Sheikh Morsalin, a midfielder for the Bashundhara Kings who later moved to Mohammedan Sporting side on loan for the 2021-22 season of the Bangladesh Premier League, rose to prominence after scoring a goal from a distance for Mohammedan Sporting Club against his former side, the Bashundhara Kings.
After not being selected for the preliminary Bangladesh squad of 35 players for the forthcoming SAFF Championship, the 19-year-old may have felt as though he had been treated unfairly. However, he received an unexpected call-up to the Bangladesh squad of 30 players and made his way to the training camp today. His participation was necessitated by the fact that Matin Miah suffered an injury.
Morsalin’s ability to make long shots and the progressive passes he made for the forwards in the most recent two matches he played against Sheikh Russel KC and Mohammedan SC got the notice of Javier Cabrera, the coach of Bangladesh. Cabrera was impressed by Morsalin’s play in each of those matches.
During the most recent two matchdays in the league, the former BKSP student played an important part for the BPL champions Kings by providing two assists against Mohammedan and scoring once in a 6-4 win against Sheikh Russel KC. Both of these victories came in the context of the BPL.
Morsalin added, “I think I have been picked following my performances in the last two to three matches which I think was the plus point for me as I performed really well in those matches.”
“I think I have been picked as a result of my performances in the last two to three matches,” “I believe that I was unable to fully satisfy my coach [Oscar Bruzon] during the place-deciding Federation Cup match against Sheikh Russel KC, but the coach gave me another chance in the league against the same opponents, and I displayed my natural performance in order to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Morsalin, on the other hand, was taken aback when he was called up to the national team. This was due to the fact that he was not selected for the 35-member preliminary squad that was revealed on May 13, but Cabrera picked Morsalin for the 30-member preliminary squad that was announced on Saturday.
“If I am being really honest, leaving home was the only way for me to pursue my lifelong ambition of playing football for the national team. Morsalin told The Daily Star on Sunday that he received a phone inviting him to report to the team management at a city hotel. “Since I was not selected for the preliminary squad of 35 players, I never thought I would be included this time, but Alhamdulillah, I got a call,” Morsalin said.
“I dreamed of a call (to the national team) last season with the performance I put in for Mohammedan SC. However, the coach may have considered that I was not mature enough and that there were better players in the position that I was playing. Since then, I believe that I have become somewhat mature, developed myself throughout this time period, and received a call; nevertheless, I believe that there are still other areas in which I may grow,” he continued.
Morsalin responded to the question concerning his ability to shoot from a great distance by saying, “I’ve owned this shooting power since my childhood, so every coach might think I may succeed.” They have given me the confidence to attempt something new by encouraging me to think outside the box, and I have continued to do so. As a result, I am accustomed to taking photographs from a distance.
Highlights
**After being selected through the tryouts held at the District level, Morrisalin was a part of the Bangladesh U-12 national squad that competed in the Mogh Cup at Malaysia in 2015.
**After that, in 2016, he was accepted to BKSP and went on to play for age-group teams affiliated with the school.
** He was a member of the BKSP squad that won the championship and came in second place in India’s Subrata Cup tournament in 2019. He also finished the year as the second-highest scorer in the U-17 competition with six goals.
**During the 2020-21 season of the Football League’s third tier, he led the league in scoring with 19 goals for his team, Anandi Samajkalyan Krira Sangha. His goals came in 16 matches.
**He only played seven league matches for Mohammedan SC during the previous season, and he has played the same number of matches for Bashundhara Kings during the current season. Despite this, he was called up to the preliminary roster for the national team.