Sheikh Morsalin is only 17 years old but has already scored two sensational goals in the ongoing SAFF Bangabandhu Championship 2023 to help Bangladesh reach the semi-final for the first time in 14 years.
Bangladesh have long been facing a dearth of a genuine goal-scoring striker but Morsalin's presence in the current team has somewhat filled the void.
Morsalin is a midfielder but his versatility and scoring ability mean he can play at any position in the attacking line.
His mother did not want him to play football initially but that never stopped him from sneaking into a football field whenever possible.
His potential soon caught the eyes of the Bangladesh Football Federation coaches as he began playing for the Under-13 national team, starting with the Mogh Cup in Malaysia before joining Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishthan in 2016.
He played for BKSP's football team in different tournaments, including Subroto Cup in India where he became the U-17 tournament's second highest scorer with six goals.
While playing for third-division club Alamgir Somaj Kalyan KS where he scored 19 goals in 16 matches during the 2019-20 season, Bangladesh Premier League champions Bashundhara Kings signed him.
It was difficult for him to get playing opportunity at star-studded Kings as he was loaned to Mohammedan Sporting Club.
He made his premier league debut at only 16 and found the net in the following game.
He netted a spectacular long-range goal against the Kings that went viral on social media and since then, never had to look back.
Also a good student, Morsalin was a late inclusion to the 35-member preliminary squad for the SAFF Championship and despite being the youngest player, he made it into the final 23-man squad.
He made his international debut when he came on as a 70th minute substitute for Jamal Bhuiyan in a 1–0 victory over Cambodia earlier this month.
He grabbed his first international goal after coming on as sub during the 3-1 win over the Maldives in the second group stage fixture in the SAFF Championship.
His brilliant finish once again made the headlines.
After that match, Bangladesh head coach Javier Cabrera had said, “He is important (to the side). He will have his chance probably at some moment. He has proven in the previous game (Maldives) to actually have an important impact in the game. He has to keep working on that. Definitely if he keeps working like that he's going to be a player that slowly will get more and more importance in the team.”
Cabrera fielded him in the starting XI the following game against Bhutan and Morsalin took only half-an-hour to unleash a powerful strike from outside the box.
“Morsalin has something different in that capacity to create chances especially. He scored in the last minute against the Maldives and scored against Bhutan in the first 30 minutes. When he has the ball, something is going to happen.”
