Sheikh Aslam

Sheikh Mohammad Aslam (; born 1 March 1958), popularly known as Aslam, is a Bangladeshi retired footballer. He played as a specialist striker and was one of the most lethal marksmen in domestic league during the 1980s and 1990s. He gained fame while playing for Dhaka Abahani, one of Dhaka's two major football clubs. He was a linchpin of several league-winning Abahani sides, and was the league's leading scorer a record five times. He is said to have scored more than 300 goals in domestic and international football combined.

He later worked for the Bangladesh Football Federation after retiring.

Club career Early days Aslam first came to Dhaka to participate in the 100m run, long jump and javelin throw events for the Team BJMC athletics team in 1976. Along with athletics he got involved with football, starting his journey in 1974 for Town Club in the Khulna Second Division Football League. The next year he played for Bangladesh WAPDA and earned promotion to the First Division Football League as the runner-up. While playing for WAPDA in 1976, he managed to attract interest from Dhaka's top tier.

Years with Abahani Domestic Aslam reached the zenith of his career while playing for Dhaka Abahani, as from 1984 until 1987 he was First Division League's top goal scorer for a record four consecutive seasons. During this time, he had Kazi Salahuddin, Samrat Hossain Emily, Ratnayaka Premalal, and Karim Allawi as his striker partners at different stages. He scored 17 goals in 1984, 18 in 1985, 20 in 1986, 14 in 1987, and 17 goals in 1988. His record was later broken by Muktijoddha SKC captain Imtiaz Ahmed Nakib. In the 1989-1990 season, he scored 11 goals and set a new record of becoming the top scorer five times. From the 1984 to 1988–1989 seasons, he achieved the rare feat of scoring a hat-trick in each league for five consecutive seasons. He scored 103 goals for Abahani in seven consecutive seasons until the 1991–1992 season. Aslam won three league trophies alongside a hat-trick in the Federation Cup (from 1985 to 1988) during his first spell at the club.

Continental Alsam left a huge mark on continental football for Abahani, scoring a hat-trick as Abahani defeated India's Gurkha Brigade 4–1 in the DCM Trophy in New Delhi in 1984. Aslam's five goals helped Abahani beat Club Valencia from Maldives 8–1 in the 1985–86 Asian Club Championship held in Colombo. With nine goals for Abahani during the tournament, he became the highest scorer jointly with Premalal of Saunders SC of Sri Lanka.

During Abahani's 1991 BTC Club Cup triumph, they managed to defeat Indian giant Kolkata Mohammedan in the group stage, with Aslam scoring one of the two goals in a 2–1 win. In the semi-final they defeated another Indian team in East Bengal Club, with goals from Aslam and Rizvi Karim Rumi. Abahani went onto defeat Dhaka Mohammedan SC in the final. Aslam was named the best player of the tournament with three goals in four matches, thus attracting interest from abroad. And as the Dhaka First Division League was not held in 1991, East Bengal Club signed Aslam along with his teammates Monem Munna and Rizvi Karim Rumi for the 1991 Calcutta Football League. Regarding his injury, Aslam said during an interview, "After scoring a goal against George Telegraph, their goalkeeper hit me so hard that I passed out. I was taken to the hospital."

Return to Abahani After a falling out with Abahani authorities, Aslam joined Mohammedan in 1993 and scored seven goals during his year-long spell at the club. He returned to Abahani in 1994 and scored 7 goals following his return to the club. Aside from Khurshid Alam Babul, Aslam is the only player to win seven league trophies. Aslam hung up his boots in 1996, ending his illustrious league career with record 177 goals in domestic football in Dhaka, from which 119 goals were for Abahani, leaving him second in the club's all-time leading goalscorer list behind Kazi Salahuddin. India's goalkeeper during the game, Atanu Bhattacharya, later told Aslam during his time at East Bengal, "Dada, you have ended my career!"

Aslam's strike in the 1986 Asian Games against Nepal gave Bangladesh their only second-ever victory in the competition. He missed the 1987 South Asian Games due to the year-long suspension he picked up in the Dhaka derby. On 27 February 1989, Aslam scored a bullet header for Bangladesh against Iran during the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Nonetheless, Bangladesh failed to make it a memorable draw, as Rumman Wali Sabbir missed a crucial penalty towards the end of the game. During the 1989 President's Gold Cup final, Aslam scored the equalizer against Korea University as the game ended 1–1, with Bangladesh winning the title on penalties. Aslam was left out of the Bangladesh squad by Iranian coach Nasser Hejazi for the 1989 South Asian Games, a decision which was criticized by both media and fans. The 1991 South Asian Games was Aslam's final international tournament for Bangladesh, with him scoring his last international goal against Nepal.

In 1986, Aslam married Mona Marjan after scoring a hat-trick against Wari Club in a league game.

Aslam was selected as the best footballer by Bangladesh Sports Writers Association in 1984 and by National Sports Council in 1998. In 1997, on the occasion of its Silver Jubilee, Bangladesh Football Federation selected the best XI of post-independence Bangladesh and in 2005, he was one of the 10 footballers honored by the football federation.

Style of play Aslam was known for his bullet headers and movement inside the penalty box as well as his no curve extremely powerful longshots. He scored many long-range strikes for both club and country. Aslam's heading ability was due to his early days with the Team BJMC athletic team; additionally, Aslam played volleyball before pursuing football as a profession.

Mohammedan SC Dhaka Premier Division League: 1993 Federation Cup: 1983

East Bengal Club Calcutta First Division League: 1991

Bangladesh South Asian Games Silver medal: 1984, 1985; Bronze medal: 1991

Awards and accolades 1984 − Sports Writers Association's Footballer of the Year 2000 − National Sports Award

Individual 1984 − Dhaka First Division League top scorer 1985 − Dhaka First Division League top scorer 1986 − Dhaka First Division League top scorer 1986 − Dhaka First Division League top scorer 1989–90 − Dhaka First Division League top scorer 1985–86 − Asian Club Championship top scorer 1980 − AFC Youth Championship Qualifying Most Valuable Player Award