Hockey World Cup hero and Pakistan captain Mansoor Ahmed passes away at 49

Pakistan hockey legend Mansoor Ahmed took his last breath on Saturday after being ill for long due to a heart ailment.

The legendary goalkeeper was 49 years old. He was one of the main heroes of the 1994 hockey World Cup.

After being admitted to the hospital, he was put on ventilator on Saturday morning, but did not survive as his heart was only 20 per cent efficient as per the reports.

Ahmed had represented Paksitan in 338 international games in the time span of 1986 and 2000. He was also the skipper of Pakistan hockey team for a short time.

The 49-year old had a pacemaker and stents implanted to his heart.

Earlier, Ahmed had called out India to help him recover. He was a sporting legend in Pakistan and had helped them win the 1994 World Cup in Sydney.

“I may have broken a lot of Indian hearts on the field of play by beating India in the Indira Gandhi Cup (1989) and in other events but that was sport,” Ahmed told a leading press agency.

“Now I need a heart transplant in India and for that I need support from the Indian government,” he had added.

Ahmed had represented Pakistan in 338 international matches, participating in three Olympics and various other high-profile events in a long career.