Former India captain Shabbir Ali attended Durand Trophy unveiling by President Murmu

Former India football captain Shabbir Ali has been invited as a guest of honour for the Durand Trophy flag-off and unveiling ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The Hyderabad football legend described the invitation as a proud moment that revived memories of Indian football's golden era

Hyderabad: Former India football captain Shabbir Ali has been invited as one of the guests of honour for the prestigious flag-off and unveiling ceremony of the Durand Trophy by the President of India, Mrs Droupadi Murmu, at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Shabbir, one of the finest footballers from the city, has been invited as one of the former captains who led their teams in the Durand Cup.

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Another city footballer, Victor Amalraj, was also invited but could not attend because of health issues in his family.

“It is always great to be at such an event, which rekindles our memories. Those were the days when football was played with sheer passion and great skill,” said the 70-year-old Shabbir, who was the first-choice player in the national team for 12 years between 1972 and 1984.

“It is a huge honour to be part of this ceremony as it also gave us (the players of yesteryears) a chance to go down memory lane,” Shabbir told Telangana Today.