlands by 4-1 in 1982 (not sure if the opponent was actually Netherlands). His appearence doesn’t seems default: he was a star of Al-Nassr vitorious side at early eigthies. His name was also listed in one African Ballon d’Or edition. Like Al-Naqr, MOHAMMED KASSALA shone in Gulf Region. Despite I didn’t find material that elevated the creative forward among top african/arab footballers, Kassala was a star behind Al-Nasr SC’s greatest phase and one of the greatest foreign players that exploits their football in emirati lands.
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Looking for a manager for the squad, ABDEL-FATTAH HAMAD ABOU-ZEID seems to be a good option. Under his guidance, Sudan won the 1970 ACN and qualified for the 1972 Olympic Football Tournament. In any case, I would appreciate others suggestions.
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PLAYERS BY POSITION:
GK |
FB (2-3-5) / CH (3-2-5) / CB / SW |
ABDALLAH ABDEL-AZIZ
|
TARIQ AHMED ADAM
|
RHB (2-3-5) / RFB (3-2-5) / RB / RWB |
LHB (2-3-5) / LFB (3-2-5) / LB / LWB |
SAMIR SALIH FAHMI
|
NEGM EL-DIN HASSAN
|
CH (2-3-5) / HB (3-2-5) / DM / CM |
AM |
SOLEIMAN FARES
|
FAISAL AGAB
|
OR / RM / RW |
OL / LM / LW |
OMAR EL-NOUR
|
|
IF / SS |
CF |
MUSTAPHA AL-NAQR
|
MUSTAPHA AL-NAQR
|
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Aditional informations/sites consulted not listed in “Main References and Sources“:
• Best XI in African Cup of Nations;
• forum.kooora.com;
• sudaneseonline.com;
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Football Classic Teams 
I don’t think your research is a mess. You created the team well. The sources you used are the same I read time ago. However, while all the players you selected are worthy of a spot in the team, there are a few omissions that would make it, in my opinion.
Samir Muhammad ALI: born in Egypt, he was Zamalek’s goalkeeper during the 1960s and he’s considered one of the greatest goalkeepers in the club’s history. But because he was of Sudanese origin, Sudan’s coach decided to provide him a passport to call him up. He eventually capped for Sudan.
Sheikh IDRIS Kabashi: considered the greatest defender in Sudan’s history, he played mostly during the 1970s. Due to his unique style of play that stood out, he proved to be more complete and in a higher level than the rest of Sudan’s defenders. Not only he was excellent in the defence, but he was a good support for the attack too thanks to his ability to start the play from the back.
In addition:
By reading some articles, I understood that Sulemain FARES was a right-back turned right-half. I believe you may move him to the RHB/RFB/RB/RWB section.
I think Siddiq MANZUL was outside left and inside-left. Apparently, his main quality was his movement down the left wing before unleashing powerful shots from there. You may fill the OL/LM/LW section with his name and set him as LW in the line-up. I must say that it looks a bit odd to have two AMF and an IF on one side.
Thanks for the comment.
Ali is strange. As much as I’ve consulted some Zamalek game reports, I see that he wasn’t always the first choice keeper while at Zamalek, which is not a good sign. Was he prone to injuries? I do not know, and a deep research is needed…
In most game reports, Fares was listed mainly as half-back and a couple of games either as a right-back and as a left-back. He could be listed as RB as well, but his number of games as RB wasn’t that numerous to be listed in the RHB/RFB/RB/RWB table.
Manzul might be an inside-left whose football style resembles a winger. Football style and football position are not the same thing, but I agree that the XI with two AM and a IF is a bit weird.
I’ve read about Sheikh Idris Kabashi, but Kabashi’s football attributes alone aren’t enough… I want to believe that he deserves a room in the squad, but something is missing… 😦
Sorry for the unintentional spamming. I noticed that my comment wasn’t published, so I posted a second one. Anyway, I believe both comments are from an “Anonymous” user. Which is weird because I thought that I was logged in. If you can, delete the previous anonymous comments and keep this one only.
Ali played for Zamalek from 1964 to 1971 and alternated with Abdel Hamid Shaheen who was at the club from 1960 to 1970. I believe it was simply a technical choice, considering also that Ali apparently played basketball as well. I also read an interview to Ahmed Salah, accomplished goalkeeper coach and former Zamalek’s goalkeeper, who said that Ali is one of the greatest goalkeepers in the Egyptian League’s history alongside El-Hadary, El-Batal and a few others.
I wouldn’t rely on the line-ups found in the reports. For example, I use “Archivio La Stampa” for Italian football and the newspaper used to write the players in an order that makes the formations look like 2-3-5 even when coaches were already using 3-2-5 or 3-3-4.
Sheikh Idris (born in 1957 or 1959) played for Al-Hilal from 1978 to 1995. Therefore, other than being considered the best defender in Sudan’s history, he was also part of the best team in the country that won 9 league titles in the time span up to Idris’ retirement. I think that being considered the best defender in the country and having played for the best team in the country make him eligible for this all stars squad.
(Other comments have been deleted, no worries.)
So Ali was like Woodward? Woodward lived his sports career between football and tennis (he actually prefers tennis over football, which is not good). Ali on par with El- Hadary, El-Batal as one of the greatest keeper ever from the egyptian league – It seems too good to be true for a keeper who was alternated with another keeper by a mere technical option, to be honest.
I’ve consulted the line-ups of Al-Ahly in the Dr. Tarek Said website, which are more accurate (because the XI are mostly 3-2-5 or even 4-3-3). Fares was listed as a midfielder in most cases. Some europeans newspapers still reported the teams’s XI under the old 2-3-5 when the 3-2-5 was the norm. I’m wondering why they used to report the teams this way…
I respect people’s views about Kabashi, but, without other evidence, people’s thoughts and views about historical footballers are close to being falsifiable. As an Al-Hilal footballer (from 1978–1995, as you said), he could get votes for the African Ballon d’Or. Actually, an Al-Hilal defender received votes, and he was Adam, not Kabashi (Kabashi never received a single vote…). I repeat my insight about Kabashi: Something is missing.
Nevertheless, if you add Kabashi to the squad, who would you retire?
I’m not sure. Maybe Ali simply wasn’t available when he didn’t play. Anyway, he alternated with Shaheen who was a good keeper on his own and a member of the Egypt national team.
Yes, I also consulted Dr. Tarek website. Very helpful. And regarding the newspapers still reporting the line-ups as 2-3-5, it was in my opinion either laziness or a lack of knowledge that resulted in the journalists not seeing the difference between 2-3-5 and newer types of formation.
In my Sudan version, I don’t have Negm el-Din Hassan, though he’s a very accomplished player with also over 100 caps with the national team. The thing is that I don’t give too much credit to Ballon d’Or and similar awards. I always thought that there is a lot of bias in giving such awards and, in recent memories, sponsors have also their influence. Therefore, there may be plenty of underappreciated players. But I understand that you may not have enough faith in descriptions of players that may reflect personal opinions.
That’s cool. Thanks for understand me.
Muito legal o gráfico das posições dos jogadores, até mesmo dos times pequenos como o Sudão, estava pensando, não é melhor deixar a explicação por último antes do gráfico?
Muitíssimo obrigado pela apreciação.
Cada post divide-se em “squad/best XI”, texto, e tabela. Ordenei por importância. A tabela das posições é o menos importante porque tem um certo teor técnico/estatístico – ou seja – um pouco aborrecido. 😂