Quick Facts
CancerBiography
Iqbal Hossain (Bengali: ইকবাল হোসেন; born 7 July 1975) is a Bangladeshi retired professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He began his career playing in the Dhaka League for Agrani Bank Ltd. SC before moving to Abahani Limited Dhaka. Iqbal was also part of the 1999 South Asian Games winning Bangladesh team. He represented the Bangladesh national team between 1997 and 2001.
International career
Iqbal was a key player in the Bangladesh team, for coach Samir Shaker. Iqbal was known as a very skilled and hardworking footballer in his playing life. He first came into the national team limelight during the 1999 SAFF Gold Cup, were Bangladesh reached the final, only to suffer a 1–0 defeat against India. During the 1999 South Asian Game, he had to face three dope tests during the tournament, which Bangladesh ended up winning. According to Iqbal, one of the team's players were usually selected by lottery for a dope test and unfortunately for him, he was selected for test three times during the tournament, both before the semi-finals and final. He also stated that even after the nations victory in the final, against hosts Nepal, the officials asked for him to attend another dope test.
| Goal. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 24 April 1999 | Fatorda Stadium, Goa |  Pakistan | 1–0 | 4–0 | 1999 SAFF Championship |
Post-playing career
Iqbal won the BFF elections in 2012 and 2016 as an executive member. He was team manager (team leader) of the Bangladesh national team during 2015 SAFF Championship in India, and also during the 2015 Bangabandhu Cup which was held in Dhaka.
On 14 March 2021, he was once again made the team manager for the national team, this time under Jamie Day for the 2021 Three Nations Cup, held in Nepal.
On 9 March 2022, the BFF reappointed Iqbal as team manager under national team head coach, Javier Cabrera.
Honours
Abahani Limited Dhaka
- Dhaka Premier Division League: 1995, 2001
- National Football League: 2000
- Federation Cup: 1999, 2000
Mohammedan SC
- Dhaka Premier Division League: 1996
Muktijoddha Sangsad KC
- Dhaka Premier Division League: 1997–98
Brothers Union
- Dhaka Premier Division League: 2003–04
- National Football League: 2004
Bangladesh
- South Asian Games Gold medal: 1999
