Samrat Hossain Emily

Samrat Hossain Emily was a Bangladeshi footballer of the 1980s. After starting his career as a striker, he moved to the role of an attacking midfielder in the 2nd half of the decade. He is among the few footballers who played with equal success for both the giants Mohammedan SC and Abahani Limited Dhaka. Between 1983 and 1988-89 he won a record 6 successive league titles. He also represented the Bangladesh national team from 1982 to 1988.

Club career

Early days A product of the Pioneer Football League, Emily got his big break while playing for Dhaka First Division League club Wari AC in 1982. He was specially impressive in the Super League, scoring against Abahani Krira Chakra in the final matchday. Thanks to his goals, Wari finished fourth in the league, their best finish of the decade.

The tug of war The beginning of 1983 saw both the Dhaka giants Mohammedan SC and Abahani Krira Chakra engage in a tug of war for his services. At the end he joined the sky blues from Dhanmondi. Initially there were some concerns about his success at Abahani, as the sky blues already had the legendary forward Kazi Salahuddin as their premier striker. However, Emily proved a great success in his debut season combining superbly with both Salahuddin and left winger Ashrafuddin Ahmed Chunnu. In his debut match for Abahani, against Calcutta MSC he scored a superb headed goal.

International career In 1982, he made his international debut playing as an attacker for the Bangladesh Red team, which was the main Bangladesh national team during the President's Gold Cup in Dhaka. Emily played a similar role for the Bangladesh White team during the 1987 edition of the President's Gold Cup. The team mainly consisting of Mohammedan SC players were considered to be the main national team during the tournament. They were led by Badal Roy to the semi-finals before losing to Chinese club Guangdong on penalties. During the tournament Emily found the net once, coming in a 2–2 draw against Thailand, scoring a header from a Badal Roy corner in the 85th minute. He also represented Bangladesh in youth level scoring against Hong Kong U19 at the 1985 AFC Youth Championship qualifiers. Bangladesh won the game 2–0 with Arif Abdul Khalek scoring the other goal.

Personal life In October 2013, Emily accused, Shamim Osman, the leader of political party Awami League, of physically assaulting him.

Honours Abahani Krira Chakra Dhaka First Division League: 1983, 1984, 1985 Federation Cup: 1985

Mohammedan SC Dhaka First Division League: 1986, 1987, 1988–89 Ma-O-Moni Gold Cup: 1990 Independence Cup: 1991

Bangladesh South Asian Games Silver medal: 1984