“She scored a goal from where there was no possibility to score, and the spectators were left speechless,” said Shanti Moni Chakma.
Ritu Porna Chakma’s first coach, Shanti Moni, shared this memory with Dhaka Tribune a day after Ritu’s sensational brace helped Bangladesh qualify for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup finals.
She scored two stunning goals in the 2-1 win over Myanmar Wednesday, securing Bangladesh’s historic qualification for the tournament.
Shanti Moni’s words suggested that Ritu had a history of scoring remarkable goals in big matches - even during her primary school days.
The story continued at the SAFF Women’s Championship 2024.
Ritu was a standout performer throughout the tournament and netted the winning goal in the thrilling final against hosts Nepal in Kathmandu.
She found the net in the 81st minute, sealing a 2-1 triumph and the trophy for Bangladesh.
It was no surprise that she was named the best player of the competition.
Ritu hails from the hilly Rangamati district. Her home is situated three-four kilometers deep into the hills from the main road.
Her family lived in a state of extreme poverty during her early years.
“Their financial condition was very bad. Her parents struggled to provide food and clothes for the family,” recalled Shanti Moni.
Amid this hardship, Ritu’s paternal uncle, Bir Sen Chakma - a school headmaster -brought her to his school football team in 2012.
At the time, she was in class three. Her toenails came off when she first kicked a ball, and she stopped attending training for a while.
Ritu trained under Shanti Moni until she was admitted to Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishthan in 2015 - the same year her father passed away, leaving behind a wife, four daughters, and a son.
Her family did not have the means to cover the expenses at BKSP. She stayed there for about a year before being called up to the national Under-15 team.
Since then, she has been part of the Bangladesh Football Federation’s residential training camp. She made her senior national team debut in 2019.
She has also represented Bangladesh in various youth teams.
Former women’s team head coach Golam Rabbani Choton recalled that Ritu had always been a big-match player - even during her U-17 and U-19 days.
“When she had the ball near the box, I would shout at her - and she would shoot from there and score,” said Choton.
Ritu scored two such goals against hosts Myanmar in her latest performance.
The first was a low drive after her free kick rebounded, while the second was a superb curling effort from a difficult angle.
Ritu has become something of a lucky charm for Bangladesh. She made her SAFF Championship debut in 2022 - the year Bangladesh clinched their maiden SAFF title.
Two years later, she was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament as Bangladesh retained the title.
Thanks to her powerful left-footed strikes, Bangladesh defeated Myanmar - ranked 73 places higher in FIFA rankings - and qualified for the Asian Cup on their third attempt.
In an interview with Dhaka Tribune last year, Ritu said what she loves most about the hills is the hardworking nature of its people.
As a child, she used to trek down to small hill streams - locally called Jhiri - to collect water and bring it back home.
The hardworking spirit of the people from the remote hills is one of the key reasons behind the rise of Ritu Porna Chakma - the big match player she is today.
