Last Updated on May 9, 2023 by Amber Heard
Top 10 Greatest Field Hockey Players of All Time
1. Dhyan Chand
Major Dhyan Chand (29 August 1905 – 3 December 1979) was an Indian field hockey player widely regarded as one of the greatest in the history of the sport.
2. Sohail Abbas
Sohail Abbas, (born 9 June 1975) is a former captain of the . He is the highest goal scorer in international with 348 international goals. A notable player of the field hockey game, he is widely regarded as the ‘King of the drag flick.
3. Ric Charlesworth
Richard Ian Charlesworth (born 6 February 1952) is an Australian sports coach and former politician. He played for and international for the (the Australian national team), winning a silver medal at the . Charlesworth served as a federal member of parliament from 1983 to 1993, representing the . After leaving politics, he was appointed coach of the (the national women’s field hockey team), leading them to Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2000. Charlesworth later coached the Kookaburras from 2009 to 2014, and has also worked in consulting roles with the , the , and the (an team).
4.Hassan Sardar
Hassan Sardar (born October 22, 1957 in) is a former player and team captain from , who won the with the Men’s National Hockey Team at the 1984 Summer Olympics in .
A native, Sardar studied in Habib Public High School and graduated from . Arguably the best Pakistan has ever produced, he started his international career in the early 1980s and played his first in 1982 held in , . Graceful and deadly, he played in arguably the best forward line Pakistan has ever had along with, , and Kalimullah Khan. Sardar was declared ‘Man of the Tournament’ for scoring 11 world cup goals and Pakistan took the gold.
5. Shahbaz Ahmed
Shahbaz Ahmad (born September 1, 1968) is a former player from who is also known by his nickname as “Shahbaz Ahmed Senior”. He was born in to Arain family.
He is considered to be among the best forwards in the history of field hockey. He joined the Pakistan National Hockey Team in 1986, and was captain of the national side, that led his team to the 1994 Men’s Hockey World Cup victory. “He played a major role in Pakistan victories in 1994 World Cup in Sydney, Australia and Champions Trophy 1994 in Lahore, Pakistan.” After the in Atlanta Games1996, he played for Dutch club Oranje Zwart and for German club Harvestehuder THC fromHamburg for a couple of years.
6.Teun de Nooijer
Teun Floris de Nooijer (born 22 March 1976) is a field hockey player from the Netherlands , who twice became Olympic champion with the Dutch national squad, in 1996 and in 2000, and was on the team in 2012.He currently plays for Dutch side HC Bloemendaal and in Hockey India League for Uttar Pradesh Wizards .
7. Ties Kruize
Ties Kruize (born 17 November 1952) is a former field hockey player from the Netherlands. He competed at the 1972 and 1984 Olympic Games and finished in fourth and sixth place, respectively. He became world champion in 1973, European champion in 1983, and retired from international competition in 1986, after the Hockey World Cup in London.
8. Jamie Dwyer
Jamie Dwyer (born 12 March 1979) is an Australian field hockey player. He currently plays for YMCC Coastal City Hockey Club in the Melville Toyota League in Perth, Western Australia. He did play for the Queensland Blades in the Australian Hockey League. He debuted for Australia as a junior player in 1995, and for the senior side in 2001. He has played over 350 matches for Australia and scored over 220 goals. He has represented Australia at the 2004 Summer Olympics where he won a gold medal and the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Olympics where Australia won bronze medals
9. Dhanraj Pillay
Dhanraj Pillay Yadav (born 16 July 1968) is a retired Indian field hockey player and former captain of the Indian national team. He also looks after the Air India Sports Promotion Board as a Joint Secretary based in Mumbai. For the last 5 years, Dhanraj is overseeing the SAG Hockey Academy in Gujarat funded by the Gujarat Government. A legend of the game, he is regarded as one of the best Indian players
10. Fergus Kavanagh
Fergus Kavanagh (born 21 May 1985) is an Australian field hockey player. He plays Western Australia in the Australian Hockey League . He is a member of the Australia men’s national field hockey team , winning a bronze medal with the team at the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Olympics. He won a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and at the 2014 Commonwealth Games .
