Muhammad Umer Baloch TI FIFAOM (Urdu: محمد عمر بلوچ; 1935 – 21 March 2004), alternatively spelled Mohammad Omer, was a Pakistani professional footballer who played as a striker.
Renowned for his goal-scoring abilities, prolific finishing, and hat-tricks, he is widely considered as one of the greatest Pakistani footballers of all time.
In his first year, he became the Calcutta League's top scorer, while also guiding Mohammedan to the title, also captaining the side to win the 1960 Aga Khan Gold Cup.
[6] Initially rising through the ranks from school football,[7][8] Umer began his career in 1948, aged 13, as a goalkeeper for Karachi-based Qadri Sports.
In the same year, he again toured India, earning acclaim for scoring six goals in a game in Ernakulam and achieving a hat-trick in Mysore, as reported by local Indian newspapers.
Umer represented East Pakistan in the National Football Championship in 1956, and in the same year, went on his third Indian tour with Kemari Mohammedan, finishing runners-up to Hyderabad Police.
During the tournament, he also scored eight goals in a single game against Maharashtra FC, earning praise and sparking interest from Indian clubs.
[11] Umer enjoyed star status during his stay in India, and featured in several magazine headlines and advertisements of companies in the country media.
[12] He was admired by then Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar, who reportedly insisted Umer to stay in India, although in the end he left Mohammedan in the early 1960s and returned to Pakistan.
[9] In the 1960 semi-final, Pakistan lost to hosts Malaysia but reached the final in the 1962 edition under Umer's captaincy, ultimately losing to Indonesia.