Khandoker Wasim Iqbal ( bn, খন্দকার ওয়াসিম ইকবাল; born 21 November 1961) is a retired 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 and coach. He mainly played as a

right winger 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 was one of the most recognised players during the early years of

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...

football. He was a prominent member of 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 ...

during the majority of the 80s.

Club career

Wasim's career began with his local club

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 well ...

's youth team, with whom he took part in the Pioneer League. During his time with the youth team, Wasim managed to impress the club's captain Shahiduddin Ahmed Selim and was promoted to the senior team, within a year. Under the legendary Brothers coach Abdul Gafur Baloch, Wasim made his Dhaka League debut against Dhaka Wanderers. He started his career as a striker, but was soon converted to an out an out right winger in a 4-2-4 system and in his debut season of 1979, he scored in a 1–0 victory over Mohammedan SC. In 1984 he was named the club's captain. Wasim’s career with the Oranges saw him win the

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 ...

in 1980 and the Aga Khan Gold Cup in 1982. The late 70s and early 80s was the golden era for Brothers Union as their academy setup produced national team players like Hasanuzzaman Bablu,

Mohammed Mohsin Mohammed Mohsin ( bn, মোহাম্মদ মহসিন; born 3 April 1963), is a former Bangladeshi professional footballer who played as a striker. He spent his entire career with Brothers Union and captained the club alongside the Bang ...

and the ever-dependable Wasim himself, whose technical ability was not something many local players had at the time. During Brothers' Aga Khan Gold Cup triumph in 1982, Wasim scored as the club routed the

Oman national football team The Oman national football team ( ar, منتخب عُمان لكرة القدم) represents Oman in men's international football and is controlled by the Oman Football Association. Although the team was officially founded in 1978, the squad was ...

3–1. He was a guest player during Mohammedan SC's Ashis-Jabbar Shield Tournament victory in India. One of Wasim's most forgettable moments occurred during the 1985 Dhaka League deciding match against Abahani Krira Chakra. With Brothers needing a win to claim their first league title, they soon took a two-goal lead against their rivals. Furthermore, Wasim found himself in a one-on-one situation with Abahani's Sri Lankan goalkeeper, Chandrashir; however, his miss saw Abahani win the game 3–2, ending Wasim's hope for a first league title with his boyhood club. Soon, Wasim attracted interest from overseas and ended up joining

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

based Indian giants SC East Bengal in 1987. During his stint in India, he participated in both the Calcutta League and Rovers Cup. After winning the Calcutta League, Wasim returned to Bangladesh by joining Abahani Krira Chakra. He spent two years at the club winning the Dhaka League in 1989 and also India's Sait Nagjee Trophy, with Wasim assisting

Sheikh Mohammad Aslam Mohammad Aslam ( bn, মোহাম্মদ আসলাম), popularly known as Aslam, is a former Bangladeshi footballer. He played as a specialist striker and was one of the most lethal marksmen in the Dhaka domestic league during the 1980 ...

's winning goal in the final. In 1990, he scored the only goal as Abahani defeated India's

Mohun Bagan Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, its football section is one of the oldest in India and Asia. The club is most notable for its victory over East Yorkshire Regiment ...

in the Azmiri Begum Gold Cup final, in Feni. He retired after representing Brothers in the first round of the

1992–93 Asian Club Championship The 1992–93 Asian Club Championship was the 12th edition of the annual international club football competition held in the AFC region (Asia). It determined that year's club champion of association football in Asia. PAS Tehran of Iran won the ...

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 team from 1982 to 1989, and captained the side at the

1984 South Asian Games The 1984 South Asian Games (or 1st SAF Games) was the first edition of South Asian Games. It was held in Kathmandu, Nepal from 17 to 23 September 1984. The number of disciplines were restricted to five only. India topped the medal tally, winning ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

, and again at the

1987 South Asian Games The 1987 South Asian Games, officially the 3rd South Asian Federation Games were a multi-sport event, held in Kolkata, India from 20 November to 27 November 1987. It was the largest sporting event ever to be held in Kolkata, and West Bengal as ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. One of his most memorable matches for the national side came during the 1984 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, when he almost single-handedly won the match for Bangladesh with his two solo goals in the first half. 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 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 bo ...

3–1 at the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Before the start of the

1989 South Asian Games The 1989 South Asian Games, officially the IV South Asian Federation Games, were held in Islamabad, Pakistan from 20 October to 28 October 1989. Muhammad Ali appeared as a special guest at the closing ceremony. The Games Participating nations ...

, 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 ...

dropped many regular faces including Wasim. It was suspected that as Wasim played for Abahani Limited Dhaka at the time, the Mohammedan SC coach Hejazi did not want him in the team.

International goals

:''Scores and results list Bangladesh's goal tally first.''

International goals for club

Brothers Union

Style of play

Wasim dominated the domestic football scene in the 80s in the colors 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 Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

ever produced.

Managerial career

After retiring, Wasim started his coaching career with his former club

's under 19 team and later went on to manage the senior team for three years. In 2013, he took charge of Sheikh Jamal DC for the

Bangladesh Super Cup Super Cup is the highest-budgeted football competition organized by the Bangladesh Football Federation and is one of the two club football season cups in Bangladesh, the other being Federation Cup. It started in 2009. The tournament is currently ...

. He later focused on grassroots, coaching with United City in the Third Division League and Little Friends Club in the Second Division League. In October 2021, he became the general manager of Sheikh Russel KC in the

Bangladesh Premier League The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) ( bn, বাংলাদেশ প্রিমিয়ার লীগ) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league consisting of seven franchises. The BPL is one of the three professional cricket leagues in ...

. In March 2022, Wasim was dismissed from the general manager post of Sheikh Russel KC.

Personal life

Wasim studied in Ramakrishna Mission High School, which is where he learned how to play

, due to his father's persistence. During the peak of his career Wasim appeared in the movie ''Johnny Ustad'', where he acted alongside film stars like Zafar Iqbal and

Anju Ghosh Anju Ghosh is a Bangladeshi and Indian (Tollywood) film actress. She is notable for her role in the film ''Beder Meye Josna'' (''Josna, The Gypsey Daughter'') in 1989. Career Ghosh debuted in film acting through her role in Soudagor (1982), di ...

Honours

Brothers Union *

: 1980, 1991 * Aga Khan Gold Cup: 1981–82 *

DMFA Cup The Dhaka Metropolitan Football Association Cup or DMFA Cup was an association football tournament held in Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as wel ...

: 1984 Mohammedan SC * Ashis-Jabbar Shield Tournament (India): 1982 East Bengal Club * Calcutta Football League: 1987 Abahani Limited Dhaka *

: 1988 * Sait Nagjee Trophy: 1989 * Dhaka League: 1989–90 * Independence Cup: 1990 * Azmiri Begum Gold Cup: 1990 Bangladesh *

South Asian Games The South Asian Games (SAG or SA Games), formerly known as the South Asian Federation Games (SAFG or SAF Games), is a quadrennial multi-sport event held among the athletes from South Asia. The governing body of these games is South Asia Olympic C ...

Silver medal:

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

Awards and accolades

*1985 − Sports Writers Association's Best Footballer Award. *2006 −

National Sports Award National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wasim Iqbal, Khandoker Living people 1961 births Footballers from Dhaka Bangladeshi men's footballers Bangladesh men's international footballers Bangladesh men's youth international footballers Abahani Limited Dhaka players Brothers Union players East Bengal Club players Men's association football wingers Bangladeshi expatriate men's footballers Bangladeshi expatriate sportspeople in India Expatriate men's footballers in India Asian Games competitors for Bangladesh Footballers at the 1982 Asian Games Footballers at the 1986 Asian Games Footballers at the 1990 Asian Games Calcutta Football League players South Asian Games medalists in football South Asian Games silver medalists for Bangladesh Recipients of the Bangladesh National Sports Award Bangladeshi football managers Bangladesh Premier League (football) managers