KARACHI: Pakistan hockey legend, Mansoor Ahmed passed away on Saturday.
Earlier, reports stated that doctors had put Ahmed on life support as his lungs and heart were not functioning well otherwise.
The hockey legend was suffering from heart ailment for the past three years and was undergoing treatment at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease in Karachi.
Ahmed was considered as the last great hockey goalkeeper Pakistan produced. He started playing in the mid-80s and remained part of the national team until 2000.
He also remained captain of Pakistan national team and remained part of the team in three world cups. He played 338 matches as a national goalkeeper.
He was given Presidential Medal in 1988 and received Pride of Performance in 1994.
He played first Junior Hockey Cup in 1985.
He was famous for his penalty stroke-save in 1994 hockey world cup final against Holland.
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On April 23, Mansoor Ahmed reached out to India for help in securing a heart transplant — despite years of breaking his rivals’ “hearts on the field”.
The 49-year-old has been suffering for weeks from complications stemming from a pacemaker and stents implanted in his heart.
Ahmed has been a sporting icon in Pakistan since helping the country win the 1994 World Cup in Sydney with his penalty stroke push against the Netherlands in the final.
“I may have broken a lot of Indian hearts on the field of play by beating India in the Indira Gandhi Cup (1989) and in other events but that was a sport,” Ahmed told AFP.
“Now I need a heart transplant in India and for that, I need support from the Indian government.”
