Once star goalkeeper, Mohsin now helpless at life's goalpost

“Standing under the goal bar, the courageous Mohsin...!”

This is the translated lyric of a song from a popular Bangla movie from the 80's. The song was about the rivalry between Abahani and Mohammedan. The song picturised on actors Jafar Iqbal and Sucharita also gained a lot of popularity. The ‘courageous’ Mohsin was not some fictional character. He was one of the greatest goalkeepers in Bangladesh history Mohammad Mohsin.

Mohsin, who was once considered a style icon and the vigilant guard under the goal bar, is not doing well. He has lost almost everything. The former star goalkeeper has also lost his mental stability. He is currently living in a flat in the capital’s Siddeshwari Circular Road in relative obscurity. The former star footballer is physically ill. He can’t even get treatment for his eyes for the lack of money.

Still, even in his illness, the former national team captain hasn’t forgotten about his playing days. He still gets excited thinking about those days, “I have captained Abahani, Mohammedan and Muktijodha- all three teams. I have captained Bangladesh abroad. I have toured so many countries to play football! I have played against so many famous teams!”

Mohsin now lives in Siddeshwari with his younger brother Kohinur Islam in their family flat. He left football almost out of the blue in mid-90s and went to Canada. He got married and had a family. But the marriage didn’t last. He had a business in Canada too. But as he was never a person who focused too much on worldly matters, he lost everything. In 2014, he returned to Bangladesh with next to nothing. He hasn’t gone back to Canada. Gradually he lost his mental stability through severe depression.

Mohsin’s brother Kohinur said, “My elder brother was never really a practical person about worldly matters. He couldn’t sustain his business for too long. He always paid the price for his excessive kindness. The entire family used to idolise him, follow him, ask him for different things. Now, he has lost everything.”

It won’t be an exaggeration to say the Mohsin is the greatest goalkeeper in Bangladesh history. At a very early age, he rose to prominence through the Abahani camp. While studying in the eighth standard, he caught the eyes of the country’s best footballer Ashrafuddin Chunnu. Mohsin stopped a shot as fast as a bullet in a match, which amazed Chunnu. He trained with Abahani for a while before joining Mohammedan in 1982. He made it into the national side that very year.

Although he was the backup goalkeeper in the 1982 Asian Games, the Bangladesh team placed its faith in him in two out of the three games in the competition. He caused a wave back home by stopping a penalty against China. He didn’t have to look back after that.

He was the national team’s no.1 goalkeeper for 11 straight years. He played more than 40 games for the national team in World Cup qualifiers, Asian cup qualifiers, SAFF Games and Asian Games during the 80s-90s.

Mohsin rose to fame while playing for Mohammedan. He was the captain of Mohammedan in 1985, but couldn’t find any success. In 1987 he joined Abahani. He led Abahani to the senior division football league title in 1992.

In the 1994 transfer season, Muktijodha Sangsad Krira Chakra broke the Abahani, Mohammedan and Brother Union’s pool and emerged as a heavyweight team. Mohsin joined Muktijodha and also captained the team. He helped Muktijodha win the Federation Cup. He played for Muktijodha for just one year, after which he went into hiding and started his new life in Canada.

During this lengthy absence, a lot has happened in Mohsin’s life. Kohinur said, “My brother has been cheated at every step. He was just extremely unlucky. He also made some mistakes. He never thought too much about life. He led his life thinking everything will just take care of itself. He has had to pay the price for that.”

One of the greatest stars in the country’s football history is now left with nothing. Seeing Mohsin at his current state, one wouldn’t be able to believe that the same man was once the cover face of weekly Bichitra’s Eid issue and his goalkeeping once held a special place in the hearts of the countrymen.

That same Mohsin is now helpless at life’s goalpost. Did a star like him deserve this?