Ahsanullah Montu ( bn, আহসানউল্লাহ মন্টু; 7 February 1962 – 26 June 2018) was a Bangladeshi

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who played as a

center-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. He represented the

Bangladesh national football team The Bangladesh national football team ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় ফুটবল দল) is the national recognised football team of Bangladesh and is controlled by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). It is a membe ...

in the mid 80s, and spent most of his club career playing for Mohammedan SC.

Career

In 1981, Montu began his career with Farashganj SC in the Dhaka League. He got a place in the Bangladesh U19 team while playing for Brothers Union, in 1984. The following year, he made his senior team debut during President's Gold Cup, while playing for office team Sadharan Bima CSC. In 1986, Montu joined Mohammedan SC and thus, became a mainstay in the national team. Under Iranian coach

Nasser Hejazi Nasser Hejazi (Persian: ناصر حجازی ''nāser hejāzi''; 14 December 1949 – 23 May 2011), nicknamed "the legendary Iranian goalkeeper", was an Iranian football player and coach who most notably played for Esteghlal (Taj). Considered a ...

, Montu established himself as one of the best defenders in the country with the Black and Whites. He won the league title in 1986, 1987, 1988–89 and 1993. In 1988, he played for Mohammedan in India's Sait Nagjee Trophy. On 7 October 1988, Montu scored the equaliser in a 2–2 draw against Qatar's Al-Sadd, in the semi-final group round of the

1988–89 Asian Club Championship The 1988–89 Asian Club Championship was the 8th edition of the annual Asian club football competition hosted by Asian Football Confederation. Al-Sadd of Qatar won the final and became Asian champions for the first time. Qualifying Group round ...

. While in the national team, Montu went onto represent the Bangladesh Red (main national team) in 1987 and 1989 editions of the President's Gold Cup. He also played the qualifiers for the

1990 FIFA World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second time (the first being Me ...

and

1988 AFC Asian Cup The 1988 AFC Asian Cup was the 9th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international association football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of asso ...

Honours

Mohammedan SC * Dhaka League = 1986, 1987, 1988–89, 1993 *

Federation Cup Federation Cup or Fed Cup is the former name of the premier world team competition in women's tennis. Federation Cup may also refer to: * Capital Football Federation Cup, an Australian territory-based association football tournament *Federation Cup ...

= 1987, 1989 * Ma-O-Moni Gold Cup = 1990

Death

On 26 June 2018, Montu passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montu, Ahsanullah 1962 births 2018 deaths Bangladeshi footballers Bangladesh men's international footballers Bangladesh men's youth international footballers People from Brahmanbaria district Men's association football defenders Mohammedan SC (Dhaka) players Brothers Union players Farashganj SC players Bangladeshi football coaches Sportspeople from Chittagong Division