ANISUR RAHMAN

Al Amin, a 21-year-old forward for Bangladesh Police Football Club, sent a chill down the spine of defending champions Bashundhara Kings twice during their Federation Cup encounter on Tuesday.

Both of Al Amin’s goals at the Kings Arena drew significant attention from the country’s football fraternity, but his brilliance went in vain as Police lost 3-2.

First, the young forward displayed incredible pace, tapping the ball home between two Kings defenders after teammate Isa Faisal delivered a low cross from the right flank. The lanky forward then kept his composure to strike a stunning goal from a tight angle, clearly announcing his arrival in top-flight football.

Both strikes in the Federation Cup match were not a fluke for Al Amin, who has been in the limelight during the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). With five goals, he currently sits as BPL’s joint-top scorer alongside Mohammedan SC’s Malian forward Souleymane Diabate, Rahmatganj MFS’s Nabib Newaj Jibon, and Brothers Union’s Senegalese forward Cheikh Sene.

Interestingly, such remarkable performances might not have been possible for Al Amin, who was once banned for a year -- from September 2021 to September 2022 -- after being involved in online betting and spot-fixing as an Arambagh KS footballer during the 2020-21 season.

Al Amin, hailing from Nilphamari, returned to Shams-Ul-Huda Football Academy in Jashore -- his grooming academy -- to rectify his mistakes and hone his skills under the guidance of coaches Kazi Maruf and Emadul Hossain. Sheikh Jamal DC then recruited him on loan for the 2023-24 season.

However, his top-flight career faced another hurdle this season when Sheikh Jamal decided not to form a team for the 2024-25 season, leaving Al Amin frustrated and without a team. Fortunately, national team defender Issa Faisal and Joyonto Kumar Roy brought him to Bangladesh Police, where Al Amin has been repaying their faith with his performances.

“I learned a lot from coach Kazi Maruf, who taught me how to score and how to keep cool to net goals. I could assist in scoring goals twice last season for Sheikh Jamal, and I was also struggling to get goals for Bangladesh Police in practice matches. Then, head coach Mahbubul Haque Jewel sir worked separately with me and made me hungry to get goals,” Al Amin told The Daily Star over the phone on Wednesday.

“It has always been a pleasure for me to get a place in the playing eleven ahead of foreign players,” he added.

Quick running has always been Al Amin’s strength, a skill he developed in childhood and plans to continue refining. His initial target is to remain at the top of the scorer’s list with seven to eight goals by the end of the first phase, and he also hopes to achieve a hat-trick soon, having already struck a double in three matches.

“Based on my performances in the seven matches of the BPL and Federation Cup, I can hope for a call-up to the national team,” Al Amin said confidently.