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Khandoker Wasim Iqbal (Bengali: খন্দকার ওয়াসিম ইকবাল; born 21 November 1961) is a retired Bangladeshi professional footballer and coach who played as a winger. He was one of the most recognised players during the early years of Bangladeshi football. He was a prominent member of the Bangladesh national football team during the entirety of the 80s.[1]

Khandoker Wasim Iqbal

Personal information
Full name	Khandoker Wasim Iqbal
Date of birth	(1961-11-21) 21 November 1961 (age 60)
Place of birth	Dhaka, Bangladesh
Position(s)	Right winger
Youth career
1977–1978	Brothers Union (Youth Team)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1978–1987	Brothers Union
1987–1988	SC East Bengal
1988–1990	Dhaka Abahani
1990–1992	Brothers Union
National team
1982–1989	Bangladesh
Teams managed
	Brothers Union U19
2008–2011	Brothers Union
2013	Dhanmondi Club
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Wasim's career began with his local club Brothers Union's underage team, where he took part in the Pioneer League. During his time with the youth team, Wasim managed to impress the club's officials, and was promoted to the senior team, even though he had only been at the club for a year. Under the legendary Brothers' coach Abdul Gofur Beluch, Wasim established himself as one of the country's best players. He started his career as an out an out right winger in the 4-2-4 system and in his debut season of 1979, he scored the winner against Mohammedan SC in a 1-0 win. In 1984 he was named as the club's captain.[2]

Wasim career with "The Oranges" saw him win numerous trophies including the Federation Cup, DMFA Cup and the Aga Khan Gold Cup in 1982. The early years of the Dhaka League was the golden era for Brothers Union as they produced players such as Shahiduddin Ahmed Selim, Hasanuzzaman Bablu, Mohammed Mohsin and the ever-dependable Wasim himself, whose technical ability was not something many local players had in the 80s.[3] During Borthers' Aga Khan Gold Cup triumph in 1982, Wasim scored as the club routed the Oman national football team 3-1.[4]

One of Wasim's most forgettable moments occurred during the 1995 Dhaka League title decider match against Abahani Limited, at the time Brothers needed a win to stay in the title race, and they soon took a two-goal lead against their rivals, furthermore Wasim found himself in a one-one situation with the Abahani's Sri Lankan goalkeeper Chandrashir, however, Wasim missed the opportunity and Brothers ended up losing the match 3-2 which saw their title hopes fade away.[5]

Soon, Wasim attracted interest from overseas and ended up joining Calcutta Football League team and Indian giants SC East Bengal in 1987. After spending a year playing abroad, Wasim returned to Bangladesh by joining Dhaka Abahani. He spent two years (1988 to 1990) with the club winning the Dhaka League in 1989, which was the only domestic title he had not won in his career at the time. In 1990 Wasim returned to Brothers, spending two more years at the club before retiring in 1992 at the age of 31.[4]

International career

In 1980, Wasim played for the Bangladesh U-19 team and soon became a member for the senior national team, making his official debut during the 1982 Quaid-e-Azam, in Pakistan. Wasim regularly featured for the Bangladesh national football team from 1982 to 1989, captaining the side during 1984 South Asian Games in Nepal and also during the 1987 South Asian Games which was held in India.[4] One of his most memorable matches for the national side came during the 1984 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against the Philippines, when he almost single-handedly won the match for Bangladesh by scoring a brace in the first half.[6]

On 8 March 1989, Wasim scored his last goal for the country, during what's considered to be one of Bangladesh's best ever performances in international football, thrashing Thailand 3–1 at the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[7] Before the start of the 1989 South Asian Games, coach Nasser Hejazi dropped many regular faces including Wasim, that ended up resulting in Wasim's retirement from international football. It was suspected that as Wasim played for Abahani Limited Dhaka at the time, the former Mohammedan SC coach cum player Hejazi did not want him in the team.[8]

International goals

Scores and results list Bangladesh's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	18 February 1982	Pakistan, Karachi	Pakistan	1–1	1–2[9]	1982 Quaid-e-Azam International Tournament
2.	13 August 1984	Sriwedari Stadium, Solo, Thailand	Philippines	1–0	3–2	1984 AFC Asian Cup qualification
3.				3–1
4.	23 December 1985	Dhaka, Bangladesh	Maldives		8–0[10]	1985 South Asian Games
5.
6.	8 March 1989	Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh	Thailand	1–0	3–1	1990 FIFA World Cup qualification

International goals for club

Brothers Union

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	14 January 1982	Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh	Oman	1–0[11]	3–1	1982 Aga Khan Gold Cup

Style of play

Wasim dominated the domestic football scene in the 80s in the colours of Brothers Union with his deft dodges, speed, lethal crosses and stunning goals. He was mainly known for his dribbles and is considered to be the best dribbler of the ball Bangladesh ever produced.[12]

Managerial career

After retiring, Wasim started his coaching career with his former club Brothers Union's under 19 team and later went on to manage the senior team for three years. However, his managerial career has not been very successful compared to his playing days.[13] In 2013, he took charge of Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, for the 2013 Super Cup.[14]

In October 2021, he became the team manager of Sheikh Russel KC in the Bangladesh Premier League.[15]

In March 2022, Iqbal was dismissed from the manager post of Sheikh Russel KC.[16]

Personal life

Wasim studied in Ramakrishna Mission High School, which is where he learned how to play football. During the peak of his career Wasim appeared in the movie Johnny Ustad, he has acted with film stars like Zafar Iqbal and Anju Ghosh.[17][18]

References

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