Monaem Khan Raju (Bengali: মোনায়েম খান রাজু; born 7 July 1990) is a Bangladeshi footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Bangladesh Police in the Bangladesh Premier League.
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Monaem Khan Raju | ||
| Date of birth | 7 July 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Kishoreganj, Bangladesh | ||
| Height | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Bangladesh Police | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2010 | Feni SC | ? | (?) |
| 2010–2011 | Sheikh Russel KC | ? | (?) |
| 2011–2012 | Feni SC | ? | (?) |
| 2012–2015 | Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi | ? | (?) |
| 2016–2018 | Sheikh Russel KC | 14 | (1) |
| 2018–2021 | Chittagong Abahani Limited | 46 | (0) |
| 2021– | Bangladesh Police | 44 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011–2016 | Bangladesh | 23 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 April 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 2 June 2016 | |||
He also represented the Bangladesh national football team between 2011 and 2016.[2]
Career edit
In 2010, after his debut season with Feni SC, Raju was included in the 39-men preliminary squad for the 2010 South Asian Games by Croatian coach Zoran Đorđević. However, he did not make the final 23-men squad, and Bangladesh U23 ended up clinching gold in the tournament.[3]
On 29 May 2011, Raju scored a brace for Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club in a 2–0 victory over Arambagh KS. However, the season ended up being a disappointment for the club as they failed to retain the league title, finishing in seventh place.[4]
On 29 August 2013, Raju was added to the 2013 SAFF Championship squad by Dutch coach Lodewijk de Kruif, after captain Mamunul Islam and star midfielder Sohel Rana were deemed not fit enough. However, Raju's inclusion was not accepted by the South Asian Football Federation, due to him not being a member of the previously announced 30-men preliminary squad.[5] Bangladesh Football Federation's decision of including Raju after the original squad already announced, was later heavily criticised by local media, after Bangladesh finished bottom of their group during the tournament.[6]
On 15 January 2016, Raju was named the "Man of the Match" during Bangladesh's encounter with Nepal at the 2016 Bangabandhu Cup. However, after a goalless draw Raju expressed his disappointment during the post-match interview by stating "This is the first time I have become the best player in an international match. A victory would have been a big achievement. But that didn't happen."[7]
On 24 May 2019, while playing for Chittagong Abahani Limited, Raju and four other local footballers were accused of match-fixing.[8]
Career statistics edit
International edit
- As of 2 June 2016.[9]
| Bangladesh national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2011 | 6 | 0 |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 |
| 2015 | 11 | 0 |
| 2016 | 4 | 0 |
| total | 23 | 0 |
References edit
- ^ "Monaem Khan Raju - Player Profile - Football". Eurosport.
- ^ "Monaem Khan Raju". fbref.com.
- ^ "Zoran picks 39". The Daily Star. January 11, 2010.
- ^ "Raju brace sinks Arambagh". The Daily Star. May 29, 2012.
- ^ "বাংলাদেশ দল থেকে রাজু বাদ". bdnews24. 29 August 2013.
- ^ "Mamunul's race against time". The Daily Star. August 30, 2013.
- ^ "ম্যাচ সেরা হয়েও হতাশ রাজু". bdnews24. 15 January 2016.
- ^ "Football's 'dirty politics' dragged on". New Age. 24 March 2019.
- ^ "Monaem Khan Raju Stats, Info and Next Game". FootballCritic.
External links edit
- Monaem Khan Raju at National-Football-Teams.com
- Monaem Khan Raju at Soccerway
- Monaem Khan Raju at Global Sports Archive
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