Biplu's 20 minutes

Like many other boys from Sylhet, he could have opted to chase a better life in England, where three of his brothers reside. Instead one local lad took the road less travelled by choosing the game of football.

After starting his career at an age-group team in Dhaka five years ago, the 20-year-old now finds himself in the senior national team. And that promising winger is none other than Biplu Ahmed, who scored the all-important goal against Laos on Monday to give hosts Bangladesh a winning start in the Bangabandhu Gold Cup.

Finding his feet in Dhaka football proved to be a tough task for the lanky winger, who was encouraged to wait for nearly eight hours by his brother Bablu before being given the chance to play an under-16 trial match for Mohammedan when 400 aspiring footballers gathered in Dhaka in 2013.

However, it took only 20 minutes for Biplu to impress Mohammedan's coaching staff, which then included veteran coach Saiful Bari Titu and famous 80s footballer Kazi Jasimuddin Joshy.

He hasn't looked back since.

Biplu, who is the youngest of seven brothers, was a proud member of Mohammedan's U-16 title-winning squad before going on to play second division and first division football in 2013 and 2014. A year later he had made his way up to the Bangladesh Premier League as Mohammedan promoted him to the senior team, where he stayed until 2017. Now Biplu is all set to play for Sheikh Russel, where he will reunite with Titu.

"If you ask my personal target, I want to play good football; I want to go as far as I can. I don't want to stop here because I have big dreams of staying in football by prolonging my career at both the international and domestic levels," Biplu said at the team hotel in Syhlet yesterday. "However, I need to improve in a lot of areas like the final pass in the attacking third, maintaining fitness levels and finally following a disciplined lifestyle, which is important for me.

"I dreamt of playing for the national team in the Sylhet District Stadium ever since Nepal beat Bangladesh on this very ground in 2014, when the spectators broke the gates and fence to enter the ground. I managed a ticket for the match and watched from the rooftop of the four-storey VIP building," said Biplu, who does not even know the names of former national team stars from Sylhet such as Alfaz Ahmed, Kaiser Hamid and Jewel Rana.

"I heard their names but I don't know much about them. I know more about players like Toklish [Ahmed], Wahed [Ahmed] and Munna bhai [Yeamin Ahmed Chowdhury], who inspired me."

Apart from Biplu, Mahbubur Rahman Sufil, Masuk Mia Jony and Matin Mia are all part of the national team's current squad while Saad Uddin has been dropped due to injury. That is a point of pride for Biplu.

"I know Sylhet's heritage. It has produced many footballers for the national team. Currently five players from Sylhet are part of the national team and that is something we can be proud of."

Perhaps Biplu would have had a comfortable life abroad but by sacrificing that he has attained a level of success few ever do. For that, he thanks his brother Bablu.

“My elder brother Bablu, who is playing football in the Sylhet league, is my mentor. He accepted a lot of problems but never gave up, which has taken me to this level."