Jafar Iqbal (Bengali: জাফর ইকবাল; born 27 September 1999) is a Bangladeshi professional footballer who can play on either wings preferably on the left.[1] He currently plays for Bangladesh Premier League club Abahani Limited Dhaka.[2][3]
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jafar Iqbal | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 27 September 1999 | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bandarban, Bangladesh | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | |||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Left winger | |||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||
Current team | Dhaka Abahani | |||||||||||||
| Number | 11 | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 2015–16 | Dilkusha SC | 17 | (9) | |||||||||||
| 2016 | Arambagh KS | 21 | (4) | |||||||||||
| 2017–18 | Chittagong Abahani | 15 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 2018–20 | Saif Sporting Club | 19 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 2020–2024 | Mohammedan SC | 71 | (9) | |||||||||||
| 2024– | Dhaka Abahani | 4 | (1) | |||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Bangladesh U20 | 6 | (5) | |||||||||||
| 2017–23 | Bangladesh U23 | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2016– | Bangladesh | 9 | (1) | |||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 December 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 September 2023 | ||||||||||||||
Club career
editEarly career
editIn 2014, Jafar scored six goals in three matches for Agrabad Comrades in the Chittagong Second Division League. Jafar won the Top Scorer Player Award as his team clinched the league title. He then proceeded to score 13 goals for Motherbari Sobhoniya Club in the Chittagong Pioneer League.[4]
Jafar also participated in the BFF U-18 Development Cup with Feni SC before coach Syed Golam Jilani arranged his move to Dilkusha SC in the Dhaka Third Division League in 2015. He scored 9 goals, including a hat-trick, which helped Dilkusha secure the league championship.
Arambagh KS
editJafar started his professional career in 2016 when he was signed by Saiful Bari Titu with Arambagh KS. On August 9, 2016, Jafar scored his first professional league goal against Brothers Union during 2016 Bangladesh Premier League.[5] Jafar scored a cracker against Team BJMC in the semi-final of 2016 Federation Cup and helped his team to reach up in the final.[6] His combination with Mohammad Abdullah worked superbly for Arambagh KS as they finished the premier league season in sixth position.
Chittagong Abahani
editAfter a successful season with Arambagh KS, in April 2017 Jafar joined the emerging Chittagong Abahani. However, under coach Saiful Bari Titu, Jafar could not cement a starting spot in the team and only scored a single goal all season, which came against relegation threatened Team BJMC.
Saif SC
editOn 10 December 2019, Jafar joined corporate owned Saif Sporting Club. Nonetheless, it was another disappointing season for him, scoring only a single goal in 17 league appearance, and in turn losing his place in the senior national team.
Mohammedan SC
editOn 10 December 2020, Jafar joined Dhaka giants Mohammedan SC, from Saif Sporting Club for a transfer fee of Tk 1.5 lakh. The deal was the first instance of a transfer fee being paid in Bangladeshi club football.[7]
Jafar was ruled out for six week after injuring his knee during a 2021–22 Independence Cup game against Saif SC.[8]
International career
editYouth
editJafar made his Bangladesh U18 debut against India during 2017 SAFF U-18 Championship. He led his team to a stunning 4–3 win overcoming three goals deficit at the break against India U18 with a superb brace both coming from headers.[9]
Jafar was the Golden boot award winner in 2017 SAFF U-18 Championship for scoring 5 goals from 4 matches. He also had an assist in that sensational match against India. Since making his top tier debut for Arambagh KS in 2016 domestic season, he has been considered to hold a bright future for Bangladesh football.[10][11][12]
Jafar made his Olympic team debut against Nepal U23 on July 11, 2017, during an International friendly match.
Senior team
editJafar made his senior team debut against Maldives on September 1, 2016, during an International friendly match.[13] He scored his first goal against Laos on 27 March 2018.
International goals
editBangladesh U20
edit| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 18 September 2017 | Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu |  India U18 |
1–3 | 4–3[14] | 2017 SAFF U-18 Championship |
| 2. | 4–3 | |||||
| 3. | 20 September 2017 | Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu |  Maldives U18 |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2017 SAFF U-18 Championship |
| 4. | 27 September 2017 | Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu |  Bhutan U18 |
1–0 | 2–0[15] | 2017 SAFF U-18 Championship |
| 5. | 2–0 |
National team
edit- Scores and results list Bangladesh's goal tally first.[2]
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 27 March 2018 | New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane |  Laos |
1–2 | 2–2 | Friendly |
Honours
editMohammedan SC
Dilkusha SC
Awards
- Kool-BSPA Footballer of the Year: 2017[16]
- SAFF U-18 Championship Top Scorer: 2017
References
edit- ^ Hoque, Shishir (31 August 2018). "Jafar Iqbal, a beacon of hope for Bangladesh football". Dhaka Tribune.
- ^ a b Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Jafar Iqbal". national-football-teams.com.
- ^ "Bangladesh – J. Iqbal – Profile with news, career statistics and history". Soccerway.
- ^ "গোল আর শিরোপা দুটিই যেন জাফর ইকবালের 'বন্ধু'". Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 22 September 2017.
- ^ "BPL: Arambagh KS play 2-2 with Brothers Union". Archived from the original on 2 April 2019.
- ^ "Arambagh reach final beating Team BJMC". The Financial Express. Dhaka. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ বাংলাদেশের ফুটবলের প্রথম ট্রান্সফার ফি. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 10 December 2020.
- ^ "'Every time my players take the pitch, I hold my breath'". The Daily Star. 8 December 2021.
- ^ "SAFF U18 Championship: Bangladesh beat India by 4-3". Risingbd.com. 18 September 2017.
- ^ বাংলাদেশের জাফর যেন ‘চাংলিমিথাংয়ের মেসি. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 30 September 2017.
- ^ এক জাফর ইকবালের গল্প. Egiye Cholo (in Bengali).
- ^ "Jafar Iqbal aims higher". The Daily Star. 30 September 2017.
- ^ "Nat'l football team to fly for Maldives today". Daily Sun. Archived from the original on 2018-11-12. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ "Bangladesh stage incredible comeback to beat India". The Daily Star. 18 September 2017.
- ^ "Bangladesh miss out on Saff U-18 title despite beating Bhutan". Dhaka Tribune.
- ^ "Kool-BSPA Sports Award : Shakib Al Hasan Player of the Year". The New Nation. 8 January 2018. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.