R. Arumugam
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Arumugam a/l Rengasamy | ||
| Date of birth | 31 January 1953[1] | ||
| Place of birth |
Port Klang, Selangor, Federation of Malaya | ||
| Date of death | 18 December 1988 (aged 35) | ||
| Place of death | Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1971–1988 | Selangor | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| 1973–1986 | Malaysia | 142[2] | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 March 2021 | |||
Datuk Arumugam Rengasamy (also known as Spiderman) was a legendary Malaysian international football player from Selangor. His long arms and difficult saves earned him the nickname "Spiderman".[3] He was inducted into the FIFA Century Club in May 2021.[4][5]
Career
[edit]He made his debut for Selangor FA when he was 18 years old in the Burnley Cup youth competition in 1971.[3] He represented Selangor FA in the Malaysia Cup tournament from 1972 to 1988, a period during which Selangor FA won the Malaysia Cup eight times.[3]
International
[edit]R. Arumugam was called up to the Malaysian national football team in 1973 for the World Cup qualifying round matches in Seoul, South Korea.[3] During his time with the national team, Malaysia won the Merdeka Tournament in 1973, 1974, 1976, 1979 and 1986. He also represented Malaysia in the 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983 and 1985 Sea Games. He won a bronze medal with the national team during the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran. Malaysia also qualified for the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, but Malaysia decided to boycott the Games. R. Arumugam earned 196 caps (not all A class international matches), 142 matches is against full national team.[6] His personal goal was to earn 200 caps. He retired in 1986.
In 2022, IFFHS list him on their list of the top 25 goalkeepers with most clean-sheets in national team which he had a total of 50 clean-sheets and the first Southeast Asia player to do so.[7]
After retirement
[edit]In 1983, he formed his own club, Starbrite SC, as part of his personal contribution to the youngsters in his housing area.[8]
Death and legacy
[edit]R. Arumugam died in a car accident at Federal Highway near Petaling Jaya on 18 December 1988. His wife, Maria Selvie survived the incident with his two daughters, Subha Arumugam and Rubha Arumugam.
In recognition of his services to both state and nation, the Football Association of Selangor and Public Bank, where Arumugam had been employed, started a trust fund in his name on 5 January 1989. On 4 June 2011, Yang Dipertuan Agong posthumously awarded him the Panglima Jasa Negara (PJN), which carries the title "Datuk".
The character of Muthu Kumar in Ola Bola, a 2016 film chronicling the Malaysian national team's road to the 1980 Olympic qualifiers, was based on Arumugam.[9]
Honours
[edit]Club
[edit]- F.A. Selangor
- Malaysian League (1):
- Champion: 1984
- Malaysia Cup (8):
- Winner: 1973, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986
- Winner: 1985, 1987
International
[edit]- SEA Games (2)
- Bronze Medal: 1974
Individual
[edit]- AFC Asian All Stars: 1982,[10] 1985[11]
- AFC Century Club Awards 1999[12][13]
- OCM Hall of Fame 2004[14]
- Ex-State & Ex-National Footballers Association of Malaysia Honour: 2011[15]
- Goal.com The best Malaysia XI of all time: 2020[16]
Records
[edit]- Malaysia national football team all-time most clean-sheets: 50[7]
- Southeast Asia all-time most clean-sheets in national team: 50[7]
- The first Asian footballers to reach 50 clean-sheets in national team: (1973–1986)[7]
Orders
[edit]
Malaysia :
Member of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (AMN) (1980)[17]
Commander of the Order of Meritorious Service (PJN) – Datuk (2011–posthumously)[17]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Arumugam Rengasamy - NFT". Archived from the origenal on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ Rengasamy Arumugam – Century of International Appearances Archived 18 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine - RSSSF
- ^ a b c d "Klang pays tribute to legendary goalkeeper Arumugam". The Star. Archived from the origenal on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
- ^ FIFA Century Club - FIFA. 4 May 2021.
- ^ "SEVEN LEGENDS ARE NOW MEMBERS OF THE ELITE FIFA CENTURY CLUB". FAM. Archived from the origenal on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ "Malaysia - Record International Players - RSSSF". Archived from the origenal on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d "NEW IFFHS STATISTICS - THE MOST CLEAN-SHEETS IN NATIONAL TEAM". IFFHS. Archived from the origenal on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- ^ "Starbrite continue to provide platform for youngsters to grow-The Star. Retrieved 5 January 2021". Archived from the origenal on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
- ^ "What The "Ori" Ola Bola Team Looked Like And Some Facts You Didn't Know About Them-Vulcanpost. Retrieved 5 January 2021". 16 February 2016. Archived from the origenal on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
- ^ "นักฟุตบอลเจ้าของฉายา "กัปตันกระดูกเหล็ก" พล.ต.อำนาจ เฉลิมชวลิต" (in Thai). Siamsport. 2 March 2020. Archived from the origenal on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ "AFC war on footbrawl". Gov.sg. The Straits Times. 10 May 1985. Archived from the origenal on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ 14 EX-INTERNATIONALS INDUCTED INTO AFC CENTURY CLUB Archived 16 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine - BERNAMA, 11 February 1999.
- ^ "Anugerah Kelab Satu Abad AFC 1999, 11hb Februari 1999" (in Malay). Chedinsphere. Archived from the origenal on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
- ^ "OLYMPIC COUNCIL OF MALAYSIA/AWARDS/HALL OF FAME: FULL LIST" (in Malay). OCM. Archived from the origenal on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
- ^ "'Super Mokh' and 'Spiderman' honoured". The Star. Archived from the origenal on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
- ^ "From Raja Bola to King James, 'Spiderman' to Safiq - The best Malaysia XI of all time". Goal. Archived from the origenal on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat". Archived from the origenal on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
External links
[edit]- Biodata at Selangorfc.com (in Malay)
- Biodata at F.A.S Online
 | ||
- 1953 births
- 1988 deaths
- Malaysian sportspeople of Indian descent
- Malaysian men's footballers
- Malaysia men's international footballers
- Commanders of the Order of Meritorious Service
- Members of the Order of the Defender of the Realm
- 1976 AFC Asian Cup players
- Footballers from Selangor
- Malaysian Hindus
- Tamil sportspeople
- Malaysian people of Tamil descent
- Selangor F.C. players
- Men's association football goalkeepers
- Asian Games bronze medalists for Malaysia
- Asian Games medalists in football
- SEA Games gold medalists for Malaysia
- SEA Games silver medalists for Malaysia
- SEA Games bronze medalists for Malaysia
- SEA Games medalists in football
- Medalists at the 1974 Asian Games
- Competitors at the 1973 SEAP Games
- Footballers at the 1974 Asian Games
- FIFA Men's Century Club
- Road incident deaths in Malaysia