This is Sharan's World
From Old DOHS to North America to representing the country.
The mid-2000s was an interesting time for an “average football loving teen” growing up in Dhaka. There was no shortage of football on TV, the internet gave birth to forums for local football fanatics, an eventful World Cup - but most importantly it was the peak of the underground football scene.
For those unaware, here’s a quick recap: generally you have the mainstream football scene - the professional leagues and clubs with footballers who basically play full time. But a whole different world existed in Dhaka and it was called “underground football”. Essentially an “unofficially-official” body formed by a few football lovers at the time like the Underground Football Association (UFA) which had a big part to play in building the scene.
In a nutshell, organizations like UFA and other private initiatives would host regular tournaments and what this did was help create long standing football clubs either within various Dhaka suburbs or schools, or a mix of both. A few clubs rose to the top and would participate in and win almost all tournaments which gave them and their players a somewhat cult status within the scene itself. Today, the names Seven Nations Army, Powerpuff Boys, DOHS United, and Josephites Soccer Knights, all come with a blast of nostalgia for any football loving kid from that era.
Soon enough, the mainstream media and Bangladesh Football Federation would start taking notice as well. And then there was the debate: are these young underground footballers good enough to take the professional route? Because if you saw some of these games, it was clear that there was a significant pool of talent. With no professional training, and learning only through these games and watching their heroes on TV, these young footballers seemed like they could easily take on the challenges of professional football.
The plot was simple - these are all diehard football fans at the peak of their athletic-selves looking for an outlet that was more than just a kickabout in the parks. And you could tell it in the atmosphere which was filled with this innocent optimism. Despite having no route to professional leagues or clubs, there was an underlying desire to not just play but to someday play professionally. We had dreams to go to England, to play for the country, to try out somewhere. It was our fantasy. It was my fantasy.
This sense of unadulterated and perhaps, wishful thinking pushed me to continuously play football around the clock. Any sort of free time meant heading down to the local parks for a game or two where the elites of underground footballers would have a regular kickabout.
And it was on one of these fine days on a usual afternoon, I spotted this “kid”. Clearly the youngest on the entire pitch, you were bound to think that he didn’t belong amongst the teens and adults who were much older and bigger than him.
But, boy, would he prove you wrong. His movement, his understanding of the game, his sense of self awareness - even at that age at that time - would leave you questioning your own eyes.
“Did this kid just nutmeg me?”
“Twice?”
“How is he going past 5 players?”
He went on to be known as that “kid who nutmegs everyone” but it didn’t take long for people to know the name Sharan - or formally today as Rahbar Wahed Khan.
As underground football slowly faded out, most players did too. Lack of resources, connections, and a conservative approach to education meant the dreams of thousands of teens wanting to wear the boots professionally started dissipating.
And this is where grit trumps dreams. Sharan never gave up on his passion even when things didn’t look bright for the scene. He kept playing, kept in shape, kept his desire burning throughout his school and college years - so much so that he got accepted to Siena Heights University on a sports scholarship.
Furthermore, during his university years, Sharan became the captain of his team, was named the Player of the Year in 2016 and 2017 and went on to earn his All-WHAC nod in the same year. That same season, he was selected as the WHAC men's soccer offensive player of the week twice and was later named an NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
But Sharan did not stop there. Fast forward to 2020, he founded Next Level Sports Management, a sports consulting agency and academy, to make a difference for other aspiring young footballers like him in Dhaka. Through the agency, he aims to help the youngsters fast-track their footballing journey into getting sports scholarships and placements throughout North America and Europe.
A few weeks ago, Sharan got a call up for the Bangladesh National Team to play in the Three Nations Cup in 2021 against Palestine and Kyrgyzstan. Let me write that sentence again, Sharan - that kid who nutmegged me in Old DOHS in 2006 - just got called up for the national team.
Sure, Bangladesh is not known internationally for its football.
Sure, it isn’t the most exciting tournament ever.
Sure, things may not go as planned, even for him.
But these are the stories you hear about other footballers, about the underdogs, about the Santiago Munezes - and here we are watching one play out in front of our own eyes.
Everyone who played against and with Sharan all these years will tell you how unique this feeling is to see his name on that squad list. He is the embodiment of the dreams we had, the stories of the underground tournaments we played, the culture we built.
And so, today when Sharan walks out of that dressing room, puts on the jersey, and takes his first step on to the pitch, we are all Sharan.
And Sharan is all of us.
BY TAWSIF AKKAS
