Abdul Sulaiman Kadir (Indonesian pronunciation: [ˈabdul kaˈdir]; 27 December 1948 – 4 April 2003) was an Indonesian professional football player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest Asian players in history and as the greatest Indonesian footballer ever.
He played as a winger in Indonesia's national team from 1967 to 1979.[2] Due to his agility in maneuvering the ball, Kadir got himself a nickname of "The Deer" (Indonesian: Kancil).[2] He is the record holder in terms of both appearances and goal scoring for Indonesia.[3] In December 2021, Kadir was confirmed to have made 105 'A' appearances (111 overall) at the international level to become a member of the FIFA Century Club, the only Indonesian footballer to do so.[4]
Abdul Sulaiman Kadir was born on 27 December 1948 to an Indonesian couple in Denpasar, Bali. Since childhood, he has shown his love for football game which made him join the Assyabaab Surabaya youth team as a teenager.[5]
After spending his youth career at Assyabaab Surabaya, Kadir joined Pardedetex Medan (PSMS Medan's internal team) in 1968. He joined the team along with other Indonesian international players including Soetjipto Soentoro, Iswadi Idris and Jacob Sihasale. He played there until 1971 and managed to win the Perserikatan in his last season with the club.[6]
In total he has played 34 matches with both Pardedetex and PSMS Medan and scored 20 goals.[7]
In 1971, Kadir joined the other Perserikatan side Persebaya Surabaya. He spent most of his club career with the team, and managed to deliver the Perserikatan trophy in 1978, as well as three consecutive Surya Cups from 1975 to 1977.[8]
It has been recorded that he has made 107 appearances and scored 85 goals for Persebaya Surabaya from 1971 to 1979, making him Persebaya Surabaya's all-time top scorer.[8]
In 1979, coinciding with the formation of Galatama; a new league competition in Indonesia (although Perserikatan still existed until 1994), Kadir joined one of the teams in the competition, Arseto.[9]
With Arseto, Kadir made history as the first goal scorer in the Galatama competition. He achieved the record after he scored the opening goal against Pardedetex Medan in the opening match of the 1979–80 season. The match ended with Arseto's 3–2 victory with Kadir's hat trick.[9]
After a season with Arseto, Kadir moved to another Galatama club, Perkesa 78, which was located in Bogor (later moved to Sidoarjo). He only played there for one season, the 1980–82 Galatama and was only able to lead the club to finish in 7th position.[10]
In 1982, Kadir moved to Jaka Utama (later renamed to Yanita Utama) to compete in the 1982–83 Galatama. He only played 3 matches and scored 3 goals at the club until he finally decided to retire as a player at the end of the season.[11]
In total during his career with six different clubs, Abdul Kadir has recorded 166 appearances and scored 132 goals, both in the Perserikatan and Galatama competitions.[12]
He began his international career as a youth player for Indonesia when he was selected to compete in the 1965 GANEFO in Pyongyang, North Korea at the age of 16. Kadir then went on to represent Indonesia national under-19 team, including when Garuda Muda finished second in the AFC Youth Championship in 1967.
In August 1967, Kadir received his first call-up to the senior Indonesia national team ahead of their 1967 Merdeka Tournament participation in Kuala Lumpur. He made his debut on 11 August against South Korea, also managed to score his debut goal (Indonesia's only goal in the match) in a 1–3 defeat to the opposing team.
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After his international debut, Kadir continued to be trusted as a key player for Indonesia and has won many titles until his retirement. He played more than 100 international matches and score more than 70 international goals (including non 'A' match) for Indonesia national team as recognised by football statistic organisations RSSSF.[13] He made his century of appearances for Indonesia against India in the Merdeka Tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia on 1 August 1974 – the match ended in a goalless draw.[14] In total, he has made 111 appearances for the national team, making him the most capped player of all time for Indonesia. His 70 goals are also the most of all time for the Indonesia national team.[4]
During his time representing Indonesia, Kadir won several trophies with the team, including the 1968 King's Cup in Thailand, the 1969 Merdeka Tournament in Malaysia, and the 1972 Pesta Sukan in Singapore. Indonesia national team also finished as runners up at the 1972 President's Cup.[2] Together with Soetjipto Soentoro, Iswadi Idris, and Jacob Sihasale, he was elected by Asian Football Confederation as a part of the Asian All Stars in 1968.[12]
Kadir spent most of his career as a left winger. He was praised for his speed and dribbling ability, as well as his ability to create chances and get into the penalty box. In his prime, he was often compared to the playing style of top Brazilian player, Pelé. He was also nicknamed "The Deer" (Indonesian: Si Kancil) due to his agility in maneuvering the ball. Despite only 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) tall, it is not a hindrance, but rather an advantage on the field. His body posture supports his agility in running and controlling the ball, making it difficult for opponents to catch him.[15]
Kadir started his career as a football coach in 1983 when he coached Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian (KTB), a Galatama team from Palembang, South Sumatra. In 1985, he successfully led KTB to its first trophy by winning the league and made the team qualify for the Asian Club Championship (predecessor of the AFC Champions League Elite) the following year.[16] In the 1986–87 season, he once again led KTB to win the league and also won the club's first cup trophy.[17] In the next two seasons from 1988 to 1989, he again led the team to win two consecutive cup trophies.[18]
In 1989, Kadir coached the Indonesia national team with two another former national team player Muhammad Basri and Iswadi Idris. Together they were known as the "Trio Basiska". Indonesia managed to win a bronze medal after defeating Thailand through a penalty shootout in the bronze medal match of the 1989 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[19]
Kadir's career with Trio Basiska had to stop in the same year after Indonesia was only able to survive in the first round of the 1990 World Cup qualifiers. The national team at that time finished in third place in Group 6 with only one win from six total matches.[20]
After no longer serving as Indonesia's coach, Kadir returned to coach Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian in 1989 until the club dissolved in 1991.[21]
In June 1972, Kadir had the opportunity to accompany the Brazilian player Pelé (who at that time came to Indonesia with Santos) who was invited by the national television network TVRI to be a guest star and then demonstrated their skills in controlling the ball.[22] Kadir was a muslim. He was married to Lisa Agustina Sumarweni and lives on Pandudewata Street in Bekasi, West Java since 1989. Together they had four children, including their eldest son Areo Jasa Pradira (who died from typhus in 2005) and their youngest son Muhammad Aly Rizky.[23]
In his 50s, Kadir suffered from kidney failure and had to undergo hemodialysis twice a week at Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Salemba, Jakarta. After several months of medical treatment, he passed away on 4 April 2003 in Jakarta, leaving behind a wife, four children, and a grandchild.[2] He was then buried in Karet Bivak Public Cemetery, South Jakarta. His fellow footballers when he was still a player and coach, including Patar Tambunan, Risdianto, Anjas Asmara, Sutan Harhara, Judo Hadianto also attended his funeral. The President of the Republic of Indonesia at that time, Megawati Sukarnoputri and her husband Taufiq Kiemas, were also present by laying condolence wreaths at his grave.[24]
PSMS Medan
Persebaya
Indonesia U19
Indonesia
Individual
Records
Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian
Indonesia
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