Krishna Rani Sarkar has had a passion for football since she was a child. She often played with boys, honing her skills and love for the game.
Hailing from Uttar Pathalia village in Gopalpur, Tangail, Krishna's love for football often distracted her from her studies, and her mother would scold her for spending too much time playing outside with the boys.
Despite her mother's attempts to stop her by confiscating and cutting up her footballs, Krishna's passion for the game could not be deterred. When she was prohibited from playing, Krishna went on a hunger strike, eventually convincing her parents to allow her to continue playing. Nonetheless, she faced ridicule from others.
After overcoming all the obstacles, Krishna is currently a striker for the national women's team.
However, due to an injury in 2023, she has been sidelined from national team matches so far but continues to practice regularly.
From a remote village, Krishna has become an icon for young female footballers nationwide. Her father, Basudeb Sarkar, still works in agriculture, and her mother, Namita Rani Sarkar, is a homemaker.
Krishna was born on January 1, 2001. She started playing football in 2010 at the upazila level in the Bangamata Fazilatunnesa Mujib Inter-Primary Football Tournament.
At that time, under Krishna's leadership, her educational institution, Uttar Pathalia Government Primary School, became a champion at the upazila level. The tournament highlighted Krishna as the best player, catching the eye of Golam Raihan Bapon, the physical education teacher at Suti VM Pilot Model Government High School.
Impressed by her exceptional sports skills, the teacher contacted Krishna's family and enrolled her in his school without any fees. This provided Krishna with ample opportunities to pursue football.
Krishna's football talents and significant role helped her team win the national championship in the National School and Madrasa Football Competition three times in a row, in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Later, when the Bangladesh U-14 girls football team was formed, Krishna, along with two other girls from the same school, secured their place in the team.
In 2015, under Krishna's leadership, Bangladesh won the AFC U-14 Girls' Football Championship for the first time.
The following year, Bangladesh again won the championship in the same tournament, although Krishna was not part of the team due to age restrictions. However, the same year, in the AFC Under-16 Football Championship qualifiers held in Dhaka, Bangladesh's girls became group champions and advanced to the final stage. She was the captain of that team, leading from the front by scoring eight goals in the tournament.
In 2017, under Krishna's captaincy, Bangladesh's team played in the main stage of the AFC Under-16 Football Championship in Thailand. Earlier in 2017, Bangladesh was the runner-up in the Saaf Football Championship held in India, where Krishna was a key player.
In 2022, Bangladesh made history by winning the Saff Women's Championship final against host Nepal with a 3-1 score. Krishna Rani Sarkar scored two of the three goals for Bangladesh.
Krishna's mother, Namita Rani Sarkar, said: “There was a time when she discouraged her daughter from playing football due to financial constraints and negative comments from villagers. However, those who ridiculed could not overpower Krishna's determination, and she is now the pride of the nation.”
Krishna said: "There is no separate day for women. Every day is Women's Day. Initially, I didn't receive any support from my family and had to endure scolding and taunting from both my family and people from my area. Despite that, I continued to play football regularly.
"Due to our family's poor financial situation, I had to bear my own expenses. Currently, I'm supporting all of my family's expenses.”
She added: "I got injured during a match in 2023, and since then, I have not played in any national team games. However, I am continuously practicing in the camp.”
