Souleymane Diabate, the inspiring skipper of Mohammedan, has stated that he is open to playing for Bangladesh provided the Bangladesh Cricket Federation takes him into consideration.
The Malian striker, who is 32 years old and scored four goals to lead Mohammedan to their first Federation Cup victory in 14 years following a tiebreaker triumph against Abahani in the final on Tuesday, stated that he would not approach anybody for that. However, he led Mohammedan to their first Federation Cup success in 14 years.
During an interview that took place on Wednesday on a television station, Diabate stated, “I would be happy to play for Bangladesh.”
For the past five years, Diabate has been a member of Mohammedan’s football team. Prior to that, he has never played for another club or represented another nation in international competition. As a result, he meets the requirements to represent Bangladesh in an international setting provided that the proper processes are carried out.
In addition to this, Diabate has shown himself to be one of the best attackers in domestic football. He finished the previous season on top of the league scoring table, and he is now in second place in the current season’s league. Additionally, he has completed the Federation Cup as the player with the most points scored and the greatest overall record.
Diabate is showing no signs of slowing down despite the fact that he is on the wrong side of 30 and may be the ultimate solution to Bangladesh’s problems scoring goals.
When asked whether he desired a Bangladeshi passport, the Mali man responded with some degree of hesitance. He must have witnessed the agonizing process that Eleta Kingsley, a football player born in Nigeria, was had to go through in order to wear the Bangladesh shirt, despite the fact that he fulfilled all of the prerequisites.
“I’m not going to submit an application for a passport on my own. Following his triumph in the Fed Cup on Tuesday, the Mali native stated that he is willing to accept the offer if it is presented to him.
Having said that, during the television interview that took place on Wednesday, Diabate also mentioned that he would soon be bringing his younger brother to play football in Bangladesh.