Male' Maldives: Ali Ashfaq (Dhagandey), widely regarded as the greatest footballer the Maldives has produced, has become only the second Maldivian to join the FIFA Century Club, reaching 100 appearances for the national team.
The 40-year-old made his 100th appearance as a substitute in the Maldives' 1-0 loss to Afghanistan in the Diamond Jubilee International Tournament, held to mark 75 years of Maldivian football.
The FIFA Century Club recognises players who have made 100 or more international appearances. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are among its members.
Ashfaq first played for the national team in 2003. The first Maldivian to reach the milestone was goalkeeper Imran Mohamed (Inma), who has made 109 appearances in the national jersey.
Dhagandey's return to the national team came after a three year absence due to injury, which required multiple surgeries. He returned on March 31 in the Maldives' 2-1 win over Timor-Leste, with one goal in mind: reaching 100 caps.
The national team is currently coached by Hungarian István Urbányi, who previously managed the Maldives from 2009 to 2010 and 2011 to 2013, a period during which Ashfaq was at the peak of his career.
Urbányi said that shortly after returning to the Maldives around five months ago as national coach and Technical Director of the Football Association of Maldives, he received a message from Dhagandey requesting a meeting.
"I didn't know the reason behind the request to meet. But I said we could meet at any time, day or night, whenever he wanted. That is because of the respect I have for him," Urbányi said.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Urbányi congratulated Ashfaq on the milestone and said that celebrating the achievement was a source of comfort despite the defeat against Afghanistan.
