A Tk 350 investment that birthed a national footballer

"Because my father, who was a farmer, did a lot to empower me to pursue my dreams, I asked him to stop working and rely on me since I am earning handsome amounts by playing football," Chittagong Abahani midfielder Sohel Rana said as he spoke of his father.

The 25-year-old is one of three new faces, all holding midfielders, drafted into Bangladesh's 21-member preliminary squad for next month's FIFA-sanctioned friendly against Indonesia and the Asian Cup Qualifiers in Malaysia.

"My family, especially my father, supported me a lot. Sometimes, in crunch situations, my mother asked me to find work. When I was a third-grader in 2005, my father provided me Tk 350 from his small earnings to buy boots, shinguards and socks. Since then, I haven't looked back."

— Sohel Rana, Midfielder, Chittagong Abahani

To enable his son to chase his dream, Sher Ali scrounged Tk 350 and invested in Sohel's dream, buying his son football equipment in the third grade. That has paid huge dividends, with Sohel bearing his family's expenses after joining one of the country's top clubs.

"My family, especially my father, supported me a lot. Sometimes, in crunch situations, my mother asked me to find work. When I was a third-grader in 2005, my father provided me Tk 350 from his small earnings to buy boots, shinguards and socks. Since then, I haven't looked back."

Sohel Rana played the Danone Nations Cup (U-13) football tournament and Bangabandhu Gold Cup primary school football tournament. In the national school football championship, his school -- Bibir Bazar High School -- became champions in 2014.

However, destitution drove him to a job in the Bangladesh Army as a footballer in 2015 and he represented Bangladesh Army till 2019 before joining Bangladesh Premier League side Rahmatganj MFS the same year. Upon confirmation that he would join the top-tier football league, Sohel left his job in the army to become a professional footballer and chase his dream of earning a place in the national team.

"I caught the attention of [Rahmatganj] coach Golam Jilani, who had seen me play before but was not quite convinced. But he called me to Rahmatganj after I finished as the highest scorer in the inter-service football competition as Bangladesh Army became champions by beating national players-studded Bangladesh Navy," said Sohel. "After joining Rahmatganj, I left my job in the Bangladesh Army because I always wanted to be play in the Bangladesh Premier League."

The Cumilla native spent one season in Rahmatganj before joining Chittagong Abahani and is still representing the port-city side under the guidance of the country's lone UEFA-A licensed coach, Maruful Haque.

"I believed I would get a call to the national team because I have been performing well in the Bangladesh Premier League for Chittagong Abahani. I became sharper after getting in touch with [coach] Maruful Haque. Under his tutelage, I have been executing properly. I generally release long balls that initiate attacks and lead to goals."

However, while he recognises finding a place in the playing eleven will be a challenge, he is confident of making the leap.

"I know the calibre of players [Jamal Bhuiyan, Atiqur Rahman Fahad and Masuk Miah] playing in my position in the national team but I believe in myself. I am thinking of how to get a place in the playing eleven, not just being in the squad. I am working hard in the national camp," said Sohel, who added that he would need to improve further.

"My weakness is that I become demoralised when our side loses the ball and react a couple of seconds late. I have to react fast and not think too much and focus more when the opponent has the ball."