Bangladesh's reliable centre-back Tapu Barman boasts the experience of playing under a number of foreign coaches at the club level and the national team. The 27-year-old defender worked with a total of 18 different foreign coaches -- nine at the national team and as many at the club level. In an interview with The Daily Star's Anisur Rahman, Tapu talked about his experiences. The excerpts of the interview are as follows:

The Daily Star (DS): How have your experiences been training under different foreign coaches?

Tapu Barman (TB): Each coach had a different philosophy. And I learned a lot from them as they were from different nations. However, I must point out the training sessions I had under Macedonian coach Nikola Ilievski in 2011 and Jamie Day in 2021 as they were developed using scientific methods specifically designed to improve players' performance.

DS: How good a rapport do you think the foreign coaches were able to build with the Bangladeshi players?

TB: Most of the coaches were cheerful and helpful as they wanted to get the maximum out of the players. However, Jamie Day, Fabio Lopes, Lodewijk De Kruif were, in my opinion, ahead of others at the national team level while Mario Lemos and Oscar Bruzon could be kept ahead among the coaches I had in the domestic circuit. To be honest, I was afraid to talk to coaches at the beginning of my career. Later, I was able to shrug it off gradually.

DS: How did you use to take the different concepts of the coaches regarding football in Bangladesh?

TB: They usually arrived with a positive concept about Bangladesh football and with ideas about the current footballers. They used to study and gather knowledge from the internet. However, some coaches, who were given the responsibility of the national team for the first time, had confusion regarding the standard of football in Bangladesh. But they later went on to find out that the players were able to exceed their expectations.

DS: How helpful were the foreign coaches to the players off the field?

TB: It's always a plus if coaches help players on both their on and off-the-field matters. Most of the coaches that I trained under, barring five or six, had this quality. I got favours from coaches when I had family issues.

DS: It is said that footballers are more loyal to foreign coaches than the local coaches. What's your opinion on this?

TB: Actually, it varies from player to player.

DS: What were the foreign coaches' takes on Bangladesh's culture?

TB: They always appreciated our hospitality but were agitated by the heavy traffic on the roads. The foreign coaches, especially the national coaches, enjoyed the fans' enthusiasm and even asked the players to capitalise on the home-ground advantage.

DS: Can you recall any memory with the coaches that still inspires you?

TB: During the World Cup Qualifiers in Doha, coach Jamie Day inspired me and Jamal Bhuiyan to put up better performances that could earn us the opportunity to play in foreign leagues. In the first match against Afghanistan, I played better and scored the equaliser during a 1-1 draw. Following that campaign, I was offered by an agent to play in India and Qatar which is a sweet memory for me.