Monaem Khan Raju

Monaem Khan Raju
Personal information
Full name Monaem Khan Raju
Date of birth (1990-07-07) 7 July 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth Kishoreganj, Bangladesh
Height 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)[1]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Brothers Union
Number 8
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2010 Feni SC ? (?)
2010–2011 Sheikh Russel KC ? (?)
2011–2012 Feni SC ? (?)
2012–2015 Sheikh Jamal DC ? (?)
2016–2018 Sheikh Russel KC 14 (1)
2018–2021 Chittagong Abahani 46 (0)
2021–2024 Bangladesh Police 50 (0)
2024– Brothers Union 0 (0)
International career‡
2011–2016 Bangladesh 23 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 29 May 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 2 June 2016

Monaem Khan Raju (Bengali: মোনায়েম খান রাজু; born 7 July 1990) is a Bangladeshi footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Bangladesh Premier League club Brothers Union.

He also represented the Bangladesh national football team between 2011 and 2016.[2]

Career

In 2010, after his debut season with Feni SC, Raju was included in the 39-men preliminary squad for the 2010 South Asian Games by Croatian coach Zoran Đorđević. However, he did not make the final 23-men squad, and Bangladesh U23 ended up clinching gold in the tournament.[3]

On 29 May 2011, Raju scored a brace for Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club in a 2–0 victory over Arambagh KS. However, the season ended up being a disappointment for the club as they failed to retain the league title, finishing in seventh place.[4]

On 29 August 2013, Raju was added to the 2013 SAFF Championship squad by Dutch coach Lodewijk de Kruif, after captain Mamunul Islam and star midfielder Sohel Rana were deemed not fit enough. However, Raju's inclusion was not accepted by the South Asian Football Federation, due to him not being a member of the previously announced 30-men preliminary squad.[5] Bangladesh Football Federation's decision of including Raju after the original squad already announced, was later heavily criticised by local media, after Bangladesh finished bottom of their group during the tournament.[6]

On 15 January 2016, Raju was named the "Man of the Match" during Bangladesh's encounter with Nepal at the 2016 Bangabandhu Cup. However, after a goalless draw Raju expressed his disappointment during the post-match interview by stating "This is the first time I have become the best player in an international match. A victory would have been a big achievement. But that didn't happen."[7]

On 24 May 2019, while playing for Chittagong Abahani Limited, Raju and four other local footballers were accused of match-fixing.[8]

Career statistics

International

As of 2 June 2016.[9]
Bangladesh national team
Year Apps Goals
2011 6 0
2014 2 0
2015 11 0
2016 4 0
total 23 0

References

  1. ^ "Monaem Khan Raju - Player Profile - Football". Eurosport. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Monaem Khan Raju". fbref.com. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Zoran picks 39". The Daily Star. January 11, 2010. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Raju brace sinks Arambagh". The Daily Star. May 29, 2012. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  5. ^ "বাংলাদেশ দল থেকে রাজু বাদ". bdnews24. 29 August 2013. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Mamunul's race against time". The Daily Star. August 30, 2013. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  7. ^ "ম্যাচ সেরা হয়েও হতাশ রাজু". bdnews24. 15 January 2016. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Football's 'dirty politics' dragged on". New Age. 24 March 2019. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Monaem Khan Raju Stats, Info and Next Game". FootballCritic. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
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