Mohamed Arif, also known as Bakaa (born 11 August 1985) is a Maldivian
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 le ...
who plays as a
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 ...
for
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
National league
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
club Kanbawza Football Club and the Maldivian National Team. Arif won the best football player of the year for 2010, and won second best player for the year 2011. He also won third best player for the year 2013.
Club career
IFC / VB Sports Club
The first club he played with was Island Football Club (IFC), starting from 2004, which was later re-branded to
VB Sports Club
AT Sports Club is a Maldivian professional football club based in Malé. VB Addu FC is the former VB Sports club, which was re-branded on 14 January 2012.Mohan praises Baka (in Dhivehi), Sun Online
Club Valencia
After leaving
VB Sports Club
AT Sports Club is a Maldivian professional football club based in Malé. VB Addu FC is the former VB Sports club, which was re-branded on 14 January 2012.Club Valencia
Club Valencia is a Maldivian football club based in Malé, Maldives. Nicknamed ''The Sunrisers'', the club competes in the Dhivehi Premier League, the top tier of Maldivian football.
History
The notion of establishing a football club named Cl ...
for the 2008 season in the
Dhivehi League
Dhivehi League was a former Maldivian association football league, organized by the Football Association of Maldives. Every year, 8 teams competed in the league, which was the top level in the Maldivian football league system.
Format
Dhivehi ...
.
He left the club by season end.
New Radiant SC
Arif joined
New Radiant SC
New Radiant Sports Club is a Maldivian professional football club based in Henveiru – Malé, Maldives. The club was founded on 19 August 1979 by Ahmed Waheed and his friend Ahammadhanik. New Radiant has won all domestic competitions bei ...
for the 2009 season of the
Dhivehi League
Dhivehi League was a former Maldivian association football league, organized by the Football Association of Maldives. Every year, 8 teams competed in the league, which was the top level in the Maldivian football league system.
Format
Dhivehi ...
. He stayed at the club for two seasons.
2009 and 2010 respectively.
Return to VB Sports Club
Arif returned to
VB Sports Club
AT Sports Club is a Maldivian professional football club based in Malé. VB Addu FC is the former VB Sports club, which was re-branded on 14 January 2012.Dhiraagu
Dhiraagu ( dv, ދިރާގު) is the first Maldivian telecommunications company, which was founded in 1988. The company was created as a joint venture of the Maldivian government and Cable & Wireless and had a monopoly on the entire industry in ...
Dhivehi League
Dhivehi League was a former Maldivian association football league, organized by the Football Association of Maldives. Every year, 8 teams competed in the league, which was the top level in the Maldivian football league system.
Format
Dhivehi ...
and helped the club win the title of Champions of the 2011 season of the
Dhiraagu
Dhiraagu ( dv, ދިރާގު) is the first Maldivian telecommunications company, which was founded in 1988. The company was created as a joint venture of the Maldivian government and Cable & Wireless and had a monopoly on the entire industry in ...
Dhivehi League
Dhivehi League was a former Maldivian association football league, organized by the Football Association of Maldives. Every year, 8 teams competed in the league, which was the top level in the Maldivian football league system.
Format
Dhivehi ...
Dhiraagu
Dhiraagu ( dv, ދިރާގު) is the first Maldivian telecommunications company, which was founded in 1988. The company was created as a joint venture of the Maldivian government and Cable & Wireless and had a monopoly on the entire industry in ...
Dhivehi League
Dhivehi League was a former Maldivian association football league, organized by the Football Association of Maldives. Every year, 8 teams competed in the league, which was the top level in the Maldivian football league system.
Format
Dhivehi ...
Dhivehi League
Dhivehi League was a former Maldivian association football league, organized by the Football Association of Maldives. Every year, 8 teams competed in the league, which was the top level in the Maldivian football league system.
Format
Dhivehi ...
. At the end of the season, he extended his contract for another year.
Kanbawza Football Club
On 2 January 2014, Arif joined Myanmar's first division and Premier League Club Kanbawza Football Club (KBZ FC).
International career
Senior team
Due to his notable skills as a
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 his abilities as
playmaker
In association football, a playmaker is a player who controls the flow of the team's play, and is often involved in offensively and defensively playing passing moves which lead to goals, through their vision, technique, ball control, creativit ...
it did not take long for him to be noticed and he was soon included in the starting eleven of the National senior team of the
Maldives
Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
.
2008 SAFF Championship
Bakaa starred in the 2005
SAFF Championship
The South Asian Football Federation Championship, commonly known as SAFF Championship (previously known as ''South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation Gold Cup'' and ''South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup''), is the main international ...
which was hosted by Pakistan. He starred in the 2008
SAFF Championship
The South Asian Football Federation Championship, commonly known as SAFF Championship (previously known as ''South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation Gold Cup'' and ''South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup''), is the main international ...
which was hosted by both
Maldives
Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
and
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, and helped
Maldives
Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
win their first title in the championship. He also starred in the 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2018 in which Maldives won their 2nd title in the championship
SAFF Championship
The South Asian Football Federation Championship, commonly known as SAFF Championship (previously known as ''South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation Gold Cup'' and ''South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup''), is the main international ...
.
Honours
Maldives
*
SAFF Championship
The South Asian Football Federation Championship, commonly known as SAFF Championship (previously known as ''South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation Gold Cup'' and ''South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup''), is the main international ...
:
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
,
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...