Mohammed Kaikobad

Mohammed Kaikobad (; born 15 July 1946) is a retired Bangladeshi football player and coach.

Early career Kaikobad began his football career after completing his matriculation exams in 1961 by joining the junior team of Kazipara Union Club. The following year, he played in the Brahmanbaria First Division Football League with Kazipara's senior team. In 1963, he participated in the Cumilla First Division Football League with Cumilla East Bengal and represented the Cumilla District in the inter-district football championship under the recommendation of Zahirul Haque.

Club career In 1964, he was invited to play for East Pakistan Government Press in the Dhaka First Division Football League by the club's striker Azab Ali. Initially, the Press team hesitated to play Kaikobad as a central defender due to his small stature; however, he cemented his position after his impressive performance in his debut game against Dhaka Wanderers on 30 May 1964, which saw the club end their six-game winless run. He was made club captain in 1966, and the following year, he joined Rahmatganj MFS, where he spent two seasons. He also captained the club in 1977, which was his final year as an active player due to a recurring knee injury.

Dhaka XI After the Independence of Bangladesh, Kaikobad returned to the country and participated in the first football match held post-independence on 13 February 1972. He played for Bangladesh XI against President XI. Despite comprising former members of the Shadhin Bangla football team, the experienced squad suffered a 2–0 defeat. On 13 May 1972, two days after their match against Mohammedan, Mohun Bagan AC, the first foreign football club to visit independent Bangladesh, played against "Dhaka XI," the unofficial Bangladesh national team. The game, held at the Dhaka Stadium, ended in a 1–0 victory for the Dhaka side, with Kaikobad assisting the winning goal scored by Kazi Salahuddin. In August of that year, he travelled to India's Guwahati with Dhaka XI, to take part in the Bordoloi Trophy. The team finished runners-up after defeat to East Bengal Club in the final. On 5 and 11 October 1972, Kaikobad featured for Dhaka XI in two goalless draws against East Bengal Club at the Dhaka Stadium. The team played six matches in the tournament along with a friendly match against Singapore on their way back, which resulted in their first international victory. Kaikobad missed the 1975 edition of the tournament due to a knee injury, which eventually marked the end of his international career. He began serving as assistant coach in 1982 under head coach Golam Sarwar Tipu, after completing his coaching diploma from Patiala. He remained involved in the club's coaching panel as either assistant or permanent head coach until 1992. He also helped Mohammedan get past the first two rounds of the 1991 Asian Club Championship, in home and away fixtures against Pakistan's WAPDA FC and Maldive's New Radiant, in the absence of head coach, Nasser Hejazi. He also served as head coach of the Bangladesh national team in both 1987 and 1992. He first took charge of the team at the 1987 President's Gold Cup held in Dhaka, where the team, composed of Mohammedan players, competed under the name "Bangladesh White". His final stint as national coach came during the 1992 AFC Asian Cup qualification held in Bangkok, Thailand. Bangladesh lost both qualification games 0–6 and 0–1 to South Korea and Thailand, finishing at the bottom of their group.

Honours Mohammedan SC Dhaka First Division League: 1969, 1975, 1976 Independence Cup: 1972

Chittagong Division National Football Championship: 1970

Individual 2001 − National Sports Awards 2018 − Rupchada Prothom Alo Award 2018