As Messi lands for the GOAT tour, Hyderabad’s forgotten football empire awaits a revival

The inclusion of Hyderabad in Lionel Messi’s tour of India, alongside Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi, might confuse the casual fan. After all, the city no longer has the power of the current major powers in the country, such as Kolkata, Mumbai, Goa or Kerala.

But turn back the clock a few years, rather a few decades, and the city’s glorious past, when the sport flourished, comes to light.

What is now fondly remembered as the golden period of Indian football, Hyderabad was truly at the heart of it.

Hyderabad won the Santosh Trophy twice (1956-57, 1957-58), while the Hyderabad Police won five Rovers Cup titles and along the way produced a host of players who have represented the country at various international events, including two Olympic Games.

The list of legends from the bygone era – Syed Abdul Rahim, Sayed Khwaja, Syed Nayeemuddin, Shahid Wasim, Mohammed Habib, Shabbir Ali, Victor Amalraj, Peter Thangaraj, Tulsidas Balaram and Dharmalingam Kannan to name a few – all have a Hyderabad connection. Many of them have even captained the national team, adding to the shine.

That the famous Calcutta Maidan was once a magnet for the city’s players is a testament to the weight that the city’s products carried.

The rich were always present as protectors of football. When it comes to businesses today, it was more likely to be aristocrats like Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam.

Hyderabad hosted its first all-Indian competition, the Majeed Tournament, in 1910. Although it was a resounding success, it was abandoned three years later due to a fight between two teams. But the seeds of a revolution had been sown. One by one, teams formed, strengthened and established themselves in the 1930s, from Gymkhana School and Nizam College to Osmania University.

The foundation for Hyderabad’s football legacy was laid in four crucial years. The local football association was formed in 1939. Rahim took over as secretary in 1942 and a year later the Hyderabad Police won the Ashe Gold Cup. After that it all went uphill.

Widely regarded as the architect of modern Indian football, Rahim was instrumental in giving Hyderabad an identity on the national stage. A visionary coach, he had a keen eye for talent and the know-how to mold some truly world-class talents from the clay of their raw abilities.

“Without a doubt, the greatness of Hyderabad can be traced back to Rahim saabhe was the pioneer. Only after that did we come, establish ourselves and then go on to do well in Calcutta and Bombay,” said former India striker and Dhyanchand Awardee Shabbir Ali. Sports stars

Amalraj, who captained all three Kolkata giants – Mohammedan Sporting, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan – agrees

«You cannot forget our sir Rahim and his contributions. He had a knack for spotting talent and a vision. That is how top players came in those days,» Amalraj said.

He fondly remembered the landscape of the city in its heyday.

«At that time, there was a solid football culture in places like Secunderabad cantonment area, Bowenpally, Gandhi Nagar, Ramkrishna Puram, Kamla Nagar and others. Now, unfortunately, all that has disappeared,» he lamented.

What helped the Pearl City to be a conveyor belt for talent was its strong basic structure.

«The thing is, the production was there. There were tournaments at the school and college level. There were a lot of things happening all the time. Everywhere you looked there were tournaments at that time. That’s missing now, that culture is missing now,» Amalraj said.

For the 63-year-old, memories of Hyderabad and football revolve around the Olympians who represented the country with distinction.

«When I look back, the abiding memory is of the Olympians. Peter Thangaraj – two-time Olympian; Balaram is also a double Olympian. Kannan from Secunderabad, Yousuf Khan and so many others. That was such a great time for the sport,» Amalraj said.

In a sad twist of fate, the talent pool in Hyderabad dried up, a phase that coincided with the emergence of teams from football hotbeds Goa, Kolkata and the Northeast.

There was a glimmer of hope for Hyderabad FC in the Indian Super League. The side defied all expectations and surpassed the established giants with its youthful exuberance on their way to a famous championship victory in 2021-2022. For a brief second, fans believed the spark had been reignited.

But it wasn’t to be. The team has since gone bankrupt, changed hands and moved to Delhi. Top-level men’s football itself is in difficult circumstances in India. In 2025 it will be the first time since 1996 that there will no longer be Premier League football in the country.

Hyderabad is also looking for a new chapter in the Indian football scene.

«The government and corporate teams are not there. That is the biggest handicap that is hurting football in Hyderabad,» Shabbir said.

Which brings us to the present.

Messi, considered one of the greatest players of all time (GOAT), will land in Hyderabad on Saturday. He will be in the city for a few hours, entertain the crowd at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium for less than an hour and then fly to Mumbai.

In a country hit by stardom, the expectation that this tour could inspire the next generation to take Hyderabad to its former glory is understandable, if not logical.

Will this be the masterstroke that Hyderabad has needed for a long time? Or is this just another event that the city will consume and move on without a second thought?

Between these ifs and buts lies the ambiguous limbo of the present. To you, Master Messi.

Published on December 12, 2025