Shahid can be remembered as a great dribbler, and one of the fastest on the field. But his name will always be synonymous with G.O.A.T.
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The story of the 1980 Moscow Olympics and Mohammad Shahid is an important one to tell. Not only because India won a gold in hockey that year. But also because it was India’s last hockey gold in an Olympics. It has been four decades since India made it that far in an Olympics, let alone win a gold. Shahid can be remembered as a great dribbler, and one of the fastest on the field. But his name will always be synonymous with G.O.A.T.
He was part of the Vasudevan Baskaran-led Indian team that clinched the gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. His teammates say that Shahid played a huge role in getting the gold for the country. His teammate Zafar Iqbal feels that it would have been impossible to achieve without him.
“Winning the 1980 Olympics gold would have been near-impossible had it not been for Shahid. If he would not have been as consistent as he was, we could have missed our opportunity to win the historic medal,” Iqbal said in an interview.
India beat Spain 4-3 in the final of the 1980 Olympics, with Shahid scoring an all-important goal.
“Surinder Sodhi was our highest scorer but a major role was played by Shahid. He used to place the ball in goal-scoring positions. It used to make the task easier for our strikers.”
Mohammad Shahid was born in Varanasi. He made his first appearance at the Junior World Cup, 1979 in France. It was his first time representing the country in an international event. Shahid made his first senior team appearance the same year. He was a part of the four-nation tournament in Kuala Lumpur under Baskaran. He had proved his mettle at the Aga Khan Cup to make it into the team. His skills and love for the game caught the eyes of his seniors and coaches.
On the hockey field, if he was one of the most feared ones, off it he was the most humble. His opponents would be a testimony to that. A natural finisher, Shahid had an unforgettable partnership with Zafar Iqbal.
In his prime, Shahid was an unstoppable force. His ability to dribble, run with the ball, and score goals ensured his position every match. Whenever he had the ball, his signature move was out. A worldly dribble through a sea of opponents, and making a mockery of the opponents.
“Shahid was one such forward who was unstoppable on the field. Once we traveled to Australia and they knew very well that Shahid could not be stopped during his turnings in front of the goal. Australia’s Ric Charlesworth tried hard to stop him but couldn’t. Because teams put so much focus on him, our other players benefited,” Iqbal said.
He was also part of the team that won silver at the 1982 Asian Games. Not just that, the team also won a bronze at the 1986 Asian Games. His skill and ability at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games ensured he got a place in the Asian All-Star team in 1986.
His biggest contribution to the game of field hockey was the ‘half push- half hit. This stroke can be best described as something he used to hit the ball using the same grip used to dribble the ball. With the left hand on top of the handle and the right half low down around the centre of the stick, he used to perform this shot wuth minimum back lift and slam the ball towards his partner-teammate to make an early and accurate pass.
Mohammed Shahid finally called time on his illustrious career in 1989. It was an end of an era that yielded special moments and gave the endless joy of pure hockey magic to everyone who was lucky enough to watch him play.
