Shohag determined to make late call-up count

"Because of my laziness, I could not get into the national team in the past," was the honest admission of Habibur Rahman Shohag, the Mohammedan player who recently been selected for the national squad for this month's tri-nation tournament in Nepal.

A versatile player with a gifted left-foot, Shohag was always regarded highly for his set-pieces and range of passes, but those qualities could not mask the fact that he was less-than-effective in his defensive duties.

Learning his trade in Narayanganj, the versatile player was never considered for the national team despite playing top-flight football for 12 years and representing the country in each age-group team from the U-13s to the U-23s, including captaining the U-19 team.

"My dream to play for the national team would have not come true if Sean Lane was not appointed as Mohammedan coach. He pushed me a lot to perform on the pitch. He can never accept the fact that I cannot be a part of the national team. Due to his encouragement, I am now a more active player and I cannot be lazy even if I want to," Shohag told The Daily Star.

Shohag joined Abahani in 2009 after playing in the Pioneer League and made his debut in professional football the same year before earning a regular place in the starting eleven the following year. The forward also represented Abahani in AFC President's Cup and was part of the team which won Assam's Bordoloi Trophy in 2010.

But he switched allegiance the next year, moving to archrivals Mohammedan in 2011 where he spent four seasons. From there he moved to Muktijoddha Sangsad and Arambagh before coming back to Mohammedan where he thrived under Sean Lane last season.

"I played in Number 10 position for Abahani previously, but now I'm playing as a centre-back for Mohammedan. However, the coach deployed me in three positions in a single match. Sometimes I played in left-back position, as a defensive midfielder and as an attacking midfielder," the 28-year-old said.

Replying to a query, Shohag said, "There was a gap between the national coaches and myself because I was not regular in starting elevens of clubs in the middle of my career. So previous national team coaches could not watch me properly, and even when I performed, they were not there to see my performance. This season, though, Jamie Day watched a lot of matches and picked me."

Shohag once used to walk eight to 10 kilometres from Madanganj to Narayanganj Osmani Stadium to play football but since he got into top-level football, he failed to do the hard yards which could have rewarded him with a national call-up earlier in his career.

Shohag has regrets but now that he has finally found a call, he wants to grab the opportunity with both hands.

"I felt sad that I could not turn myself into a hard-working player even as I had watched how players like Matiur Rahman Munna, Rajani Kanta Barman, Alfaz Ahmed pushed themselves even in the twilight of their careers," Shohag said. "But now I've become more disciplined and responsible as a player to push myself for a place in the playing eleven of the national team."