FOOTBALL LEGEND ZAINAL ABIDIN STILL PINES FOR HIS LATE BROTHER KHALID

KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 (Bernama) -- It may have been more than a year since the passing of national football legend Khalid Ali, but his absence is still deeply felt, especially among his fans and family members.

His younger brother, Datuk Zainal Abidin Hassan, also a former national player, said that his family continues to miss the constant chatter and jokes of Khalid, dubbed the family's 'skipper’, especially so during festive celebrations when they would all get together.

"This year marks the second Aidilfitri without Khalid. We still get together as usual but it's not the same because he was like the 'captain’ of our family gatherings.

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"His absence is deeply felt, so what I tell my family members is to continue praying for him,” he told Bernama, his voice choked with emotion, when met recently.

 According to Zainal Abidin, their mother’s ancestral home at Lorong Keramat Dalam 1, Kampung Datuk Keramat here, will continue to be a gathering place for their family, which now spans four generations.

However, the joy and laughter that once filled the house are now missing because it was Khalid who would usually be the life of the gatherings with his jokes, despite being a strict person who was the guiding figure in the family.  

Khalid died on Feb 6 last year, at the age of 66, at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre in Petaling Jaya after battling lung cancer for about a year.

Khalid wore the national team jersey from 1977 to 1985, with his best achievement being helping the national squad qualify for the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, Russia.

"What I miss most about Khalid is that he would call me daily to invite me to go golfing. He wanted to teach me but I wasn't that interested… so, his wish never came true.

"Till today, I still regret not learning from him. He was a great golfer,” said Zainal Abidin, who is also a Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) executive committee member.

Zainal Abidin is not the only family member who shared Khalid's passion for football as their relatives - Hanafiah and Abdul Rahman - also played the game.

They all grew up under one roof and shared a common love for football, with each having represented Selangor and Harimau Malaya during the golden era of national football.

For Zainal Abidin and his other family members, Khalid was not just a great footballer but also a brother, a friend and a leader who left a lasting impact on their lives.

-- BERNAMA