‘Want to keep as many clean sheets as possible for Bangladesh’

With 15 clean sheets in 21 games in the Federation Cup and the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Abahani goalkeeper Mitul Marma has been the standout performer this season. Mitul, who has conceded only eight goals throughout the season, will play his final game of the season when Abahani take on Brothers Union in a BPL contest today, before joining the national team's preparations ahead of their Singapore match next month. In an interview with The Daily Star's Anisur Rahman, the 21-year-old keeper talked about his performance, improvement, the domestic league, and the national football team. Below are excerpts from the conversation:

The Daily Star (DS): What has been the recipe behind your success this season?

Mitul Marma (MM): The improvement in my performance is also linked to the national football team, where our aim is to keep clean sheets. To achieve that, I must perform well at the club level. When I joined Abahani, I was determined to concede as few goals as possible because Abahani, unfortunately, couldn't form the squad they initially intended. So, we local players pledged to start the season like a champion team by giving our best. I think we also trained harder than other teams.

DS: How does it feel to have kept so many clean sheets? 

MM: I am not the one to be given sole credit for this, as it was a collective effort. From defenders to attackers, everyone defended well throughout the season, so I was under less pressure.

DS: What has been the difference between this season's Mitul Marma and last season's?

MM: The difference is my mentality, which developed thanks to the national team's head coach [Javier Cabrera] and goalkeeping coach [Nayan]. I discussed my strengths and weaknesses with them and worked on improving during the national camp. Abahani's goalkeeping coach also helped me a lot. 

DS: How competitive has the league been this time in the absence of two big teams – Sheikh Jamal DC and Sheikh Russel KC? Also, what's your take on Abahani's performance?

MM: Abahani could have benefitted if we had four foreign players from the start of the season. Still, we have a chance to finish as league runners-up. The players and officials sacrificed a lot for Abahani, which at one point didn't even plan to form a team. I think that sacrifice was a big motivation for us to perform well.

Despite the absence of Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russel, I think the league was competitive. It became a three-way race among Abahani, Mohammedan, and Kings -- unlike previous seasons when only one team dominated. The race for runners-up is still open going into the final round.

DS: Do you have any regrets for not winning the Federation Cup and the BPL despite coming close?

MM: After working hard all season, of course, we regret not winning a trophy. But I think becoming runners-up isn't a small achievement either. We will carry the regret of not winning the Federation Cup for a long time. We lost the Cup due to a disruption in the momentum during the final.

DS: From being the third-choice national team goalkeeper to being the number one – how did you make it happen? 

MM: I believe hard work is the foundation of all achievements, and I never stopped working. I also learned from senior goalkeepers. I think the turning point was the Asian Games in 2023. After our match against China, the coach [Cabrera] told me, "You are now ready for the national team, and you will play for the senior team." Since then, I've tried to give my best. But I don't consider myself the number one goalkeeper – I just focus on doing my best in every match.

DS: Is it possible to translate your domestic performance to the upcoming Asian Cup qualifying matches, considering Bangladesh conceded over 20 goals in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers?

MM: We already kept a clean sheet against India in our first match. My target is to keep as many clean sheets as possible for the national team and help us win. However, there is a big difference between domestic and international matches.

DS: What's on your mind ahead of the Singapore match on June 10?

MM: First, we are all preparing ourselves by playing in domestic competitions. Hamza Choudhury has already played one match, and Shamit Shome is expected to join us for the Singapore game. So, we will be stronger than we were against India. The inclusion of midfielders like Hamza and Shamit will give us an edge in creating more scoring chances.

However, the match will be tough because Singapore also have two or three quality players like Hamza bhai. But we want to capitalise on our home advantage. I think we have a good chance to win.

DS: How do you feel seeing the excitement around Bangladesh's match against Singapore?

MM: I feel really proud that the people of Bangladesh are showing such interest in football, which wasn't common before. That support inspires us to do something great for the nation.

DS: Great goalkeepers like Mohammad Mohsin, Sayeed Hasan Kanon, Aminul Haque, and Biplob Bhattacharjee served the national team for a long time, but recently, no goalkeeper has been able to hold their position for long. Can Mitul Marma maintain his place?

MM: To be honest, it's very difficult to maintain a spot in the national team. But I want to give my best for as long as I'm part of the team.