Published 11:20 IST, October 16th 2019
FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: A glance at Adil Khan's career graph
World Cup 2022 qualifiers: Adil Khan rescues India from an embarrassing defeat in Kolkata. We look at the career of the 31-year-old as he embraces the fame.
Adil Khan became the unlikely saviour for India when he headed the ball in the 88th minute against Bangladesh. Bangladesh looked like running away with the game, courtesy of Saad Uddin's first-half header. The 31-year-old centre-half, however, had plans of his own as he evaded his marker and rose the highest to meet the ball with panache to send the crowd into ecstasy. We look at the career graph for the player leading up to this very moment.
Early career
Born in Hyderabad on 7 July 1988, Adil Khan started his football career in 2003 with Sesa Football Academy, Goa. He learnt his trade for five years before moving to Sporting Club de Goa in 2008. He played in various positions for the club including full-back and in the midfield in the I-League 2nd division and later in the 1st division. He made 74 appearances for the club scoring 12 goals before calling it quits in 2013.
Journeyman
He later joined Kolkata based club Mohun Bagan for the 2013-14 I-league season. He made just six appearances for the side and was mainly used as a squad player. He then represented Delhi Dynamos in the 2014-15 ISL season. He later joined the now-defunct Bharat FC for the 2015-16 I-League season but left them without making a single appearance as a serious knee injury ruled him out for the entirety of the campaign. Adil then signed with I-League 2nd Division side Lonestar Kashmir on a 3-month deal to play in the 2015-16 I-League 2nd Division season where he made 18 appearances for the struggling side. After finishing the season with Lonestar Kashmir, he signed a short-term deal with Dempo to play in the Goa Professional League, a state-level tournament.
Finding his niche
Adil signed for newly re-instated Churchill Brothers for the 2016-17 I-League season. He re-invented himself as a centre back and made 18 appearances in a fairly successful season starting as a centre back as his team finished 6th. His fine performances saw him join FC Pune City in 2017. He made 35 appearances for the club scoring four goals along the way. His side finished 4th and 7th in the respective campaigns. Khan has now joined his 8th club Hyderabad FC ahead of this campaign after FC Pune City was dissolved earlier this year.
International career
He made his international debut back in February 2012 against Azerbaijan. Having made his last appearance back in 2012, the defender, made a comeback to the national team after eight long years and scored his maiden goal for the country to seal a thrilling 1-1 draw with Bangladesh. Adil would be hoping to keep performing at the highest level for India.
Updated 14:52 IST, October 16th 2019