Dalam Kenangan – Datuk R. Arumugam

“Spiderman” Malaysia akan berusia 71 tahun pada hari ini seandainya mendiang masih bersama kita.

R. Arumugam diberi nama jolokan tersebut kerana perawakan tinggi dan tangannya yang panjang serta ketangkasan hebat sebagai penjaga gol. Mendiang kekal utuh sebagai legenda di dalam dan luar padang.

Dilahirkan pada 1953, Arumugam pertama kali mewakili Selangor di Piala Burnley 1971 sebelum menyertai pasukan senior setahun selepasnya. Beliau bermain untuk pasukan negeri sehingga 1988 dan, dalam tempoh itu, berjaya memenangi Piala Malaysia sebanyak lapan kali serta pernah menjuarai Liga Malaysia 1984.

Pada tahun 1973, Arumugam dipanggil menyertai pasukan kebangsaan untuk pertandingan Pra-Piala Dunia di Seoul, Korea Selatan. Setelah diberi peluang bermain di Sukan Asia Tehran 1974, di mana Malaysia membawa pulang pingat gangsa, Arumugam dipilih sebagai penjaga gol utama. Detik-detik kecemerlangan bersama Harimau Malaya termasuk menjuarai Pestabola Merdeka lima kali (1973, 1974, 1976, 1979, 1986) dan berjaya layak ke Sukan Olimpik Moscow 1980.

Arumugam yang beraksi bersama legenda tanah air seperti Mokhtar Dahari, Shukor Salleh dan Soh Chin Ann, ternyata mempunyai kemahiran dan bakat semula jadi.. Gaya lompatan dan rebahan badan yang unik beliau membuat lawannya gementar apabila mereka menghampiri pintu gol.

Antara persediaan mendiang bagi menghadapi persaraan adalah dengan menubuhkan kelabnya sendiri, Starbrite Football Club, pada tahun 1983 untuk mencurahkan bakti beliau kepada masyarakat setempat di Port Klang. Arumugam berhasrat untuk mengasah dan mempertengahkan bakat pemain-pemain muda supaya mereka juga berpeluang menjadi pemain sebaik mungkin.

Malangnya, Arumugam meninggal dunia dalam kemalangan jalan raya pada 18 Disember 1988 hanya dua tahun selepas persaraan beliau daripada pasukan kebangsaan. Harimau mati meninggalkan belang. Jasa dan nama baik Arumugam terpahat dalam sejarah bola sepak Malaysia sebagai antara penjaga gol terbaik Harimau Malaya yang tiada tolok bandingnya. Semoga pencapaian beliau menjadi inspirasi bagi anak-anak muda dan generasi akan datang.

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Malaysia’s own “Spiderman” would have been 71 years old today.

R. Arumugam was given the nickname due to his tall stature and long limbs, which allowed him great agility as a goalkeeper, cementing him as a legend on and off the field.

Born in 1953, Arumugam first represented Selangor at the 1971 Burnley Cup before he joined the senior team a year after. He played for his state until 1988 and, during that period, won the Malaysia Cup eight times and became champions of the 1984 Malaysian League.

In 1973, he was called up to join the national team at the Pre-World Cup in Seoul, South Korea. After being given the opportunity to play at the 1974 Tehran Asian Games, where Malaysia brought home the bronze medal, Arumugam became the national team’s first-choice goalkeeper. Highlights of his years with Harimau Malaya include winning the Merdeka Tournament five times (1973, 1974, 1976, 1979, 1986) and qualifying for the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.

Playing alongside the greats such as Mokhtar Dahari, Shukor Salleh and Soh Chin Ann, Arumugam was not without his own skills and talent. His unique style of leaps and dives leave his opponents intimidated as they near the net.

Arumugam formed his own club – Starbrite Football Club – in 1983 to contribute back to his local football scene in Port Klang. His retirement plans included nurturing and showcasing the young talents from his hometown so they too can become the best player they could be.

Tragically, Arumugam passed away in a car accident on December 18, 1988, just a couple of years after he retired from the national team. He has left an indelible mark as one of the best goalkeepers in Malaysian football and could never be replaced. All his achievements should become an inspiration for youngsters and generations to come.