R. Arumugam

Datuk Arumugam Rengasamy (also known as Spiderman) was a legendary Malaysian national football player from Selangor. His long arms and difficult saves earned him the nickname "Spiderman". He was born on 31 January 1953 in Port Klang, Selangor. He started his football career at a young age.

Datuk
Arumugam Rengasamy
AMN PJN
Personal information
Full name Arumugam a/l Rengasamy
Date of birth 31 January 1953
Place of birth Port Klang, Selangor,
Federation of Malaya
Date of death 18 December 1988(1988-12-18) (aged 35)
Place of death Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1971–1988 Selangor
National team‡
1973–1986 Malaysia 142 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 25 March 2021

Career

He made his debut for Selangor FA when he was 18 years old in the Burnley Cup Youth Tournament in 1971. He represented Selangor FA in the Malaysia Cup tournament from 1972 to 1988, a period during which Selangor FA won the Malaysia Cup ninth times.

International

R. Arumugam was called up to the Malaysia national football team in 1973 for the World Cup qualifying round matches in Seoul, South Korea. During his time with the national team, Malaysia won the Merdeka Tournament in 1973, 1974, 1976, 1979 and 1986. He also represented Malaysia in the 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983 and 1985 Sea Games. He won a bronze medal with the national team during the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran. Malaysia also qualified for the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, but Malaysia decided to boycott the Games. R. Arumugam recorded 196 caps (not all A class international matches), 142 matches is against full national team.[1] His personal goal was to earn 200 caps. He retired in 1986.

After retirement

In 1983, he formed his own club, Starbrite SC, as part of his personal contribution to the youngsters in his housing area.[2]

Death and legacy

R. Arumugam died in a car accident at Federal Highway near Petaling Jaya on 18 December 1988. His wife survived the incident with his two daughters, Maria Selvie, and two daughters, Subha Arumugam and Rubha Arumugam.

In recognition of his services to both state and nation, the Football Association of Selangor and Public Bank, where Arumugam had been employed, started a trust fund in his name on 5 January 1989. On 4 June 2011, Yang Dipertuan Agong posthumously awarded him the Panglima Jasa Negara (PJN), which carries the title "Datuk".

The character of Muthu Kumar in Ola Bola, a 2016 film chronicling the Malaysian national team's road to the 1980 Olympic qualifiers, was based on Arumugam.[3]

Honours

Club
F.A. Selangor
Champion: 1984
Winner: 1973, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986
Winner: 1985, 1987

International
Winners: 1973, 1974, 1976, 1979, 1986
Winners: 1977, 1979
Runners-up: 1981
Bronze Medal: 1974

Individual

Orders

See also

References
  1. Rengasamy Arumugam – Century of International Appearances - RSSSF.
  2. Starbrite continue to provide platform for youngsters to grow-The Star. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  3. What The "Ori" Ola Bola Team Looked Like And Some Facts You Didn't Know About Them-Vulcanpost. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  4. 14 EX-INTERNATIONALS INDUCTED INTO AFC CENTURY CLUB - BERNAMA, 11 February 1999.
  5. "Anugerah Kelab Satu Abad AFC 1999, 11hb Februari 1999" (in Malay). Chedinsphere. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  6. "OLYMPIC COUNCIL OF MALAYSIA/AWARDS/HALL OF FAME: FULL LIST" (in Malay). OCM. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  7. FIFA Century Club - FIFA, 04 Mei 2021.
  8. "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat".
  9. "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat".
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