KUALA LUMPUR – Legendary national football player Khalid Ali has passed away at the age of 66.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) announced Khalid’s death in a Facebook post today, which said that he had been fighting lung cancer for nearly a year.
It was reported that Khalid was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer around April last year.
Speaking to Scoop, former national player Datuk Zainal Abidin Hassan said that his elder brother’s health deteriorated over the past two days and he was admitted at the University Malaya Medical Centre.
“My brother has been having breathing difficulties for the past two days and he was also having severe pain on his chest.
“He was going through severe pain and all our family members and close friends were praying for him.
“My brother took his last breath at 3.05pm today. I’m out of words now as I really miss his presence.
“He was more of a mentor than a brother for me. May his soul rest in peace,” said Zainal.
Khalid, who was also a former Selangor FC right-back, donned the iconic black and yellow jersey in 1977-1985 and helped Harimau Malaya qualify for the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
He was very well known for his versatility as he played both as a right-back and a defensive midfielder.
Khalid also had two stints with Selangor, playing for them from 1976 to 1980, and then from 1983 to 1985.
In between, he played for the Kuala Lumpur FC (1981-1982).
Khalid won five major titles with Selangor FC (Malaysia Super League – 1984, Malaysia Cup – 1976, 1978, 1979, 1984) and also won a gold medal for Malaysia in the 1979 SEA Games in Jakarta. – February 6, 2024