Habibur Rahman Sohag ( bn, হাবিবুর রহমান সোহাগ; born 1 January 1993) is a Bangladeshi professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who last played for Bangladeshi club
Sheikh Russel KC
Sheikh Russel KC is a professional football club based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, currently playing in the Bangladesh Premier League. The club has won the Federation Cup in 2012, which was their first major title. They also won their maiden Banglade ...
. He also represented the
Bangladesh national team in 2021. A versatile player, Sohag played in multiple roles, including
central midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
and
attacking midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
, towards the end of his career he played as a
centre-back or
defensive midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundari ...
.
Early career
Sohag was born in Naragathi village of
Narail District
Narail ( bn, নড়াইল, pron: ''nɔɽail'') is a district in south-western Bangladesh. It is a part of Khulna Division.
History
Narail town was named after a feudal lord (a zamindar). The zamindars established a market at Roopgonj, als ...
. In 2003, he started practicing at the
Narayanganj Osmani Stadium and was later picked up by teams in the district league. He also played in the JFA Cup U-14 tournament. In 2006, Sohag was selected by the
BFF for advanced training at the
Tata Academy Jamshedpur in India. In 2005, Sohag played 5 matches for the U13 national team at
BKSP
Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP) ( bn, বাংলাদেশ ক্রীড়া শিক্ষা প্রতিষ্ঠান, Bangladesh Institute of Sports Education) is the national sports institute of Bangladesh. It is res ...
. The following year he was promoted to the U14 team and played 4 matches in
Islamabad
Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...
, Pakistan, where Bangladesh finished runners-up in a subcontinental tournament. He also gained experience from playing in the
Pioneer League, before making his
Bangladesh Premier League debut.
Club career
In 2009, Sohag joined
Abahani Limited Dhaka
Abahani Limited Dhaka ( bn, ঢাকা আবাহনী লিমিটেড), also referred as Dhaka Abahani or Abahani Limited, is a Bangladeshi professional football club based in the Dhanmondi area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club cu ...
in the
Bangladesh Premier League. He won the league title in his debut season and also made a few appearances in the
2010 AFC President's Cup
The 2010 AFC President's Cup was the sixth edition of the AFC President's Cup, an annual international association football competition between domestic clubs sides run by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Venues
Qualifying teams
Gro ...
, before moving to
Mohammedan SC the subsequent year. During his three-years with the Black and Whites he won the 2013
Super Cup.
In 2015, he moved to
Muktijoddha Sangsad KC
Muktijoddha Sangsad KC ( bn, মুক্তিযোদ্ধা সংসদ ক্রীড়া চক্র) is a Bangladeshi professional football club based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club is nicknamed The Freedom Fighters. It competes i ...
. On 4 August 2016, Sohag scored a long-distance free-kick for Muktijoddha in their 2–0 victory over
Brothers Union
Brothers Union is a football club based in Gopibag, Dhaka. The club was founded in 1949 and the regal business tycoon Kazi Ghiyasuddin Ahmed, better known as K. G. Ahmed served as the founder chairman of the club. At the beginning it was a wel ...
. His goal earned praise from both fans and local media. In 2017, he was brought to
Arambagh KS
Arambagh Krira Sangha is a Bangladeshi sports club based in Dhaka, that competes in the Dhaka Senior Division Football League, the third-tier of football in Bangladesh.
History
Arambagh Krira Sangha were formed in Dhaka way back in 1958. Origina ...
by coach
Maruful Haque
Maruful Haque ( bn, মারুফুল হক) is a Bangladeshi professional football coach and former player, who is currently the head coach of Sheikh Jamal DC.
He is the first-ever South Asian to get a UEFA A license in 2015.
Early s ...
. Sohag won the
2018 Independence Cup with
Arambagh KS
Arambagh Krira Sangha is a Bangladeshi sports club based in Dhaka, that competes in the Dhaka Senior Division Football League, the third-tier of football in Bangladesh.
History
Arambagh Krira Sangha were formed in Dhaka way back in 1958. Origina ...
, and remained an integral part of the team over the course of the season.
He returned to Mohammedan SC, the following year, where British head coach
Sean Lane, Sohag played as a center back. His performances with the club also earned him his first senior international cap in 2021.
On 27 December 2023, Sohag's well placed free-kick against Muktijoddha earned Mohammedan a place in the quarter-finals of the
2020 Federation Cup. In 2022, Sohag joined
Sheikh Russel KC
Sheikh Russel KC is a professional football club based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, currently playing in the Bangladesh Premier League. The club has won the Federation Cup in 2012, which was their first major title. They also won their maiden Banglade ...
, however, he was released from the club at the end of the season.
International career
In 2007, Sohag played three matches and scored 1 goal at the
2008 AFC U-16 Championship qualifiers, held in
Abu Dabi,
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
. His goal came on 28 October 2007, in a 1–3 defeat to
Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
. In 2009, Sohag captained
Bangladesh U19, at the
2010 AFC U-19 Championship qualifiers, held in
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
.
In 2011, Croation coach
Robert Rubčić called up Sohag to the
Bangladesh U23 for the
2012 Summer Olympics Qualifiers. He made his debut for the olympic team on 23 February, coming on as a substitute in the 89th minute against hosts
Kuwait U23 in a 0–2 defeat.
Sohag was first called up for the
Bangladesh national team at the
2021 Three Nations Cup. He made his debut on 27 March, coming on as a substitute against hosts
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
in a 0–0 draw.
Career statistics
International
International goals
Youth
Honours
Abahani Limited Dhaka
*
Bangladesh Premier League:
2009–10
*
Federation Cup: 2010
*
Super Cup: 2010
*
Bordoloi Trophy: 2010
Mohammedan SC
*
Super Cup: 2013
Arambagh KS
*
Independence Cup:
2017–18
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sohag, Habibur Rahman
Living people
1993 births
Bangladeshi men's footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Sheikh Russel KC players
Abahani Limited Dhaka players
Arambagh KS players
Muktijoddha Sangsad KC players
Bangladesh Premier League footballers
Mohammedan SC (Dhaka) players
Bangladesh men's youth international footballers
Bangladesh men's international footballers
People from Narail District
Sportspeople from Khulna Division